I’m thinking of getting a tune or two professionally mastered but have no idea who to speak to about it or how much I should expect to pay per track.
Also, I know there’s a tech tip on here about exporting individual stems for mastering. Is this generally what’s done or do you export one stem of the whole mix?
Anyone got any advice?
More than anything I’m curious about how my tracks will sound once they’ve been professionally mastered.
Thanks for any advice you can give.
Posted this in the HTSL Techno Thread.
Guy here - Tim Xavier… Masters M_NUS & Speedy J & loads of others:
[url]http://www.manmademastering.com/manmade_mastering_llc/studio.html[/url]
Dont know too much about it - But the prices seem v.resonable - possibly reading it wrong. Get in touch maybe, I only know that his stuff is really cool sounding 
[url]http://www.manmademastering.com/order/Manmade_Mastering_prices.pdf[/url]
For mastering - Digital Sales only:
Mastering: For digital sales only
43€ per track - Digital mastering / Internal mastering / Pro-tools / Sound-Forge (Upload Included)
63€ per track - Analog mastering / Out-board recording / Recording back to hard disc & Upload Included
I personally would highly suggest staying away from anyone that is less then 100 Euro or anyone that does in the box mastering. Make sure you know what kind of equipment they are gonna be using to master your work.
Thanks guys, though Howie, they could list a whole bunch of stuff and I wouldn’t have a clue what they were talking about. I’m still far too new at this to know anything like that.
I’m guessing that the digital/analogue difference they talk about on ICN’s link is them outputting my track onto some kind of physical media and putting it through physical machines. Hence the price difference.
Whatever it is, Tim Xavier has an impressive CV.
Get a track done for money that you’d Pi$$ away on god knows what.
Wouldnt hurt to try. He’s lots of Abstract Tech / Minimal Tracks on YT.
If ICN knows him, go for it. The only track I have released, the mastering was done through Armada. So you know they go through the best people to do it. Besides, I dont pay to master my music. i will throw a limiter on it and whatever to get the loudness up.
[quote]howiegroove (10/08/2010)[hr]If ICN knows him, go for it. The only track I have released, the mastering was done through Armada. So you know they go through the best people to do it. Besides, I dont pay to master my music. i will throw a limiter on it and whatever to get the loudness up.[/quote]
Dont personally know him (just want to state that…) -
But he’s a survivor. Started out doing heavy loop Techno.
Still has a career, DJ’n & releasing Music & Mastering for loads of labels. Has a really complicated Minimal Techno Style these days.
Discogs - [url]http://www.discogs.com/artist/Tim+Xavier[/url]
W/site - [url]http://www.manmademastering.com/manmade_mastering_llc/studio.html[/url]
Contact the w.site (get some examples) & YT his own stuff (under his name Tim Xavier) and make up your own mind from there.
http://www.schnittstelle.ws/Schnittstelle_-_Vinylschnitt_%26_Mastering.html
these guys are good((havent been disappointed yet)and work for less than the amount howie suggested.
Thomas P Heckmann works there - Very experienced.
Im just quoting what I have heard from other big name artists.
Sorry.
Most record labels will have their own mastering done to your track so to be honest I wouldn’t bother too much with it. Your track should sound great without it, if it doesn’t then you need to be going back to your stems and sorting it out.
[quote]howiegroove (10/08/2010)[hr]Im just quoting what I have heard from other big name artists.
Sorry.[/quote]
youre pretty sensitive.wasnt meant as any sort of dig at what you said.you definitely get what you pay for,i think thats really the point those “big names” were trying to make.id say anything below 60 is a good indication that you should be getting it done somewhere else.
Hey Roben, I doubt my material is going to get signed by any label so there’s no chance it’ll be mastered if I don’t get it done. I’m curious to see how much mastering can improve the quality ofnthe sound that’s all.
[quote]jonsloan (10/08/2010)[hr]Hey Roben, I doubt my material is going to get signed by any label so there’s no chance it’ll be mastered if I don’t get it done. I’m curious to see how much mastering can improve the quality ofnthe sound that’s all.[/quote]
Well dude if you don’t think it’s good enough to get signed then don’t bother wasting your money getting it mastered. I see where you’re coming from but honestly, if you want to be ‘compairing’, then just use a professional tune, load it up in your DAW of choice and play it and look at the waves in a frequency analyser. Look how it’s shaped and try to match yours similar.
Bear in mind this works best if the professional track is similar to your own.
Bobby, im not sensitive. i was agreeing. no sweat. I got some tough skin.
And on to Roben… I agree. I would NEVER pay to master anything I do. Ever. If a label buys my song, they will pay to master it. Now if Im playing something out in a club or whatever, then I will just do a feaux master on it to make it louder. Once this is done, you can hear the issues in the track and fix it with the plugs on the master bus.
Maybe I should bite the bullet and send them to appropriate labels to see what they say. That way I will know for sure.
What I learned with my mastered tracks it is if it sound crap no sound ingeniier will fix the lack of mixing . What I am saying is as long your tracks have good stereo and sound great in the mix is the most important. Like roben said labels provide you with mastering services
go with a trusted company http://www.fullrangemastering.com/ last time i spoke to these guys they were around £45-£65 per track.
Stem mastering usually costs around £20-£40 per stem and as far as i am aware of about people using stem mastering usually go for groups Drums, Bass, Synths, Vocals and not individual sounds. i don’t know if thats the way its supposed to be done and i only know that little info from guys that have had it done. i don’t know why you would have this done, i did ask at the time but zoned out about 10 seconds into the conversation lol.