Mastering:
Audio Mastering: Audio mastering is the final step in making a recording sound "like a record". It is an essential process toward producing a recording on par with professional standards. A properly mastered recording will greatly improve songs by smoothing out sonic irregularities, improving presence, and maximizing volume consistently across an album. Often subtle EQ is employed to clean up a muddy low end, to add sparkle, or to reduce piercing highs. Other tools such as compression help to create that elusive sonic "glue" to create a cohesive record. Mastering can also include performance editing, reduction in "digitalness" and subtle noise reduction.
My goal at Spleenless Mastering is to bring a unique hands-on approach to mastering that fosters an increased dialogue with the artists. Our process takes longer then most but I feel this is important to allow us, both myself and the artist, to come back to the record with fresh ears.
You have worked hard on your record, the final 10% should really bring out the best in your music. Thats why I work with some of best digital & analog mastering tools and why I take the time to work one-on-one with artist to fully realize their concept and potential of the record. This takes patients and time but in the end both the artist and myself are psyched with the finished record. That's why we're in this business, right?
If you're interested please send me an email. We can then master a sample off your record so you can decide if we're appropriate for your project.
For a pricing or a quote ... more info about getting started ... |
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We are approachable. Please contact us
Process:
I don't charge by the hour or the song. I charge by the album, that way artists never hesitate to make changes. I work together with our bands to fine tune the album until they are completely satisfied. The first track is always free. This gives me a rough idea of how long the project will take and you get decide if I’m right for you.
I usually do rough mastering jobs of all the tracks and then refine them over the course of 36hrs. My approach to client feedback is different in the fact that often, they don't sit in on the session but instead get several reference versions to provide feedback. Like I said earlier I usually master one track, to make sure we're on the same page. If you guys like it then I'll do the whole album. Then I’ll burn a reference Production Master. Then the band listens to it for a day or so and sends us feedback. I find this approach has a lot of benefits for the band because it allows them ample time to mull over the master and listen to it on their own familiar sound system. Often times a band will go into a mastering studio, where everything sounds great, only to take their album home afterwards and listen in disappointment on their home stereo. Everyone knows their own monitoring system best, be it a professional system or a car stereo. My approach is designed to offer musicians and bands the time and the listening environment that they are most comfortable with in order to make final sonic and layout decisions. This approach also gives me the flexibility to work at my own pace, with fresh ears, thus leading to better results.
The bottom line is that there are usually 1 or 2 reference cd's in the process so that I can fine tune your production master until you are pleased. The whole process usually takes about 5 days. ( I give you a reference version, then 1-2 days to master the first reference PM, then a day or so for band to evaluate it and give us feedback, then a day for our refinements, followed by another PM for the band to reference then if they OK it, I burn a final PM). It's a very different approach but clients have been real please.
devil in the details...
1. drop off cd or upload audio files to FTP server
2. master sample track.
3. feedback and fine tune sample track
4. receive invoice, and decide if you want go through with it.
5. Master whole record
6. receive 1st reference cd,
7. submit changes
8. repeat until record is finished
9. burn production master
