by Dwight Brown

The gig was magic. The audience ate it up. You want to save that moment and pass it on in a single, EP or album.

So, how do you capture the magic of a live performance and transfer it to tracks that will have that ‘feels-like-it’s-live’ sound?

Master the music before you distribute it.

Your Mastering Tip Sheet:

1. Use the same settings for the entire album.

2. Stay away from using different EQ or compression from one piece to the next.

3. Remember to leave some headroom (-5dB).

4. Avoid having digital silences between tracks and opt for a continuous performance sound. Just like the experience at the gig.

5. Think about adding a touch of Altiverb with a similar room design (concert hall, rock club, intimate coffee house…).

6. Don’t be intimidated by the cost of mastering your live recordings. Whether it’s 2 minutes or 2 hours, LANDR Instant Mastering gives you the same low rate, $9.99. Just keep in mind that longer recordings need a longer time to generate a sample, so hang tight and wait for LANDR to do its magic.

Bring the vibe of your live event to your new release with LANDR, the company that masters live recordings for SXSW, Mutek, Igloofest, and Electronik Piknic.

Tags: featuring LANDR live album live ep live music mastering tunecore