This vital process in music production is the last step before distribution or manufacturing a music record, and is the final chance to polish your rendered mixes to bring out more punch, depth, volume and tonal balance to make them all sound related and part of the same record. A track list is created with fades and track spacing edits to create a natural flow to the final product. In this modern
age, fine tuning to ensure your record can translate with a variety of speaker systems from high end stereos, headset/earbuds, car radios or big club PAs is arguably more important than ever. This is achieved with good monitoring and experienced hearing, keeping music vibe and creativity at the center of the project. Using high end tools to reach the desired end product for our customers. Preparing your audio files for mastering...
It is recommend to submit your project in the same sample rate as your project was tracked at. Make sure to send mix renders in either .wav (pc) or .aff (mac). For best results resolutions no less than 44.1khz 16bit , higher resolution 24bit files are preferred. Reduced files like MP3, OGG, FLAC are not ideal for mastering due to the irreversible lost information from file compression inherent of these formats. In most situations its best to turn off all master buss EQ, compression, and limiters. Keeping below 0db, preferably -3db. The head room is needed to work on the audio file. Files that are clipping above 0db are not desirable, parts that are clipping can be considered lost information and can not be reversed. In some cases this can cause unwanted distortion. With some forms of music like EMD the master buss limiter can be a vital part in creating the sound of your song, or maybe your using a EQ on the master buss to form the mix as a final touch.. In this case you should leave it on. When submitting a track in this situation, just ensure the track is not clipping 0db, and if so just reduce the master gain 1-2db before rendering. At the end of the day if you have created a sound you are in love with keep it. If it sounds good do it. Communication is one of the most important parts of mastering, to ensure you get the product you are looking for please give a detailed description of what you are looking to achieve. It also may be desirable to send a sample song of a band you think would be a good benchmark for your project. Final product.. Mastering includes files that have been converted in formats ready for distribution or duplication. Most common is CD quality 44.1khz 16bit. But CD images, MP3's, exc. can be supplied apon request. Its also possible to have digital files prepared with headroom that is ideal for vinyl records. Please contact me for pricing information, I work with projects of all sizes. Mixing is also available apon request. Track submission may be nessary for detailed quote for large projects. [email protected]
