Another common issue we see with files submitted for mastering is the over-use of compression or limiting on the stereo buss during mix down. Compressors and limiters are two useful mastering tools that are often used to increase the overall volume, or loudness, of a recording. However, limiting or compressing the entire mix prior to mastering can cause major problems in post production.
Compression for Great Video and Audio: Master Tips and Common Sense
The Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) codec, based on the H.264 compression standard, is the most commonly used. It is compatible with a wide variety of professional, consumer, and mobile phone cameras. These devices often compress video in real-time during recording using this codec.
When compressing video, work from a high bitrate master. It is recommended to use at least 20Mbps but 50 Mbps or higher is preferred. This requires storing a larger video but ensures significantly higher quality after compression.
Don't over-compress!Please remove or at least reduce any Master ("main") Output compression, limiting, or maximizing effects intended simply to boost the volume levels of your mixdowns. It seems everyone these days wants to make their track sound louder and louder so they put as much compression as possible on the master output. Once you've done this, there's nothing your mastering engineer can do to remove the compression side effects and the master likely won't sound as good as it could have. If you resist the urge to make it as loud as you can get it and let your mastering facility adjust your final track volumes then we can make it loud enough in a way that avoids the bad side-effects of strong master output compression and keeps more of a sense of natural dynamics and punchiness. True artists know that loud music does not necessarily equal good music. Concentrate on making a good, solid, clean mix and let us set the final track volume during mastering. Don't worry - we'll make sure your final volumes are consistent with the industry standard levels for your genre.
Lossy compression reduces file size by removing unnecessary bits of information. It's most common in image, video, and audio formats, where a perfect representation of the source media isn't necessary. Many common formats for these types of media use lossy compression; MP3 and JPEG are two popular examples.
As we've mentioned, lossy compression is great for most forms of media. Because of this, it's vital for companies like Spotify and Netflix that constantly transmit massive amounts of information. Reducing the file size as much as possible, while still preserving quality, makes their operation more efficient. Can you imagine if every video YouTube was stored and transmitted in its original uncompressed format? 2ff7e9595c
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