What is mastering?
It's not just creating the correct formatted materials needed for replication, including PQ lists, ISRC codes, CD text, final pre-master, etcetera.
Mastering should fulfil the artist's sonic and creative vision and complement the work done in the recording and mixing process. The mastering process includes assembly and editing of final mixes as well as equalization and dynamics processing to enhance the audio.
Mastering will help your project reach its full creative & sonic potential. We offer an educated fresh perspective to your music through critical listening and state-of-the-art digital and analog equipment. Care is taken in every single stage of the mastering process to ensure the highest signal integrity and impact for your project. Regardless of the musical genre, Matthew Gray Mastering provides every project with the continuity and consistency required to compete on an international level.
What should you look for in a mastering studio and engineer?
Does the studio specifically do mastering? It seems there are many studios these days that claim to perform mastering, but do they really? Just because the studio has a computer with an editing program & a CD burner does not mean they have the skills or the specialized tools to master your music effectively. Mastering requires an accurate listening environment, specialized mastering equipment (that isn't normally found in recording studios) and a mastering engineer that has acute hearing, an extensive knowledge of engineering practices and a proven track record for quality service and excellence.
Preparing for your mastering session
When preparing your final mixes for mastering there are some guidelines that need to be followed in order to obtain the best sonic integrity for your masters.
When producing final mixes, 24-bit data files delivered on CDROM's usually produce the most consistent error free results. Digital masters at bit depths up to 32-bit and sampling rates up to 192kHz are also accepted.
If your project was mixed to analog tape please call for details.
Make sure to clearly label all your mixes and include any notes about special edits, crossfades & track order.
The time you spend in preparation will ensure a smoother session and save you money.
Solutions for mix problems ...
If you are mixing on small monitors or in a poor acoustic environment it may be difficult to judge where to correctly set vocal or bass levels in your mixes. In this case it is advisable to bring different versions of the mixes with vocal up, vocal down, bass up, bass down for comparison during the session. Alternatively you could bring mix stems to the session that would contain a stereo music stem, mono bass stem & vocal stems for final level adjustments in the mastering session. Another service we offer to all our clients is the free evaluation of your mixes. You can do this by sending your project as Mp3 files or as an audio CD. This allows us to catch any problems in the mixes prior to the mastering session and provides you with a higher quality final product.
A word on mix compression ...
Avoid using excessive buss compression or limiting at the mix stage. This can not be undone and ties the hands of the mastering engineer restricting the full potential of the mastering process. Professional mastering engineers use special processors & techniques that result in a far superior result. Try to leave at least 3dB - 6dB of headroom in your mixes where possible.
Things to avoid ...
Avoid normalization, sample rate conversion and codec compression (e.g. Mp3, Real Audio, AAC, WMA etc.) These can do damaging things to audio if used incorrectly and can dramatically effect the overall quality of your mixes.
Reference discs ...
Feel free to bring along your favourite CD's for referencing against your music throughout the session.
If you need specific instructions for your project please don't hesitate to call.