Practical Tip from Mastering Experts: Robert Babicz and Dominik de León
As a veteran of the Acid Techno scene, Robert Babicz aka Rob Acid certainly needs no introduction. In Bergisch Gladbach, the versatile artist, producer, sound designer, performer and photographer runs a renowned Mastering Studio with its very own sound aesthetic alongside Dan d‘Ascenzo. The music production and mastering company audioSenses of the successful producer and remixer Dominik de León also enjoys an excellent reputation. In our online Mastering Comparison Test, audioSenses received the highest rating. In Trance circles, Dominik de León is best known for his involvement in the successful DuMonde project.
Beat / What defines good mastering for you?
Robert / If the customer and the listener are happy, because sometimes both have different views. I try to sense what would be best for the track based on my years of experience.
Dominik / A good Mastering is characterized by a balanced frequency response paired with a well-portioned dynamic. The Mastering Engineer should remove the last little mistakes that were made in a mixdown, polish the frequency response after the correction, and bring the entire mix to a volume level that is suitable for the listener.
In the end, the final Master should not sound flat or dull; the core elements of the song should be allowed to „jump out“ at the listener. After all, the track should simply be fun for the consumer to listen to and not stress the ears with a sensory overload of excessive limiting and „frequency blasting”; however, all these factors must always be assessed in the context of the genre in which the song to be processed moves. Every musical style has its
