The Shibumi Mastering Rack
We reveal the studio secrets that Shibumi Records engineers use to create the Shibumi sound.
How we turn tracks like this:
Into tracks that sound like this:
Free Mastering Preset Rack For Ableton
Files: OFFICIAL Shibumi Mastering Rack.adg + Luftikus.vst
You’ll also need
FabFilter Pro MB
Using a combination of Ableton’s Multiband Dynamics FX unit and Fab Filter’s PRO MB helps add a sonic signature to any track. At Shibumi we like specific frequencies to stand out in a mix because they resonate harmoniously with some of the human body’s natural wave cycles.
FabFilter Pro Q3
For mastering you need to adjust very narrow frequency bands with a sharp roll off using a linear EQ to avoid losing clarity during processing. We use Fab Filter Pro Q3 for its brilliant sound quality, peak-finding feature and outstanding precision. You can download a free trial from Plugin Boutique.
Acoustics
Every track we release at Shibumi Records is mastered to a special acoustic framework. This framework is an imagined virtual 3D space modelled on The Wasing Estate in Berkshire, where Glade Festival painted a mystical impression in my mind around 2004. Around that time, Tony Andrews, the designer of Funktion-One - the most incredible sounding PA systems on the planet - was demonstrating his kit on the stages of this festival. There were many beautiful moments where the sub-bass of a drum hit could be experienced right the way down into the subsonic frequency range of about 15hz. As the artists performed throughout the night, the energy of every drum beat would fill the air with vibrations, then descend deeper and send pulses of energy through the ground. This experience helped me (and probably many others) realise the interconnectedness of our senses; our sense of sound, light and heat are all narrow observational windows overlooking bands of a possibly infinitely increasing frequency spectrum.
Character
