Rephonic
Artwork for The Mastering Show

The Mastering Show

The Mastering Show Podcast
Mastering
Clipping
Vinyl Mastering
Mastering Engineering
Digital Audio Processing
LUFS
Mixing
Loudness
Music Mastering
Harmonics
Mid-Side Processing
Momentary Loudness
Integrated Loudness
Short Term Loudness
Music Production
Aliasing Distortion
Intermodulation Distortion
Audio Engineering
Reference Tracks
High-Quality Monitoring

This is the show where we cover all aspects of mastering. If you're interested in mastering, want to learn how to get better results mastering your own music, or even want to be a mastering engineer, this is the show you want to hear!

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes106Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Music CommentaryEducationMusic

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Mastering Show

Latest Episodes

I see it every day: “The Loudness Wars are over - loud won. Get over it”

And it’s easy to see why. The average mainstream release hits -8 LUFS integrated or more; club releases regularly hit -6 or even -4 LUFS and are peaking well above zero; every ... more

It was the Grammys this week - you can't have missed it !

And somewhere along the way I saw an article by Ian Vargo assessing the loudness and dynamics of the nominees for Best Song.

In this episode I talk about what he discovered, and what my reac... more

Getting your music "synced" for licensing in TV, movies or ads can be an amazing opportunity for indie musicians to make money and gain exposure. But is it just a pipe dream, and is mastering a necessary part of the process ?

Chris SD from Sync Song... more

This started out as a Q&A episode, but one way or another there turned out to be a real theme to many of the questions, namely - how do you choose between technical and creative considerations, when mastering ?

Questions like:

• When the client wan... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Chris SD
An expert in music sync licensing and connections to music supervisors
Sync Songwriter
Episode: The Mastering Show #104 - Mastering for Sync ? What, Why and How
Richard Durrant
An amazing guitarist, both classical and alternative genres.
Episode: The Mastering Show #99 - Recording, mixing and mastering acoustic guitar (with Richard Durrant)
Oli Morgan
Mastering engineer at Abbey Road, specialized in Dolby Atmos and stem mastering
Abbey Road Studios
Episode: The Mastering Show #98 - Stem mastering, Dynamics and Dolby Atmos at Abbey Road (with Oli Morgan)
Ken Scott
Legendary recording engineer known for work with The Beatles and David Bowie
Episode: The Mastering Show #97 - Should you learn mastering FIRST ?! (with Ken Scott)
Joe Caithness
Returning guest who previously discussed loud masters for DJs.
Episode: The Mastering Show #96 - Flippin' Clippin' !
Ian Stewart
Mastering engineer at Flowtown Mastering, lecturer at Berklee College of Music, and author at iZotope blog
Flowtown Mastering
Episode: The Mastering Show #95 - Loudness trends in 2024: should you follow them ? with Ian Stewart
Scott Hull
Mastering engineer at Masterdisk with a wealth of experience in vinyl production
Masterdisk
Episode: The Mastering Show #94 -The truth about vinyl (with Scott Hull)
Nick Di Lorenzo
Mastering engineer and YouTuber known for discussing mastering techniques
Panorama Mastering
Episode: The Mastering Show #93 - Do you NEED to be mastering loud ?
Alan Meyerson
Film score mixer with a vast experience in film and music mixing.
Episode: The Mastering Show # 91 - Mixing and mastering music for the movies with Alan Meyerson

Host

Ian Shepherd
Mastering engineer and host of The Mastering Show; long-running host providing technical guidance, industry insight, and practical mastering wisdom.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 558 ratings
  • A Must-Listen for Mastering Engineers

    After discovering this podcast earlier in the year, I absolutely devoured all 100+ episodes. Fundamentals, best practices, insights from professionals, this podcast has it all. Plus, it’s genuinely engaging and entertaining. Cannot recommend highly enough.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    jamesmichaelpratt
    Germany3 months ago
  • Great insight and audio knowledge from industry pros that you can tell live for this stuff.

    Audible
    5
    Joe
    United States10 months ago
  • Love this podcast for no fluff audio knowledge

    Great insight and audio knowledge from industry pros that you can tell live for this stuff.

    Audible
    5
    Joe
    United States10 months ago
  • Brilliant show

    I’m not a mastering engineer mixing but as a recording artist I still find it very fascinating to hear this info from technical experts on the post production end. The host and guests know their stuff! Keep up the fine work.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Wzrdry
    Canada3 years ago
  • Great podcast!

    This is great, very informative and so much inspiring podcast about mastering, music, audio.

    Thank you very much Ian! The job you’re doing is very valuable and helpful. I love listening to this podcast!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    mcdebugger
    Russia4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the show for clear, actionable mastering guidance and entertaining, accessible explanations.
Some comments note occasional complexity for beginners, but overall appreciation for practical takeaways and industry insights.
Many value the balance of technical depth with musical context; guests are often highlighted as a strength.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Mastering Show #104 - Mastering for Sync ? What, Why and How
Q: What role does audio production play in sync licensing?
Production value is essential and must be above a certain standard to be considered for sync placements.
The Mastering Show #104 - Mastering for Sync ? What, Why and How
Q: What are the usual methods that people use to try and sync their music?
Common routes include going to music libraries or hiring sync agents.
The Mastering Show #104 - Mastering for Sync ? What, Why and How
Q: What does it mean to sync a song?
Sync licensing involves licensing music for use in TV shows, films, and advertisements.
The Mastering Show #103 – Technical versus Creative Mastering (Q&A)
Q: For a song with intentional distortion or saturation, how do you avoid the mastering making it sound bland or polite?
Choose settings that control the extra harmonic content while maintaining the artistic intention behind the distortion.
The Mastering Show #103 – Technical versus Creative Mastering (Q&A)
Q: Is it better to do transient shaping in hardware or software now?
Neither is inherently better; each requires a different approach and context based on personal workflow and the specific needs of the track.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Mastering Show

What is The Mastering Show about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deep-dive series focused on mastering music and audio post-production, with frequent discussions on loudness, translation across playback systems, and the balance between technical precision and artistic intent. Episodes routinely explore practical techniques (mid-side processing, transient shaping, reference tracks) and evolving formats (Dolby Atmos, stem mastering, sync licensing), often featuring practitioner guests who share real-world workflows, case studies, and industry insights. The show stands out for its musician-centric perspective that emphasizes musical decisions and listening experience over gear minutiae, while still delivering actionable guidance for professionals. Listeners likely appreciate clear explanations, accessible... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Mastering Show?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Mastering Show. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Mastering Show and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Mastering Show get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Mastering Show, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Mastering Show?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Mastering Show, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Mastering Show have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Mastering Show has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Mastering Show?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Mastering Show:

1. Working Class Audio
2. Production Expert Podcast
3. Recording Studio Rockstars
4. Bobby Owsinski's Inner Circle Podcast
5. Master Your Mix Podcast

How many episodes of The Mastering Show are there?

The Mastering Show launched 10 years ago and published 106 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Mastering Show?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Mastering Show?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Mastering Show from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Mastering Show?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Mastering Show. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Mastering Show?

Recent guests on The Mastering Show include:

1. Chris SD
2. Richard Durrant
3. Oli Morgan
4. Ken Scott
5. Joe Caithness
6. Ian Stewart
7. Scott Hull
8. Nick Di Lorenzo

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days