iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 07/06/2026

Are you a mastering engineer? I’d love to know about your DAW usage for a little analysis I’m doing that will help inform which DAW(s) we use in the mastering curriculum at Berklee. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #mastering #daw #masteringdaw #digitalaudioworkstation

docs.google.com

Mastering DAW Usage

This is a brief survey with the aim of collecting a little data about which DAWs are commonly used for mastering at different teirs

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Reposted by Ian Stewart

~ @tildesounds.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Really appreciate the replies so far. One thing im hoping is that we can get more so that we can start looking at the differences between subsets of data. E.g. we only have 40 entries by full-time audio professionals so far. Take the survey: forms.gle/u2Wr9pezJPC2...

stat showing that 15.2% of the people entering are full time audio profesionals

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 22/04/2025

It’s funny how program-specific certain bits of #audiomastering gear can be. I have a Buzz SOC-M I hadn’t used in ages and was starting to consider selling, and then along comes this lovely hybrid soundtrack album and I’ve used it in more than half the tracks. For now, it stays.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 05/03/2025

It has just occurred to me that it must be very muddy for a while after an ice age…

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 17/02/2025

I’m not normally one to complain about cold or snow, but starting your day at 6AM with 2.5 hrs of snowblowing (kinda more like iceblowing) in -7° F weather is enough to change a guy’s mind…

A close-up selfie of a bearded man with snow and ice clinging to his facial hair. He is wearing a black beanie, blue ski goggles pushed up onto his forehead, and a heavy winter jacket. His eyes are wide open, and he has an intense expression with gritted teeth.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 15/02/2025

As long as we’re making things up:

A digital map of the Boston area and the surrounding Massachusetts coastline, including Gloucester, Plymouth, and Cape Cod Bay. The Gulf of Maine label has been partially crossed out and replaced with ‘Boston’ in red handwriting, and Cape Cod Bay has been similarly altered to read ‘Bruins.’

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 05/02/2025

How well do you really know mid/side processing? Do you understand the role phase and polarity have in stereo placement? Did you realize a hard-panned signal is 50% mid, 50% side? For [much] more, check out the chat I had with Marc Matthews! youtu.be/7XjHqKAxqas?... #audiosky #midside

youtu.be

165: What is Mid-Side EQ? Enhance Your Stereo Image with Ian Stewart | @FlotownMastering

YouTube video by Marc Matthews Producer

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 22/01/2025

Inducted the kid into the astronomy club last night. On the coldest night of the year (-12 F/-24.5 C), we went outside, at her urging, to look at the planetary alignment. #spacesky #astronomysky

A small telescope mounted on a tripod sits in the snow at night, positioned in front of a tan-colored garage with white trim. The scene is dimly lit, with dark trees visible in the background. Hunched over, a child dressed all in black peers into the telescope.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 07/01/2025

Put on my mix hat for the first time in ages this week and am really loving what I’m getting out of Soothe2 as a side chain-able space-maker/unmasker. What other fun updates to old techniques are people using these days? #audiosky #mixing

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 31/12/2024

+1 to my tally of things I’ve “fixed” by taking them apart, looking thoughtfully at them, testing an impedance or two, and putting them back together. Also, huzzah for not having to buy a new dishwasher or even any parts.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 24/12/2024

‘‘’Twas the day before Xmas (and Hanukkah), and all through the house not a creature was stirring… except Fizz, who stared into your soul with demon eyes, ready to unleash pandemonium.” #happyholidays #dogsky #catsky

A cozy Christmas scene with two dogs sleeping on a dark gray couch - one dark-colored and one light-colored dog snuggled under a plush brown blanket. In the background, a decorated Christmas tree with silver ornaments and white lights stands near a window, and three Christmas stockings hang on the wall - one plaid, one patterned, and one black with fur trim.

A close-up of a Christmas tree decorated with silver glitter ornaments and festive decorations, including a Grinch ornament wearing a Santa hat and several Rhode Island specific ornaments. A black and white cat with bright eyes peeks out from within the tree branches, and a gift bag with a tree design is visible in the corner.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 19/12/2024

Hey kids, if you really wanna piss your mastering engineer off, here’s a top tip: After hearing their 4th master based on your 2nd mix tell them you’re sending a 3rd mix, but actually tweak their 4th master and send it back to them relabeled in your usual format.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 16/12/2024

So like is @fabfilter.bsky.social Pro-MB dead? No updates in over 11 years but in the meantime there have been 3 versions of Pro-Q, 2 of Pro-R, and many other updates. @danworrall.bsky.social, should I stop hoping?

