im thinking about getting a track mastered
where do you get it done?
how much should it cost?
who should i avoid?
thanks in advance people
first of all . are you releasing your track in a label or you just want to master it for a demo? most of records labels offer free or cheap mastering if they accept your demo for a release , if you just want to send a demo . the best way would be having a premastering stage. now in SA they have a tutorial for a premastering wich might help you a lot i think
i know soundcloud has a promo with abbey roads studios, i think the going rate is around 150 dollars for just mastering. You also can pay to have your song mixed too which can cost the same amount as mastering or more , depending on how complex your track is
its just one track and its for a demo. im happy with the sound of it want to see what it will sound like after its been mastered and get it out there. in the uk some prices are around £20-£30/ $30-$40 per track which sounds cheap to me.
i was kinda under the impression that the track was best left alone and let the mastering engineer make adjustments to the sound. instead of me adding more eq, effects and compression etc
[quote]mussi81 (31/03/2010)[hr]its just one track and its for a demo. im happy with the sound of it want to see what it will sound like after its been mastered and get it out there. in the uk some prices are around £20-£30/ $30-$40 per track which sounds cheap to me.[/quote]
$30-$40 per track means you are gonna get garbage dude. Send me your track, and I will send you back a good idea of what it would sound like mastered. Ill just run it through Ozone and bounce the file to you. You need to make sure though that your track is properly mixed. That makes all the difference in the world.
btw, good mastering is gonna run you $100-$150. If you hear that they are using software for the mastering, run for the hills. Mastering should be run through all external gear. Ask them for a list of their mastering gear to make a good assessment.
howie, have you heard anything about the uad software plugins? i was thinking about getting the one which plugs in externally. It should be possible to master a track totally in the box and have professional results
[quote]tommyt (31/03/2010)[hr]howie, have you heard anything about the uad software plugins? i was thinking about getting the one which plugs in externally. It should be possible to master a track totally in the box and have professional results[/quote]
I’ve tested UAD at Uni, some very impressive stuff there, but not cheap. If you just looking for compressors and Eq than Liquid Mix by Focusrite is worth a look, loads of people Ive talked to said good things about it, plus its a lot cheaper.
I’m reading Mastering Music at Home at the moment, will let you know if it’s any good 
Massive Mastering in Brighton.
They’re behind loads of commercial releases including Freemasons tracks etc, really nice guys too.
[url=http://www.massivemasters.co.uk/]
http://www.massivemasters.co.uk/[/url]
The team are behind tracks such as:
ENERGY 52”Café Del Mar”
TORI AMOS “Professional Widow”
CANDI STATTON & THE SOURCE “You Got The Love”
DA HOOL “Meet Her At The Love Parade”
SHANKS & BIGFOOT “Sweet Like Chocolate”
M.J.COLE “Sincere”,
to name a FEW.
Used a Liquid Mix by Focusrite today when doing a collab and have to say that it made it sound so much cleaner than just using T-Racks:cool:
[quote]tommyt (31/03/2010)[hr]howie, have you heard anything about the uad software plugins? i was thinking about getting the one which plugs in externally. It should be possible to master a track totally in the box and have professional results[/quote]
Hey Tommy, the UAD shiz is dope for sure. However, its just not the same. Listen. If you want a proper mastering job, its gonna cost you at least a Benji. If you want garbage, any moron can master it for you, including me. When Josh Gabriel played my song out at the WMC, all he did was throw Ozone on the master to make it louder. This will be a close representation of what you will hear once it is truly mastered. But NEVER, EVER pay money to someone that is gonna master your stuff in the box. Its a waste of money.
You want those waves to go through some juicy analog gear where they can be massaged into the listeners ears. The difference is like going to a masseuse. You can go get a professional massage from a smokin hott Japanese lady, and she gives you a happy ending. Or, you can get a massage from your Mom. They both get the job done. However, the one is a million times better.
Stick with real analog gear. Stick with the pros. And you will get your happy ending! 
lol i think u went a litle overboard with that comparision howie :P. but i think everyone wants a happy ending hehe.
mmmm happy endings 
While I concur that pro mastering (and a good mix down) is all the difference. To suggest they wont use any software seems a bit of a stretch.
Back to the original post though, I hear [url]http://www.masterpiece.net/[/url] are good.
They are who DJ Zinc uses which is a good enough endorsement for me.
i sent a track to massive masters in brighton. werent that impressed tbh…
cost £40 i think.
personally i would use someone that has experience and has mastered a big range of music commercially.
[quote]jon_fisher (01/04/2010)[hr]personally i would use someone that has experience and has mastered a big range of music commercially.
[/quote]
bingo
Screw it…send your stuff to Armada Music to master it. See how much they charge.
[quote]jpgetty2win (01/04/2010)[hr]i sent a track to massive masters in brighton. werent that impressed tbh…
Really?! Gotta say i’m surprised. When i was working at the label we always used them, in fact the label still does. They have a very impressive back catalogue of commercial and underground work so can’t be all that bad
Horses for courses, different tastes for different people
Is everything used in professional mastering hardware? No. You’d be surprised these days Howie, but i do see where you’re coming from.
[quote]roben (01/04/2010)[hr][quote]jpgetty2win (01/04/2010)[hr]
Is everything used in professional mastering hardware? No. You’d be surprised these days Howie, but i do see where you’re coming from. :)[/quote]
As long as i know computers want to emulate analog sounds. so even do expensive plug ins for mastering might not be as good as real Analog Hardware. IMO