<description>&lt;p&gt;It was the Grammys this week - you can't have missed it !&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And somewhere along the way I saw &lt;a href="https://waveinformer.com/2026/01/28/2026-grammy-mastering-analysis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;an article&lt;/a&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Ian Vargo&lt;/strong&gt; assessing the loudness and dynamics of the nominees for Best Song.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode I talk about what he discovered, and what my reaction is – and along the way, I talk about:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;The highest (and lowest !) LUFS measurements of the Best Song nominees&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;How I feel about that&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;What these songs sound like with more dynamics&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;What difference does it make ?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Is loudness &lt;strong&gt;really&lt;/strong&gt; "part of the aesthetic" ?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;And what really &lt;strong&gt;does&lt;/strong&gt; make a difference ?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Links and more episodes here:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.themasteringshow.com/episode-105" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;www.themasteringshow.com/episode-105&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mentioned in this episode:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mastering&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://the-mastering-show.captivate.fm/ian"&gt;Click HERE to work with Ian&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leapwing&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://the-mastering-show.captivate.fm/leapwing"&gt;Find out more about Leapwing's plugins&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tools&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://the-mastering-show.captivate.fm/plugins"&gt;For Ian's mastering plugins, click HERE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The Mastering Show

The Mastering Show Podcast

The Mastering Show #105 - Loudness at the Grammys: is there REALLY a secret sauce ?

JAN 31, 202627 MIN
The Mastering Show

The Mastering Show #105 - Loudness at the Grammys: is there REALLY a secret sauce ?

JAN 31, 202627 MIN

Description

It was the Grammys this week - you can't have missed it !And somewhere along the way I saw an article by Ian Vargo assessing the loudness and dynamics of the nominees for Best Song.In this episode I talk about what he discovered, and what my reaction is – and along the way, I talk about:The highest (and lowest !) LUFS measurements of the Best Song nomineesHow I feel about thatWhat these songs sound like with more dynamicsWhat difference does it make ?Is loudness really "part of the aesthetic" ?And what really does make a difference ?Links and more episodes here:www.themasteringshow.com/episode-105Mentioned in this episode:MasteringClick HERE to work with IanLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsToolsFor Ian's mastering plugins, click HERE