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The Mastering Show · Nov 28, 2025 · 35 min

The Mastering Show #103 – Technical versus Creative Mastering (Q&A)

This started out as a Q&A episode, but one way or another there turned out to be a real theme to many of the questions, namely - how do you choose between technical and creative considerations, when mastering ? Questions like: When the client wants songs to sound different When to use mid-side processing (or not) Transient shaping - hardware or software ? How much distortion ? When is unbalanced EQ am artistic choice ? What to do when the "correct" thing to do goes against the emotion of the song Take a listen and find out how these questions all connect ! Full links on our website: www.themasteringshow.com/episode-103 Mentioned in this episode: Mastering Click HERE to work with Ian Leapwing Find out more about Leapwing's plugins Learn to master ! Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

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show notes

This started out as a Q&A episode, but one way or another there turned out to be a real theme to many of the questions, namely - how do you choose between technical and creative considerations, when mastering ?

Questions like:

  1. When the client wants songs to sound different
  2. When to use mid-side processing (or not)
  3. Transient shaping - hardware or software ?
  4. How much distortion ?
  5. When is unbalanced EQ am artistic choice ?
  6. What to do when the "correct" thing to do goes against the emotion of the song

Take a listen and find out how these questions all connect !

Full links on our website:

www.themasteringshow.com/episode-103

Mentioned in this episode:

Mastering

Click HERE to work with Ian

Leapwing

Find out more about Leapwing's plugins

Learn to master !

Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

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