Depending on how you look at it, being one of the world’s preeminent experts in the field of mastering could be considered either a) an under-appreciated role in the process of creating an album that doesn’t always get the respect it deserves, or b) the greatest job in the world.
A quick surf through Bob Ludwig’s credits at the All Music Guide illustrates that he not only very likely holds the world record for sheer number of album credits, but he has put the finishing touches on a who’s who of the greatest albums of all time including the Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, Eric Clapton, The Band, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and the Who going back to the late 60s. To this day, Ludwig continues to lend his ear to a wide variety of music – big and small, commercial and not – as in 2009 alone he mastered Trey Anastasio’s Time Turns Elastic, Umphrey’s McGee’s Mantis, the Low Anthem’s Oh My God Charlie Darwin, the Pearl Jam Ten reissue and Wilco (the Album). In other words, it’s safe to say that the answer to our opening question would definitely lean towards (b).
Having graced so many great albums; applying the very finishing touches, tweaking the sound to make it just right , and undoubtedly running through some epic fire drills just days before the music heads out to the plant, Bob Ludwig has no doubt made a lasting mark on the music industry.
Hoping to rub off some of his wisdom, Hidden Track chatted with Bob Ludwig about his years of experience, the nuances of mastering, and of course the music. In speaking about these things, Ludwig likes to point to a quote by Floyd Tool of Harman International, ” The audio industry lives in a ‘circle of confusion.’ Loudspeakers are evaluated by using recordings which are made by using microphones which are evaluated by using loudspeakers which are evaluated by using recordings which are made by using microphones… etc. etc.”
Ryan Dembinsky: To begin, to the average music fan the difference between mixing and mastering might seem like one and the same, yet mastering is considered an art form in itself and rarely does the same set of ears handle both duties. Why is it that the mixer is not equipped to also master the tracks?
Bob Ludwig: Very few mixing engineers master their own work well and most mastering engineers would not want to be responsible for a professional quality mix.
It is hard to do both disciplines well but mixing is definitely the most difficult and the very best of the professional mixers really earn the points they make.
READ ON for the rest of Ryan’s chat with Bob…
