Project Mastering & Audio File
Conversion

 What is Mastering? 

Mastering is the final step in the creative process that enables a recording to reach its full potential: that “huge” crisp sound heard on favorite releases by contemporary artists.
 

Every major label today masters every recording both for radio air play and retail sales. The goal is to have the loudest and cleanest recording possible. The reason is, songs can be recorded at different locations, on different days, over a period of days or even years. The general ambiance and volume levels will not be the same. No two studios or days will be the same. Who hasn’t played a CD with the volume set to a comfortable listening level and the next song comes on and blasts you out of the car, or maybe you have to turn the volume up to hear a selection and then the next one gets you.  Radio DJs hate this more than anything, because they like to cue up a second CD while one is playing on the air. If yours is so weak he has to stop and turn up the fader, he’ll get out of sync, miss cueing up an advertisement or a public service announcement, only playing your CD once. Then in the trash it goes. A mastering engineer can use EQ, gain and dynamic compression to give your songs a consistency from track to track that equals that of other commercial CDs.

A real advantage to investing time and money in mastering and post-production is having a fresh pair of ears. After spending weeks or longer, listening and mixing in the studio, everything begins to sound the same. An unbiased professional, with your input, can help make the most out of a creative project by adding the sound judgment of a seasoned professional.

THE MASTERING PROCESS

·       Input the original material to the digital workstation

(This allows the entire process to be accomplished in the digital domain using the software to automate and process a recording without deterioration to the original recording)

·       Tracks are sequenced to the client’s instructions

·       “Heads and Tails” edits and fades to each track

·       Noise reduction applied as needed

·       Spacing added or modified between tracks

·       EQ ,  Compression, Expansion and Volume leveling is done as necessary

·       Comparison to customer’s favorite sample recording

(You provide us a sample song from your favorite artist to use as guideline.)

·       Burning to “Redbook standard” with CD text embedding and PQ codes

(You will receive two CD-Rs: one for you to put in a safety deposit box or archive and one to send to the duplicator)

 WHAT WE REQUIRE
 

• An audio CD that includes files of a complete stereo mix-down of your project.
 
Files must be PCM data (WAV, Aiff, Etc.)
 

Do not send proprietary files. Protools, Adobe Audition, etc.

MASTERING RATES

1 Track …………………………………………………… $50.00

2-6 Tracks (per track) ………………………………......... $45.00

6-9 Tracks (per track) ……………………………………. $40.00

10-16 tracks (Complete Album) …………………………. $450.00 

HOURLY RATE …………….…………….…………….. $40.00

We offer file conversion and audio CD complilation.

We convert audio for internet use. 

Prices effective June 2009

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