Many people and organizations who could benefit from mastering and digital editing know almost nothing about it! We’ve got a little edumacatin’ to do... Here is a listing of services... Click for RATES or getting a SAMPLE MASTER or CONSULTATION also

Digital Audio Mastering - CD Premastering

MASTERING: If you’ve been reading through this site, you should have a good idea of what mastering is if you didn’t before. Let’s review...

• Extraction / input of original material into the digital audio workstation (DAW).

Once the tracks are entered into the DAW, digital processing can be automated. Increases or decreases in volume, EQ changes, noise reduction, etc. can be surgically tweaked (You don’t want noise reduction where you don’t need it!). Some of these processes include... 

• “Heads & Tails” edits, fades
• Noise reduction if necessary - Fully automated.
• Clicks & pops, sibilance control, etc.

Most processing after these digital corrections will be done through MASSIVE Mastering’s chain of analog mastering gear and brought back into the DAW through top-quality conversion. Tracks are then sequenced to client’s instructions and track markers are carefully placed with frame-precision to avoid arrested starts - even on older CD players or players that quickly “ramp up” volume. Once that’s all done... 

• CD-TEXT data embedding
• Burning to REDBOOK standard* PMCD
• Data comparison to the source file and block error rates are checked and recorded.

“ONE PASS” DEMO / LIVE MIX EDITING & MASTERING: Let’s say that you recorded all your stuff in one session with basically the same settings, then mixed using the same settings. All of your mixes sound very similar from one song to the next. You only need a final master for short-run duplication so you can get some gigs and sell a few at shows -- OR -- You recorded last week’s orchestra concert in the gymnasium on to MiniDisc and you want to burn CD’s to sell to raise funds for those new music stands. The recording however, sounds “weak”... Here’s a “not-so-secret” secret: MANY recordings sound weak until they’re properly mastered (Check the Audio Samples page for examples of this)! Get the best recording you can, and SEND IT HERE where we will...

• Extract / input
• Edit out and cross fade “awkward pauses” and speech between pieces leaving smooth, short transitions between tracks on live recordings
• Render an “EDIT” file for mastering
• Perform a “One Pass” master where the edit file, as a whole, will be tweaked, EQ’s, compressed and stereo field adjusted & rendered to a “MASTER” file
• Insert track markers into the “MASTER” file and burn a REDBOOK standard* CD

“ONE PASS” Mastering is a great “budget” alternative to standard mastering. However, keep in mind that there is one “global” setting applied to the entire finished product. If songs vary widely in volume or general tone, or if they were mixed using different settings, “ONE PASS” would probably NOT be your best choice.

RELATED:

Rates -- Get a Sample!