Mastering
Mastering is the essential final stage to your audio project - it will add the final ‘polish’ and professional sound whether the music is destined for a CD, MP3, online,.
Having taken the time, energy, and money to create your music don't be tempted to skip the last thing you should do with it - get it mastered!
Our main aim at Musiklab is to provide independent artists and studios with high quality mastering at an affordable price to enable you to stand out in the ever competitive world of music - we only have to look at MySpace, CD Baby, etc. to see how many artists there are out there.
“Given the masters a thorough listen on many different systems… your wizardry has surpassed any expectation yet again. Its punchy but levelled and aggressive yet soft and smooth. brilliant.”
Laurie Housewife - The Housewives
Preparing your music for mastering
The following list of guidelines is by no means exhaustive. If you have any questions we'll be glad to answer them: info@musiklab.co.uk Tel. +44 (0)7788 421037
Before sending us your work test your mixes on as many audio systems as you can. Do your tracks sound as you intended? If not, tweak the mixes until you're happy.
Do not limit/clip the stereo mix
Leave adequate headroom when you bounce down your mix; leave around 3dB for 16bit files, around 6dB for 24bit. This leaves room for us to manipulate your work without first having to reduce it's volume and also helps avoid inter-sample peaks.
Use stereo buss compression to benefit the mix, not just to make it louder. If in doubt supply a compressed and uncompressed versions.
The more care you take with your work (recording, mixing, burning CDs, handling the CDs etc.) the less time we'll have to work on solving problems - ultimately the end result is better and less expensive!
Check your tracks for any clicks or noise as having to remove these will add to the mastering time.
When comparing your mixes with commercial albums remember that your tracks may be considerably quieter because your mixes haven't been mastered yet! Reduce the volume of the commercial track nearer to yours and listen to the sound of the mix, not the loudness.
Avoid fade ins, or outs, on your tracks - a better job can be done at the final stage. If you require a long fade out then please let us know the time you would like it to start and end.
Leave a second or two of background studio noise at the beginning and end of your tracks (make sure any reverb tails have finished and not been chopped off short). If their is any background noise this can aid us removing it by being able to create a noise profile.
It is adviseable to de-ess vocals (if needed) during mixing as it is more difficult to focus on one particular part when mastering without affecting other parts. As with any effect use sensibly (unless you are creating a particular effect) and always A-B the result to check it is not detrimental to the recording.
Work at a consistent bit depth and sample rate to maintain quality; e.g. if you are recording and mixing at 24 bit 44.1kHz take this right through to, and including, the mixes for mastering.
It's a good practice to mix one or two vocal up and down alternative mixes of your songs - changing the vocal part by +/- 0.5dB can make quite a difference - just in case it is needed. Takes only a few minutes during the mixing process and can be well worth it.
When supplying your music by post, data (CD-R/DVD-R) discs are preferred to audio as they have good error correction unlike audio CDs. Send your work on an ISO 9660, Mac, or UDF (Universal Disc Format) disc, use slower burn speeds, and use good quality branded media.
Handle your CDs/DVDs by the edges and keep them clean; avoid touching the underside and don't put them down on a surface. When they are ejected from the burner put them straight into a jewel case (normal or slimline), not plastic/paper/cardboard wallets that can rub the surface of the discs during handling and transit.
Do not use stick on CD labels. Yes they may look great but they can alter the rotational speed of the CD.
If you have already decided on a track order for your CD album then please number the track titles accordingly. When supplying a CD-ROM (tracks are in a random order) please label your tracks on the disc with something similar to '01_track_title.aif','02_track_title.aif' etc. and preferrably with the number at the beginning. Any queries then let us know - will save time later.
Supply a cue sheet including any notes relevant to the album.
Check your mixes in mono to make sure everything is there.
Pricing
£25 per hour. An additional charge of £30 is made for the CD package which includes: 1 PQ encoded red book CD-R master for duplication, 1 CD-R listening copy, CD-R/DVD-R data backup copy of your project, and Special Delivery postage within the UK.
If you would like a fixed price quote for your project we will be happy to provide one (see terms below).
We guarantee to keep a copy of your project for three months after the completion date free of charge. If you would like us to hold it for longer we offer a project backup service at £30 per year.
THE MUSIKLAB SMALL PRINT
All prices IncVat.
The above CD package charge does not apply for an online only project transferred to you online.
We always strive to satisfy our clients wishes and our project quote will remain fixed unless extra work is necessary due to circumstances beyond our control. For example, if new mixes have to be sent to us due to client error, altering the original project by wanting to add extra tracks, etc. Extra work is charged at our standard hourly rate and clients are always informed before the project continues.
To ensure everything runs smoothly please check your tracks and relevant details before sending them to us. The quote is based upon us receiving good quality tracks that are ready to master and without major errors.
Full payment must be cleared before masters are released to the client.
Musiklab guaranties that supplied masters or sound files will function properly without defect or will be replaced in a timely manner at no additional charge.
What you get for your money
Your music carefully adjusted with techniques to ensure a uniform and professional sound from track to track that sounds great on a wide range of sound systems.
We'll give your music the right amount of loudness, dynamic range, tone and warmth needed to give you and your listeners years of enjoyment.
If required: de-clicking, de-noising, and general sound restoration.
For CD projects: 1 CD-R master, 1 CD-R listening copy and CD-R/DVD-R project backup.
MP3s of your tracks at 256kbps (or bitrate of your choice) so you can use your music online straight away without having to convert the tracks yourself.
Each project is unique and we start each mastering session from scratch using techniques and processes that best compliment the mix and genre of your music whether that be pop, rock, jazz, country, dance, classical, etc.
Sending your tracks to Musiklab
Send your tracks to us using our upload page or by post (address supplied on request).
Example of a Typical Album
You upload/post tracks to Musiklab including relevant notes and have a chat with us to discuss your project.
You receive a free mastered test sample of one of your tracks with no obligation to go any further. Alterations can be made at this point to your wishes.
When you are satisfied with the sample you pay for the job online via PayPal (using credit/debit cards/your PayPal account) or cheque.
Once the funds have cleared we will master the remaining tracks and despatch the finished project to you.
Some info about mastering
Mastering is not about just making the music 'loud'. The hypercompressed loudness war that rages on can only be bad for music as it adds irreversible distortion to the music which becomes fatiguing for the listener.
It is a myth that you must have your music really loud (squashing to death all the dynamics you had during recording and mixing) as the radio stations multiband compressors/limiters are going to do that for you - consider, for example, how a superb dynamic track from several decades ago will sound just as loud on the radio as a modern track!
© 2008 Musiklab • Site by JEH studios