Mastering

$75 per song.

Contact me to discuss your project.

What you get: one free round of revisions, 24 bit or 16 bit digital WAV files, and a downloadable DDP master for CD replication. You can read about DDP here. Charges for additional services (including a CDR master) found at the bottom of the page.

Payment can be by Paypal (preferred), Check or Money Order. You will be invoiced after you’ve approved the mastering job, and I expect payment before I deliver the final files.

Please check out my discography for a look at what I’ve worked on.

Turnaround
My current turnaround from receiving the files to posting a first version for you to hear is usually about 2 weeks. But if you’re under a tight deadline, I’ll do my best to move things around to accommodate you. A rush fee may be added for extreme cases.

The Process 
I will upload audio files for you to download, listen to and approve or request revisions. This communication is usually done through email.

Loudness
I prefer to leave some dynamic range to the music. My opinion is that the master is your final, archival version of your music, and this should be reflected in the sound. I want to provide you with a master that you’ll want to hear in 20 years, after the loudness wars blow over. It’s a simple fact that pushing the mixes past a certain point makes them sound worse, and it pains me to do this. That being said, please let me know if maximum loudness is a priority for you.

Preparing Your Files
I can accept WAV or AIFF files for mastering. These should be stereo interleaved files, preferably at 24 bit and 44.1kHz or higher. Please don’t limit or compress your mixes, and try to make sure there is no clipping or distortion on them. Leave a little headroom for me to work with. You can upload your files to my FTP server, use my Sendpace dropbox, or send me a CDR/DVDR through the mail. Please prepend the two-digit track number to your file names:

  • 01_hey_jude.wav
  • 02_paint_it_black.wav
  • 03_moby_dick.wav

This way I can see the track order without having to refer back to an external document.

Interludes
Sometimes bands have short little pieces of music in between tracks that tie sections of the album together. I usually don’t charge for these unless they’re longer than 60 seconds or there are more than 3 of them.

Fees for Additional Services & Revisions
Your project may require some special handling.

  • CDR master: $75 per disc
  • 24 bit vinyl-ready files: $75 per project
  • Rush fee (2-3 day turnaround): $250
  • 2 or more revisions with the same mixes: $25 per revision
    per song
  • 1 or more revisions with new mixes: $25 per revision per
    song
    (after hearing my first master, you decide to make changes to the mixes)
  • Instrumental or radio edit versions: $25 per song (instrumental mixes must be received at the same time as vocal mixes)
  • FedEx Standard Overnight Shipping: $25 per package
  • Add’l package 3-day shipping: $10 per package
    (your master and reference copy may be going to different places)
  • MP3 encoding: $10 per song
  • CD Text/ISRC Codes: $10 per song (you must provide ISRC codes. I can’t generate them for you)
  • iTunes/CDDB song info data entry: $10 per song