Mastering Info

Why Professional Mastering?
Professional mastering has long been recognized as a crucial element in the production cycle. Mastering is more relevant than ever, even with all the advances in recording technology. More than simply a digital workstation and some outboard processing, the professional mastering suite is designed from the ground up based on experience, technical excellence and highly developed listening skills.

A professional mastering engineer brings an objective, deeply experienced perspective to your mixes. The mastering engineer will also have a strong understanding of musical styles and their relationship to the mix as well as a strong understanding of how different release formats will affect your mixes, and how to maximize the sonic character of your mixes to best suit those formats. It is this experience combining both musical and technical understanding that will allow your mixes to sound polished, professional and to stand out from the crowd.

Mastering addresses mix issues that may have resulted from flaws in the mix/production environment such as:
Room acoustics.
Speakers and placement
Over taxed ears
Mixes carried out too quickly due to time constraints.
Mixes carried out over too long a period due to lack of time constraints.
Mastering can also address technical issues that may also have arisen in the mix process such as: - Digital transfer errors - File format translation.

Every element in a professional mastering suite has been critically designed and thought out. From ruthlessly accurate, revealing, and musical monitoring important, to the playback systems, the AD/DA conversion and the processing, each stage has been chosen to ensure absolute fidelity, accuracy, and musicality. It is about making the mix work for your song!

Release formats Modern Mastering has experience in are:
CD Audio
DVD Audio
DSD Audio
Vinyl
Cassette
Radio Broadcast
Television Broadcast (analog and Digital)
Film
Internet Streaming
MP3 and other Lossy Codecs

Pre-Mastering Mix Assessment
An important part of the mastering cycle is communication. Mastering should never be about altering a mix for the sake of altering it, especially when the client is fundamentally happy with the mix, rather it should be about discussing any issues that may be evident, and finding an approach to correct those issues whilst retaining the integrity of the mix balance and enhancing the mix so as to achieve its maximum potential.

Modern Mastering offers a complimentary service whereby a client can bring in potential mixes prior to mastering. The mixes can be critically assed to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed prior to mastering. Taking the time at this stage can help ensure that the very most can be made of your mixes, as well as ultimately save you time and money.

Issues such as mix compression, use of analog tape, format conversion, stems, time frames and release formats can all be looked at prior to the actual mastering session, this will help to ensure a smooth progression through the mastering stage.

Please ring to book a time for a coffee and a listen….

Formats

Data Files
AIFF, SDII, WAV – at all bit rates and sample rates.
These can be provided on CDR, DVD, Hard Drive (Mac or PC), or USB Memory Stick

DDP (Exabyte or Disc Image)
ProTools Sessions (Version 7.x.). (MAC or PC)
Please call to discuss prior to session if Protools sessions are to be supplied

Tape Based Formats
¼ Inch Analog
½ Inch Analog
Please provide tape speed, Tape Eq (IEC NAB), Noise Reduction Type and test tones

Older digital formats such as DAT, or PCM (U-matic, Beta or VHS) can also be provided as long as this has been discussed prior to the session.

Vinyl masters can also be provided, as is often the case in some compilation projects.

Modern Mastering can also provide surround mastering in formats ranging from DVD Audio to DSD. Please call to discuss the options.

Modern Mastering is also experienced in Forensic audio restoration. Call for more information.