i downloaded the last sb release - trax seem to be over-compressed. this results in audible artifacts... is it up to beatport or the label ?..

Hi Anti,

It's a sign of the times we're in right now. Every mastering engineer in the world is pushing the levels way beyond what sounds dynamic and nice. If they don't, labels feel that their material sounds weaker than others. I master all my releases in London and the guy is actually not as extreme as many other mastering studios, but he does squeeze the s**t out of the tracks. I find his sound very good in the clubs as he keeps the bass intact, but for home listening it might be a tad extreme. With my album, I asked him to go easier. With Beatport, I don't know what algorithms they use, but the conversion might add artifacts. I always buy WAVs there as I want the best possible quality on the stuff I play out.

Stone