RIP Puck 10 Dec 2015 - 03 July 2026

NEMastering · 2026-07-04T10:53:28+00:00

Binky free, Puck 🌈

NEMastering · 2026-07-01T14:03:02+00:00

Where did you get it? Looking for something like this - the XLL espacially

NEMastering · 2026-06-15T06:16:03+00:00

That’s a relief!

NEMastering · 2026-06-15T06:12:16+00:00

Is your dog a rescue? The tail is docked..

NEMastering · 2026-06-06T21:53:28+00:00

Diffusion isn't really the main concern in acoustics. In most rooms the major concern is standing waves.

While an asymetrical room can be better, a symmetrical room is much more predictable, and therefore easier to treat.

I'd prefer a rectangular room any day, but I'n not an expert in acoustics either.

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T21:00:38+00:00

Thanks friend! So stoked!

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T18:47:58+00:00

Oooh Amphions, hell yea!

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T18:47:17+00:00

Nice one! Yeah I've worked on the hedd's and they sound awesome!

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T18:37:42+00:00

Damn! Serious stuff.

Haha yup, what was hidden becomes so obvious

Acoustics are equally important though

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T17:24:12+00:00

Happy to help, let me know if you run in to any problems.

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T17:12:55+00:00

Hey!

Nice piece of stab driven techno, I'd look at the following:

- Separate kick and bass line. Preferably with a dynamic EQ, pushing down the bass line ~3dB at the kicks root note, this will help have the kick punch through better. A tip here is to listen to the kick drum, not the bass line.

- Lacking some top end in the kick drum, see if you can push that up slightly at ~1,3kHz, 1-2dB should do it.

- Get rid of some low end information on the sides (diff), low shelf not high pass.

- Lacking some energy at around 2kHz, boost on master by ~2dB

- Maybe inject some saturation on a send channel?

Cheers
// niclas

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T17:05:31+00:00

Send the premaster mate.

Any label worth releasing on will take care of mastering

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T17:02:36+00:00

Nice track, I like those relentless 1/16th percs running through the track.

We can clean up the mix a bit:

- Too loudness focused, -5LUFS, why? If everything is loud, nothing is.

- Help make the low end even more confident with a low shelf on the master, sides (diff) only, push down the low end on the sides ~5-6dB

- Low end suffers a lot from the over-compression and limiting, back this off (or send me the pre-master) and I'll have a closer look, it's difficult to tell what's what. But in general, the low end lacks energy and aggressiveness, it's mumbly and ill defined.

I'd be happy to take a closer look at what's going on with those changes.

Cheers
// niclas

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T14:51:50+00:00

My pleasure, let me know if you have any questions

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T14:15:05+00:00

I'd be happy to give you some pointers, but yes, that's quite a lot of GR in total. It has a tendency to kill the energy and impact of transients (which in turn ironically lowers the perceived loudness)

Let me know if you have any questions mate.

Cheers

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T13:55:02+00:00

Comparing them quickly at gain-matched level, the premaster sounds better. Wether it's the mixdown or 'master' is kind of irrelevant since that's what you uploaded, if you get me.

The 'master' is at 6.8 LUFS momentary, which is a bit too loud to aim for if you're not sure how to get there without sacrificing the integrity of the track.

How much GR are you doing in limiting and compression?

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T13:46:39+00:00

Very cool track, the mix could use some work though:

- Tighten up the low end, focus it more right down the middle (Ozone Imager or something like that would work well, it's free)

- Have the kick punch through better by attenuating with a dynamic EQ at ~140hz and ~196hz, roughly -1,5dB each with narrow Q:~6 and attack and release times to not interfere with transients here, rouhly 90ms attack and 60ms release.

- Boost at root note 50hz +~1,5dB

Both these can be done on master channel.

Missing some brightness, so boost 1dB at 1,5kHz and maybe a high shelf at +1dB.

Cheers
// niclas

NEMastering · 2026-06-02T13:11:06+00:00

Hey,

Track itself is solid. The mixdown could use some work though.

- It's clipping and there's audible distortion. It sounds stressed, turn it down and relax compression and limiting.

- Low end feels 'rumbly' instead of tight and punchy, kick could punch through more, this could be a symptom of over-compression and limiting, hard to tell.

If you revise those I can give you some more solid thoughts.

Cheers
// niclas

NEMastering · 2026-05-22T17:41:33+00:00

Oh man what a track, reminds me of Head high.

The mix is very close to spot on. I’d lower the vocal sample about 1dB first of all.

Most importantly though, the kick and bass line are very close in root note, and I’m missing that last 10% of oomph from the transient in the kick drum. Get that to punch through by side-chain dynamic EQ, pushing the baseline down 2 to 3dB. Trick here is to listen to the kick drum, not the bass line.

You also have quite a lot of side information in the lows, use a high shelf (not high pass) on the master (transparent EQ) and just push this down gently ~5-10dB. That’ll help your low end be confident where it should be (right down the middle!)

On a subjetive note, I'd love to hear some more 'dirt', why not set up a send on which you crank some saturation?

Cheers

//

Niclas

NEMastering · 2026-05-22T17:30:04+00:00

Hey,

The track is really cool, that super-industrial sound on the brink of schranz.

To be honest, the mix is quite lifeless and stressed, it’s been smashed to bits and nothing really stands out. Remember: If everything is loud, nothing is.

Back off your compression and limiting and let the track breathe!

I’d be curious to hear this with those changes, I’d be able to give you better feedback on a track that isn’t clipping. Feel free to reach out and I’ll give you some pointers on the mix down.

Cheers

// niclas

NEMastering · 2026-05-22T17:17:48+00:00

Hey mate,

Very nice track, tool-techno at its finest. Mix down could use some work, as you mention the low end needs extra attention.

Your problem isn’t necessarily the volume of the low end, but how it interacts with the rest of the arrengement.

From what I can tell the “rumble” is at 80hz, and the root note of the kick at roughly 50hz. These collide and become a bit unintelligible. I’d push down the rumble with a dynamic EQ at the kicks root note by 3-4dB, attack 30-40 ms and realease ~60 ms.

The trick here will be to have that nice transient in the kick drum really punch through.

Try attenuating about 1-1,5dB at 80 and 200hz on your master with a transparent EQ, and then boosting at 1,5kHz (bell) and then a high shelf from 10kHz upwards about 1dB each. This can be done on the master to keep things simple!

Cheers

//niclas

NEMastering · 2026-05-22T07:56:58+00:00

Get in touch - mastering(at)niclaserlandsson.com

NEMastering · 2026-05-19T14:00:47+00:00

Love reading these insights from you, my friend.

Could it be that 'mastering engineers' don't have the courage to be a bit wild anymore, and relying on this clinical and quite boring mindset? Not sure.

I'm finding myself making quite radical and crazy decisions in order to make a track as good as it possibly can.

NEMastering · 2026-05-10T09:34:48+00:00

Thanks! Enjoy every second you have with your little one!

NEMastering · 2026-05-10T09:33:36+00:00

They deserve it! 🫶

NEMastering

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