I spent the weekend remastering all the music on the website.
There is no particularly interesting way to describe the process. It involved listening to the same passages repeatedly, measuring each recording, making small adjustments, and checking the results again. No writing. No new ideas. Nothing that felt much like making music.
It was necessary, so I’m glad I finally did it.
What changed?
The pieces were recorded and mastered at different times, over many years, using different equipment and approaches. The differences became obvious when I put them together on one page. One track might play comfortably, while the next required a quick volume adjustment.
I went through the catalog piece by piece and brought each recording to a consistent perceived level. I also controlled the highest peaks, removed a few instances of clipping, and prepared new high-quality files specifically for the website.
The goal was not to make every piece sound identical. Some are naturally quieter or more dynamic than others, and I wanted to preserve that. The goal was simply to let one piece follow another without forcing the listener to manage the volume between them.
Why it matters to me
I’ve written before that I’d rather my music be heard than listened to. Someone might have it playing while working, driving, reading, or thinking about something else. I’m not trying to demand anyone’s attention.
That only works when the experience doesn’t interrupt itself.
A track that suddenly arrives too loudly pulls the listener out of whatever they were doing. So does one that plays too quietly to register. Those moments call attention to the player rather than the music, and they were within my ability to fix.
If the work has been done properly, most people will never notice the difference. That is the desired result.
BUT…If something still sounds off
I tested the new files through my own equipment and through the website player, but speakers, headphones, browsers, individual hearing, and devices can all behave very differently.
If you encounter a piece that still seems noticeably louder, quieter, or otherwise out of place, I’d genuinely like to know. Tell me the title and what you heard, and I’ll take another look. For now, I think the catalog is in much better shape.
Back to the piano. “Parallels” is still waiting.
Tony