Last month Ean took a trip out to one of the more successful studios in the dance music world, Studio DMI, to get one of his recent tracks put into the hands of a master in the field, Luca Pretolesi. With experience mastering dance music tracks for artists like Skrillex, Tiësto, and Gareth Emery, his tips come from a strong background in success. Learn a few key principles of the trade in today’s awesome interview.
Editor’s note: Due to a wireless mic acting up during this interview, the audio gets a little bit scratchy at parts – we left those parts in because there’s valuable information! 🙂
Mastering Dance Music Tips Review:
Some of the core principles that Luca shares in the video for review:
- Raw material (for example audio that was recorded live) is often better for mixing because it allows for great dynamics
- Mix in big chunks to shape a large “sonic picture”
- Center your low end so it works well on club systems, standard systems, and even laptop speakers
- Don’t over-compress the side stereo information
- Use dynamic EQ to create movement in different parts of the track
Here are some of Ean’s thoughts on the session:
My biggest take away from this session was to allow other ears in on your creative process. While we could all learn, and use the techniques in this video – it would take years to really master them, and a LOT of money to duplicate the results. If you can afford it, I really think it pays to have a specialist involved in the final mixing or at least mastering side of your creativity.
Finally, check out this preview of the mastered song, with a full version coming later this year in a forthcoming album:
To hear more of Ean’s work, follow him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eangolden
Learn more about DMI on their official site: http://studiodmi.com
