Vinyl vs Streaming: Why Your Master Needs to Be Different
If you are releasing music on both vinyl and streaming platforms, you need two separate masters. This is not optional,it is how you ensure your music sounds right on both formats. Here is what changes and why.
The vinyl limitations
Vinyl has physical constraints that digital does not. Excessive low-end energy,especially stereo low-end,can cause the cutting stylus to jump out of the groove. Sibilance in the high frequencies can distort. And the louder the master, the narrower the groove and the shorter the side can be. A vinyl master needs to be shaped around these limitations, which means different EQ decisions, mono low-end below around 100Hz, and a different approach to loudness.
Streaming is different
Streaming masters are optimised for loudness normalisation targets, digital delivery, and playback on everything from club speakers to earbuds. The headroom requirements, limiting approach, and file format specifications are completely different from vinyl.
Always order both
At Full Scale Mastering, vinyl and streaming masters are treated as separate deliverables. If you are pressing to vinyl, always let us know,the approach changes from the start.