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 15/12/2024

A very special birthday donut for a very special birthday dog! Happy 11th, Stella!!

A small white dog with perked ears and an eager expression sits on a light wood kitchen floor, looking up at a plate being held in the foreground. The plate is a green ceramic dish holding a homemade dog treat, shaped like a donut with a light-colored glaze. In the background, there are food and water bowls on the floor, two large plastic water jugs, and two partially visible doorways.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 10/12/2024

It’s true. In the Dunning-Kruger graph for mid/side, the peak of Mt. Stupid is exceptionally high, the Valley of Despair rivals the Mariana Trench, and the Slope of Enlightenment is exceptionally long and gradual.

This diagram humorously represents the Dunning-Kruger effect, a cognitive bias where individuals with limited knowledge or experience initially have high confidence (the “Peak of Mt. Stupid”). As they gain more knowledge, confidence drops into the “Valley of Despair,” before gradually climbing the “Slope of Enlightenment” and reaching the “Plateau of Sustainability,” where expertise and wisdom balance confidence (not adjusted for mid/side).

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 07/12/2024

Happy Saturday, Bsky. How’s your morning going? So far mine has consisted of shoveling snow, totally not eating $h!t on the icy driveway, a latte, and an origami frog.

A festive ceramic mug adorned with a cheerful penguin wearing a red-and-white striped hat, sitting on a wooden table. In the foreground lies a small origami frog, while the blurred background features a glowing Christmas tree with soft yellow and blue lights, evoking a cozy holiday atmosphere.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 05/12/2024

Ok, I’m playing with @apl-hud.bsky.social Virtuoso and am blown away and actually enjoying #Atmos mixes on Apple Music for the first time. Hit me with your favorite, best sounding, most #immersive, wildest Atmos mixes, annnnd GO! #audiosky #spatial

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 04/12/2024

My latest article for iZotope is up. If you're after some more advanced ways to get the most out of #Ozone, this one's for you! www.izotope.com/en/learn/adv... #audiosky #mastering #plugintips

izotope.com

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 02/12/2024

What the man said. This is one of my favorite features so far.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 02/12/2024

Last day to grab Basslane Pro, or any other plugins in the Tone Projects suite for 40% off! #audiosky #production #mixing #mastering #plugindeals

A screenshot of the Basslane Pro audio plugin from Tone Projects and Flotown Mastering

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 02/12/2024

Ok, one last one before bed (having too much fun here): If you're into audio plugins, try out this feed I just made. It's very general and broad, but let me know if there's stuff you know of that feels like it should be showing up but isn't. Hopefully OT posts will be at a minimum.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 02/12/2024

Tree acquired (and approved)!

A man in a rural Christmas tree farm carrying a large, freshly cut evergreen tree on his shoulder. The scene is surrounded by rows of trees and golden-brown grass under a clear, sunny sky with a backdrop of rolling hills.

A festive indoor scene featuring a decorated Christmas tree adorned with lights and ornaments, topped with a glowing star. A small, light-colored dog stands in front of the tree on a wooden floor, next to several dog toys, giving a cozy holiday atmosphere.

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 01/12/2024

Audio #production, #mixing, and #mastering tip: Rather than thinking of #mid/side as a way to manipulate the center and edges of the stereo field (it’s not), think of it as X-specific width control. EQ? Frequency-specific width control. Compression? Level-specific width control. 🫡

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Reposted by Ian Stewart

Production Expert @production-expert.com · 30/11/2024

When you think of the most important tool in a mastering engineer’s arsenal, what comes to mind? In this article, Ian Stewart from iZotope looks at how with 5 exercises and some practice we can train our hearing to be like a mastering engineer.

dlvr.it

5 Ear Training Exercises To Help You Listen Like A Mastering Engineer

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Ian Stewart @flotownmastering.com · 30/11/2024

Heya Bluesky 👋🏻 What’s good here? I’m an audio nerd, coffee nerd, lover of hiking, motorcycling, and the outdoors, and astrophysics/cosmology enthusiast. #audiomastering #coffee #hiking #motorcycles #cosmology

A tent pitched next to an adventure motorcycle in a secluded woodland clearing

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