Is mastering necessary?
In order to compete with your record it is an absolute
necessity to have an album mastered. Listeners will automatically
denounce less than optimal sounding songs as being less
than professional. It takes an album from amateur to professional
giving the songs a chance to be heard at its fullest (expected)
capability.
All songs should match in tonality and sound pressure
(volume), and the album should maintain continuity throughout,
even in the fadeouts and spaces between.
Can I do my own mastering?
Of course you can, artists do this all the time.
If you send us a project to master and place it next
to your own master, you will have the answer to this
question. With the right knowledge, experience, and
high precision tools, it is possible.
Music is art and so is mastering. Since you are the
artist, you are the ultimate authority over the sound
of your album. Mastering engineers discourage this relentlessly
in order to open the market to themselves. We at SoundBrew
Labs are also artists and we believe in artist empowerment.
However, we do believe that our masters will sound better
almost every time.
Why SoundBrewLabs.com?
We will not stop working on your project until we
feel it will exceed your expecations. You will be sent
a reference disc to listen to for approval. Any tracks
which need adjustments will be retuned
according to your specifics, then you will receive another
disc for approval. Our goal is not only your complete
100% satisfaction but your downright exhilaration when
you hear your new album. We want you to brag with excitement
about SoundBrewLabs.com to everyone like our current
clients do.
What is your single track mastering process?
We will first ask you a few questions about anything
specific you are looking for. If you are not sure, we
will use our judgement. We will then listen to each
track and try to come up with a conclusion for processes...we
do not use destructive processing, so we can adjust
every parameter while listening to the final product.
This allows us full control over each mix before rendering.
All of our processes are analog emulated, high quality
64-bit digital; the sound is very warm. It includes
equalization, compression (single and multi band), stereo
enhancement, harmonics excitement, limiting, and dithering
to 16 bit. Some noise reduction is possible, but it
can take away some signal so it is best not to resort
to this tool.
What is your 2 track mastering process?
The same as single track mastering, but each track
is mastered then mixed, then mastered again as a single
track song. We will have a lot more control over the
final outcome because this process is very close to
remixing the song. More repairs can be done with this
method. The vocals and the instrumental can be manipulated
separately to insure a very consistent album.
What format should I send my album?
Send audio files in the highest quality possible.
Burn your CDs / DVD's as data files and set your burner
to its slowest speed to reduce errors. Do not put more
than one disc in the same envelope / jewel case. Do
not put any stickers on the discs.
How long does it take?
Depending on the number of projects in line. When
you decide you would like to submit your project, then
we will determine a timeframe for the return of your
master. With no projects in line, we can master an album
in 1-2 days. Ask us, we'll give you an idea of wait
time.
What effects should I use in my mixdown?
Place effects (EQ, compression, reverb, delay, etc.)
on individual tracks only. REMEMBER: overcompression
cannot be fixed. You may EQ the instrumental to your
own discretion because any overall adjustments will
affect the entire mix (ex: adding bass to the mix adds
bass to the vocals and lowers the highs in both instrumental
and vocals). This is why we highly recommend our 2 track
mastering plan Do nothing to the final mix once you
get it to sound acceptable. We will use our high precision
tools to do the rest.
Should I mix my own songs?
If you are having trouble getting "that sound"
from your mix, you may want to consider our mixing
services. We mix songs for $5 per track. This method
holds the most professional, commercial sound available.
The most intricate 50 track song can be mixed for $250.
Most songs are around 20-30 tracks, which costs $100-150
per song. For the sound you will get out of our services,
you would pay a lot more than this. We offer an exceptional
deal. Since we control each individual track from its
original recording using super high precision tools,
it is imperative that we receive totally raw tracks
rendered in time with the song. Please send the highest
quality files.
What do I get?
After everything is approved and you are more than
ecstatic with your album you will get:
- A sealed master disc / pq list to send to the duplication
house, or we can send it for you.
- A disc for your listening enjoyment, request more,
no problem.
- Your own pq list at your request.
- A disc of mp3's at your request.
Do you have any affiliates offering other services?
Yes, my website was designed and is maintained and
marketed by IBuzzInteractive.com. Get recognized with
a simple, professional website and get hits.
What are my payment options?
SoundBrewLabs accepts payments through Google Checkout.
It is the simplest, most secure way to pay. We secure
your total payment before the project is complete, but
will not complete the transaction until you are satisfied.
This protects us both.
Can I try SoundBrewLabs for a free trial?
YES. I will perform the requested service on a song
and you will hear the difference.
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