Services

The Mastering Process

First, we listen to your material on a calibrated monitoring system in a sonically treated room. Then we formulate a plan for the finished project, taking into account any particular needs noted during the initial evaluation. Each track has a unique personality and requires a different set of services in order to achieve the optimal final sound. The following list describes some of the mastering services that we provide:

Consultation

It is important for us to understand your vision for the project before manipulating a single bit. We want to ensure that the mastering process will provide the results you desire. Feel free to submit a reference mix from another artist which demonstrates the type of sound you hope to achieve after mastering. If a submitted mix exhibits any problems which would limit the quality of the final master (such as excessive distortion, noise, or effects processing), we will advise you on what can be done to create a mix that will sound better after mastering.

Tonal Balance

A mix that is spectrally balanced translates well to a wider range of playback systems and will not cause listener fatigue. We use judicious equalization to achieve an appropriate tonal balance for your track and provide the most pleasureable listening experience.

Loudness

We transparently limit the peak levels of your track to achieve an average volume appropriate for the style of music. Your track will be as loud as other commercial tracks without compromising its sonic integrity.

Dynamic Processing

With dynamics processing we achieve an appropriate dynamic range for your music to provide it with power, presence, and punch. Over-compressed or lifeless mixes will regain vitality though transient enhancement.

Spatial Processing

The stereo image of your song may be modified to take advantage of the full range of the stereo-field while maintaining mono compatibility.

Noise Reduction

Disturbing clicks, crackle, hum, hiss or other noises will be removed from your mix without adding digital artifacts or compromising the musical content.

Warmth and Excitement

Some tracks will benefit from additional harmonics to add extra sparkle or warmth and create a fuller sound.

Dither

At the end of the mastering process, we apply dither noise to eliminate distortion caused by digital quantization errors. Low-level musical details will have greater clarity after dithering.

Fades

We can apply smooth fade-ins or fade-outs according to your specification.