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> field notes from the lab_
BCA-PG-NOTES · 27 entries
A complete mastering chain built from Ableton stock devices: the order, the settings, and why each device is there. This is the exact structure behind my own releases.
Actual loudness targets by genre and platform, why the '-14 LUFS myth' and the loudness war are both wrong, and the two numbers that matter more than LUFS.
Label deals explained with real numbers: what the typical splits are, how recoupment actually works, what a $50K advance really costs, and when signing genuinely makes sense.
Your music is copyrighted the moment you record it, and that protection is weaker than you think. The two copyrights in every song, what registration actually buys you, splits, PROs, and the mistakes that cost artists their leverage.
The full mastering process in one place: preparing the mix, the chain structure that works in every DAW, loudness decisions, verification, and the honest line between DIY and hiring a pro.
The complete mastering chain built from Logic Pro stock plugins: Channel EQ, the Compressor's VCA mode, Multipressor, and why Logic's Limiter is better than its reputation.
The clearest explanation of the difference you will find, from someone who does both for a living. What mixing fixes, what mastering fixes, what each should cost, and how to know which one your track needs.
Ozone is the most powerful mastering tool most producers own and most use it wrong. The module chain that works in Ozone 9 through 12, what the Assistant gets wrong, and the settings that matter.
Plugin Alliance has the deepest boutique catalog in software: Brainworx, SPL, elysia, Black Box. Here is the mastering chain worth building from it, and the exact role each processor plays.
The Waves plugins worth putting on a master bus, in the right order: which of the 200+ plugins matter, the settings that work, and the traps that make Waves masters sound dated.
The honest breakdown from a working mastering engineer: where AI mastering is genuinely good, where it structurally can't compete, and a simple test to hear the difference on your own track.
AI mastering, human engineers, and everything between — compared honestly by someone who masters for a living. Where LANDR and eMastered genuinely win, where they fall short, and how to pick the right option for your release.
The three distribution models compared honestly — flat-fee unlimited, per-release, and selective full-service — and how to pick based on how much you release, not on marketing pages.
The real math: streams needed for minimum wage, $2K/month, and a full-time income — independent vs signed — and why the artists actually living off music don't rely on streams alone. From an artist doing it in public.
What Spotify and Apple Music really pay, the two royalty types most artists don't know they're owed, who takes a cut at every step, and the independent-vs-signed math — from an artist who owns 100% of 50M+ streams.
What a master recording is, what owning it actually gets you, how artists lose theirs, and how to keep 100% of yours — from an artist who owns a 50+ track catalog and has been on both sides of the work-for-hire line.
The complete map for building an independent music career — finishing records that compete, releasing on a system, and owning everything you make. Built from 50M+ streams, 100% owned, zero record deals.
The honest alternatives to LANDR for mastering and distribution — AI competitors, human engineers, DIY chains — matched to what you're actually trying to fix. By a mastering engineer who'll tell you when LANDR is the right answer.
Editorial, algorithmic, and independent playlists — how each one actually works, how to pitch, and the one thing that gets you skipped before the pitch even matters. From a producer with 50M+ streams.
You don't need a label to build a real career — you need to own the right things. Here's the exact independent release system behind 50M+ streams: distribution, masters, audience, catalog, and revenue, step by step.
Six things every mastering engineer wishes you knew before you hit bounce. Headroom, file format, references, what to clean up — the prep moves that prevent revision rounds and let the engineer do the real work.
How to make your vocal sit like it belongs on a beat you bought. Recording chain, take comping, what stems to print, references — and the moment to stop mixing yourself and hand it off.
LUFS, true peak, integrated vs short-term — and why crushing your master at -6 LUFS thinking it makes you louder costs you dynamics for no reward. The current loudness reality across Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and TIDAL.
Online mastering ranges from free to $500+ per track. Here's what each tier actually buys you, where the price floors and ceilings come from, and how to pick the right service without overpaying — or under-protecting your release.
Stereo mastering, stem mastering, vocal mixing, full mix + master — four services, four very different jobs. Here's how to know which one your track needs, what each one costs, and what to send the engineer.
No label. No manager. No gatekeeper. Five decisions that built 50 million streams — and the playlist myth I had to unlearn first.
The exact mastering chain and 8-macro workflow I use on demos, label submissions, and DSP pre-releases — built on records that landed at Sony, Ultra, and Dim Mak.