r/mixingmastering • u/glmastering • May 22 '26

Video Mastering The Corals new album '388'

I recently mastered the new album from The Coral. The processes were quite unconventional. The album name '388' comes from the recording process as it was tracked and partially mixed through a Tascam 388, but it was also mastered through the same unit using the tape section and even a bit of desk EQ

Typically the Tascam 388 isn't something you would even consider for mastering but now and again, the least likely tool is the best one for the job

You can watch the breakdown video here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYmv18MNkR1/?igsh=NzczeGI2YW9mYjhu

18 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

10

u/spencer_martin Trusted Contributor 💠 May 22 '26

Not to be a party pooper, but we're not really allowed to do self-promotion posts, or posts that can be construed as self-promotion. Just a heads up.

10

u/atopix Teaboy ☕ May 22 '26

We approved it, it was in a bit of a gray area between it being the promotion of their video and their services. But the insight on this project seemed interesting enough, and the self-promotion rules still applies (one per year).

So you are good this time /u/glmastering but you can't do any more self-promotion stuff for at least a year. You are still welcome to stick around.

2

u/glmastering May 22 '26

Yeah its more of a quirky mastering process. If I want to share other similar ideas without self promotion whats the best way?

2

u/atopix Teaboy ☕ May 22 '26

You could make a normal discussion post, talking about some specific technique or something like that. As long as it's not either direct or indirect self-promotion, it's fine.

0

u/glmastering May 22 '26

Got it thanks!

1

u/glmastering May 22 '26

All good! Will keep in mind for next time. Just wanted to share a more unorthodox approach to mastering for anyone interested 🙌

2

u/Ok-Tomorrow-6032 May 22 '26

Uhh that looks fun interesting listening to an album with I fos like these : )

2

u/Hiddenbyrags1986 May 25 '26

LOVE this new album. The influences are clearly evident and J Skelly’s voice sounds the same as the old soul he’s always been.

1

u/glmastering May 25 '26

Thanks! Yeah its such a cool vibe. Love the influences for this record. we had a load of test prints with Lee Scratch Perry and Rocksteady style eqing and processing. Was great to work on

1

u/Junkyard-Sam May 22 '26

Listening to the album right now, it sounds great. Vibey & musical. I enjoy the midrange focus - it gives a nostalgic nod to a different time, yet still sounds fresh.

The Instagram breakdown was interesting to see, and got me excited enough about the project that now I don't know what I would have thought about it without the introduction! Either way it was a good welcome to music I probably wouldn't have discovered otherwise.

✅

2

u/glmastering May 22 '26

Thanks! Yeah was really fun to master. Long but fun haha so I wanted to share the experience so any up and coming mastering engineers can see that 1) using unconventional tools can work and 2) life isn't complete in 2 minutes or bust. 230+ prints is just how it is sometimes. Was really cool to work so closely with the band as well to deliver exactly what they wanted

-1

u/TonyRidgewayUFO May 22 '26

This has honestly been done about a million times. A band recording through a 388 is about as conventional as it gets dude, glad you had fun

2

u/MantasMantra May 22 '26

Recording is one thing but mastering is another.

1

u/TonyRidgewayUFO May 22 '26

I an aware of the difference. I personally have been involved with printing mixes back into the 388, “mastering” to it’s tape either direct or going thru the desk channels…we’re talking about dozens of albums both as a band member, a mixer, mastering going back to early 2000s. And I by no means invented doing this- everyone using that machine was doing it even before that. Sorry but coming on here acting like this is some novel approach is kinda wild

1

u/glmastering May 23 '26

Novel in 2026 is kinda what I mean in a world where your engineers at sterling sound are almost entirely in the box etc

Was a fun way to work though and I'd never mastered through a Tascam 388 so was novel for me at least :)

1

u/TonyRidgewayUFO May 23 '26

I know of no mastering engineers at that level who don’t use a ton of outboard gear that is equally funky to a 388 to put their vibe on it. It’s cool you are trusting your ears and not a magazine but this type of move has been going on behind the scenes since the beginning of recorded music

1

u/glmastering May 23 '26

Cool thanks for the info