Producers & Composers Mixing and Mastering 3

Question 1

In mastering, what is the typical target integrated loudness for music distributed on Spotify?

Accepted Answer

-14 LUFS

Answer

Spotify normalizes music to approximately -14 LUFS integrated loudness, so mastering to this target prevents volume reduction on the platform.

Question 2

What is 'M/S (Mid-Side) processing' in mastering?

Accepted Answer

A technique that processes the center and side channels of a stereo signal independently

Answer

M/S processing encodes the stereo signal into Mid (center) and Side (difference) components, allowing independent processing of each for precise stereo control.

Question 3

Which of the following describes 'parallel compression' (also known as New York compression)?

Accepted Answer

Applying heavy compression to a track and blending it with the uncompressed signal

Answer

Parallel compression blends a heavily compressed version of a signal with the original dry signal, adding punch and density while preserving natural dynamics.

Question 4

What does the 'release' parameter on a compressor control?

Accepted Answer

How quickly the compressor stops reducing gain after the signal falls below the threshold

Answer

The release time determines how quickly the compressor stops attenuating the signal once it drops below the threshold, affecting the natural feel of the audio.

Question 5

What is the purpose of dithering when exporting a mastered audio file?

Accepted Answer

To add a controlled low-level noise that minimizes distortion when reducing bit depth

Answer

Dithering adds low-level random noise to mask quantization distortion when reducing bit depth (e.g., from 24-bit to 16-bit), preserving perceived audio quality.

Producers & Composers Practice Test

Producers & Composers Practice Test

Producers & Composers Mixing and Mastering 3