Ae, DAWs and mastering...?

 

 

Nevertheless, I don't think that during this thread, anyone has been able to point to a reliable source that says anyone mastered NTS digital, right? Or if they did, who it was?

 

Speculation by myself: I also think it's possible Autechre may view NTS differently than past albums to the extent they'd think the digital version might not need mastering.

 

We expect NTS is more a product of AE's Song Machine, or doohickey or whatever you want to call it, than any previous release. And I think the more the AI is controlling the mix, and micro-controlling bits of the mix, the more consistent the mix is going to be in certain ways.

 

Mastering is a stage for all of – preparing material so it presents well across all manner of playback devices, tonal and dynamic tweaking within tracks, and tonal balancing across tracks. Mastering to different mediums can involve additional or alternate passes requiring special knowledge of those mediums (as in how Noel Summerville handles AE's material going to vinyl.) But re: tonal balance across tracks... if your musical mixes are being made consistent not only within tracks but across them at the source level – which is the way I figure the Song Machine must probably lean – the need to master those mixes to match different parts of them and even them out starts to recede. Because the AI can do a lot to make sure things land within certain acceptable ranges, or don't clash, in context. Parts are more pre-matched.

 

So, maybe NTS was mastered not by AE and we just don't know who did it. Or it was Noel. But also, maybe the way AE and the Song Machine are working at the moment reduce the need to be mastered in the first place, at least within the digital realm.

 

PS - Do we know who mastered Elseq? Or if it was? Or is that all unknown, too?

 

-Wade