I almost always have some kind of multi-band compressor in my mastering singnal path. Lots of control and the ability to get lots of, or, transparency of, compression. Often I have no choice but to go with plugins in this kind of work when it’s done outside my studio. But for the Retribution soundtrack I brought in an old standby. A TC M5oo with the tri-band mastering option. I’ve had it for years and it still sounds hands down better than any plugin I’ve tried so far. (I’ve tried a bunch too…)

TC M000

So yes,hardware still rules!

But I quickly recalled how great the Killzone 2 sounded when the illustrious Tammy T. forwarded this article on a soundtrack possibility for the game. I did the in-game mastering for KZ2 in the Fall and it was a real treat to be a part of the project. First hand word: it sounds absolutely fantastic! Nice to have it coming out soon…

So it appears to me that the music business is healthy and doing well for musicians in more ways than ever. It may be true however, that the music business is not as healthy as it once was for the music business.

There is as much between song commentary, comedy, antics and personality by Frankie during the set as there is music. Frankie puts on a true show in every sense of the word. Much more than a back-to-back performance of songs.

In listening back I’m reminded that in many cases there is much that the studio album recording format does not capture. This seems especially true in genres like jazz, blues, and gospel for me. I’m sure that can be said about many others too.

Headlining the soundtrack is an in-game exclusive version of Weezer’s “Automatic” from their upcoming album, remixed by LA Riots. Other artists include The Mars Volta, DJ Shadow, Thin Lizzy, and The Klaxons.

I did a surround mix of the Weezer track for the game as well as some of the in-game mastering. This game looks amaaaazzzing! Can’t wait until it comes out next month.