Re: [microsound] mastering glitch

[Kerry Uchida <kerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

on 5/27/03 12:59 PM, Joe Milutis at milutis@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> 
> 
> Somebody a little while back mentioned an article on microsound and
> mastering that was to be posted here soon, but I'm too curious and thinking
> about it myself to wait, so I wanted to open up two questions about this
> issue, theoretical and practical.  Hopefully the author himself can hop in
> on this, as these may be issues he is already exploring in depth.  When I do
> listen to readily available glitch works, I am struck by the fact that while
> there is the exploration of digital error, it is the digital
> mastering--among other things--that takes of the edge of that error, makes
> it "listenable" and even ambient.  So it's a simple paradox whereby the
> sabotaging of the machine is aestheticized by the machine itself (Live
> environments probably make this less possible).  For example, sounds that
> result from digital clipping can be remastered so that they are no longer in
> the red, but still retain their distressed sonic texture.  Not necessarily a
> bad thing, but I'd be interested to know how different artists approach this
> theoretically.  And also practically.  Typical mastering techniques are
> based on a value system that is perhaps related but most times remote from
> glitch, so I'm interested in the techniques that people have developed.  Or
> are there trends towards anti-mastering.  Perhaps a completely simplified
> question for the masters out there, but hopefully one to start a
> conversation. (and not a flame war between pop glitch and punk glitch.)
> 
> Joe
> 

I think what mastering once was and now is has changed dramatically.
Mastering was creatively employed to balance the sound between tracks on an
album (using whatever was needed to do so...compression, eq, etc).
Mastering was also technically employed to enable to correct technical
preparation of audio material for transfer to it's deliverable medium
(vinyl).  There were often limitations as to what could and couldn't
be done...often the music may needed to be compromised.

Often, people are less concerned now with optimizing and balancing their
sound mixes during the mixing/programming stage (both colour and level) as
they can just fix it or tweak it in mastering.

While there are many mastering techniques that can be used and abused in
the Sound Design stage, I think that's where those techniques should be
used...in the creation of source material...for individual sounds...not
in the context of the overall sonic palette (song/album) I think mastering
should be employed to help make your tracks sound better in the context of
the album as a whole....irregarless of any aesthetics, theories or technical
concepts.

Kerry

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