MASTERING
Mastering is a process that is often oversighted. In the rush to release the record, many just underestimate the importance of this last step.
It is not a dark art. It takes skill and objectivity in making decisions. As a mastering engineer I am responsible for making sure the audio will be duplicated and distributed free of defects.
My main goal is to do no harm to the audio, but rather enhance it and elevate it at higher state.
MASTERING GUIDELINES
Prices
Stereo Mastering
1 Track
2 Tracks
3 Tracks
4 Tracks
5 Tracks
6 Tracks
7 Tracks
8 Tracks
9 Tracks
10 Tracks
40€
80€
120€
160€
195€
220€
255€
290€
330€
370€
Stem Mastering
1 Track
2 Tracks
3 Tracks
4 Tracks
70€
140€
210€
260€
1 - 8 Stems
1 - 8 Stems
1 - 8 Stems
1 - 8 Stems
Album Mastering
Each project is different. Normally an album implies more than 10 tracks. That being the case, the cost of the album generally a fixed price or a quote with a discount.
Since albums imply many aspects (track order, metadata, ISRC codes, artwork,DDP etc.), I need to have a conversation with whoever is responsible for making decisions about the project.
What do you get with a master?
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A CD master version
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A digital streaming version (optimized for all major streaming platforms such as Youtube, Spotify, Tidal)
-
A DDP in case you are planning a release for your album
BEFORE YOU EXPORT
1.
Always export the track in the sample rate of the project. If your project was 44.1kHz then please export in 44.1kHz. Do NOT upsample or downsample. Let me take care of that aspect.
Send the track at the same sample rate as your mixing session.
2.
Files should ALWAYS be .wav or .aiff . Mp3/OGG/FLAC are NOT suitable for mastering. The lack of information on those formats is audible and I cannot add something missing in the first place. Also do not convert mp3 to .wav. Use a real .wav or .aiff file.
3.
You can export your track in 24bit or 32bit floating point. 32 bit floating point is preferred because it retains any peak information that may have exceeded 0 dBFS.
If you export to a 24bit file without dithering then you are truncating the file which means you are losing data. So why lose information when you have worked so hard on that mix?
Original project’s sample rate and the highest bit depth is the perfect delivery format for your track.
4.
You can export your track in 24bit or 32bit floating point. 32 bit floating point is preferred because it retains any peak information that may have exceeded 0 dBFS.
If you export to a 24bit file without dithering then you are truncating the file which means you are losing data. So why lose information when you have worked so hard on that mix?
5.
When exporting make sure that you do NOT clip the master bus. Do NOT allow peaks to reach or exceed 0 dBFS. Avoid at all costs digital clipping because that cannot be undone in mastering.
The headroom you leave is irrelevant as long as you do NOT clip the master bus.
6.
Please remove your limiter/maximizer/clipper before submitting your song for mastering.
The moment you are creating a hard ceiling at 0 dBFS you are pulling the break on your mix and making it really difficult to master. I can turn down a loud mix but I cannot master a track once it has been peak limited or clipped.
If you have been using a peak limiter on the master output, then you obviously need to remove it before sending over the un-mastered track. It can be helpful to send a version of the mix with and without the processing on it, so I can have a better starting point for my work.
7.
Certain plugins are suited for master bus processing since they emulate the character and the tone of the original hardware unit. As long as those plugins are used in this vision and NOT for the sake of making something loud, then you can leave them on the masterbus. Such plugins can be eqs, compressors or tape emulations.
If you have been using a peak limiter on the master output, then you obviously need to remove it before sending over the un-mastered track. It can be helpful to send a version of the mix with and without the processing on it, so I can have a better starting point for my work.
8.
Ideally a 32 bit floating point mix file without any limiting is the right way to provide your track to a mastering engineer.