Just curious how others have done it. I think what would be most enlightening would be to hear before/after of other material they've worked with. Are there specific things you look for or questions you like to ask?
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choosing a mastering engineer
- Thread starter marqueemoon
- Start date
the big dogs (famous) go by reputation, mostly, costs a lot, and is generally worth it! your local studios will be able to demo before/after mastering jobs.
any mastering studio will generate a master for your approval = "before and after" using your own stuff.
but: it's all in the mix! no mastering endeavor can make a poor mix sound great.
good luck with your mastering quest!
any mastering studio will generate a master for your approval = "before and after" using your own stuff.
but: it's all in the mix! no mastering endeavor can make a poor mix sound great.
good luck with your mastering quest!
the big dogs (famous) go by reputation, mostly, costs a lot, and is generally worth it! your local studios will be able to demo before/after mastering jobs.
any mastering studio will generate a master for your approval = "before and after" using your own stuff.
but: it's all in the mix! no mastering endeavor can make a poor mix sound great.
good luck with your mastering quest!
Agreed! We’ve taken a lot of time and care with the mixes and want to make sure the finished product sounds its best.
It’s down to a vocal levels tweak on one song, and then it will be ready to send off.
here's a list of some folks with their artist credits:
Top Mastering Engineers & Studios | SoundBetter
Top Mastering Engineers & Studios | SoundBetter
Two years ago I got all into DIY recording and dumped some cash on the full IK Multi Media's TRackS5 software. I have always been fascinated with sound and not just the performance of music but how it sounds when it was recorded. I have been recorded several times now, and always paid very close attention to the process. Mostly because I had qualms with what was happening.
With my current band they were in the middle of recording when I joined. They were DIY recording as well. I offered to do the final mix and mastering of the album. I think came out pretty good. It isn't perfect, mostly because they committed the cardinal sin of recording different songs weeks apart, so of course the instrument tones changed.
Long story short: invest a little time into learning about mixing and mastering. With all the digital wizardry out there these days you can have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of recording gear on your PC for a couple hundred dollars. Try doing it yourself. If that doesn't work, at least you understand the process better.
With my current band they were in the middle of recording when I joined. They were DIY recording as well. I offered to do the final mix and mastering of the album. I think came out pretty good. It isn't perfect, mostly because they committed the cardinal sin of recording different songs weeks apart, so of course the instrument tones changed.
Long story short: invest a little time into learning about mixing and mastering. With all the digital wizardry out there these days you can have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of recording gear on your PC for a couple hundred dollars. Try doing it yourself. If that doesn't work, at least you understand the process better.
the big dogs (famous) go by reputation, mostly, costs a lot, and is generally worth it! your local studios will be able to demo before/after mastering jobs.
any mastering studio will generate a master for your approval = "before and after" using your own stuff.
but: it's all in the mix! no mastering endeavor can make a poor mix sound great.
good luck with your mastering quest!
I'll agree with this. The one project I was involved with that was "professionally" mastered was done by a guy that the producer guy knew from his work. I can remember hearing the unmastered final mix (keep in mind, this was the first time I had ever been involved with something like this) and being blown away. It was really amazing sounding. Then several weeks later we got the mastered one back, and I really cant adequately describe the difference. I remember asking "is this the same recording?". It was magnitudes better. The guy who mastered it had a rep for being very good and had mastered a lot of big name gospel recordings.
The next project, we couldnt afford him. And the studio wasnt as nice either, and well, you can imagine the results.
JRA said it right though...get a good base and then good mastering will push it to the next level.
BnB
I think I'm too close to the material to do a good job myself. This time around we recorded and mixed with someone outside the band and I think that was beneficial. It freed us to do the creative work.
Just make sure that outside person understands your band and your genre. My biggest problem with "pro" producers and engineers is that they often have their own ideas about things should sound like. The context of your band doesn't always matter to them.
