Episode 4

Matt walks through the analog chain every mix in this series passed through: V610 comp limiters catching fast peaks so the rest of the chain can relax, a Palm Audio Fairchild with original vintage transformers run for tone rather than compression, and mastering Pultecs providing the record's signature top-end lift, with True Iron and a Curve Bender adding the final touches in the box. Along the way, Matt delivers one of the most valuable lessons in the series: how to find the sweet spot of any device, plugin or hardware, by playing with the level you send into it rather than the settings on it. The series ends with the whole album sequenced and printed to his Studer A80 half-inch tape machine in one long listen, the moment when a week of tweaks suddenly sounded like a finished record.