 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Mastering is the art and science of making the final creative decisions of your project and creating the final master. We use different processing and techniques to present the music in it's best light. Of course, each project is different and everyone has different opinions about how it should sound. We don't use "cookie-cutter" settings or processing, every aspect of your mastering is unique to your project.[Return To Top] How long will it take to master my project? Each project is unique and we can never know exactly how long it will take. Typically, thirty minutes to one hour per song should be budgeted. Fewer songs will be closer to a full hour per song while more songs will be closer to half an hour per song. For example, a two-song demo might take a full two hours, however a ten-song album might only take 6 hours. [Return To Top] Can we make changes to the mix during the Mastering session? As a general rule, you should not expect to fix mixing problems in the Mastering, they should be fixed during mixing! However, there are times when some aspects can be altered to help the music. It's best to get the very best mix you can, and then let the mastering put the final polish on it. Don't fall victim to the myth, "We'll fix that in the Mastering."[Return To Top] What formats do you work from? We can take 1/4" analog tape at 30ips, 15ips, or 7.5ips with Dolby SR or A; CD-A (audio); CD-ROM with WAV, AIFF, or BWF files; Masterlink CD24; DAT; cassette; mini-disc; or vinyl records. We recommend either analog tape with Dolby SR or 24-bit WAV files as the best delivery options.[Return To Top] What is your cancellation fee? You cancellation fee will be 25% of your scheduled time. As an example, an 8 hour booked session would be a 2 hour fee, or $160.[Return To Top] What should I let my mixing engineer know? We are more than happy to speak directly with the mixing engineer, even before mixing has started, to make sure that they have any questions answered. There are things that mixing engineers sometimes do that can make your Mastering sessions much more difficult to get the sound you want. Some of these things include; compressing/equalizing/limiting the mix buss, normalizing mixes, using any kind of "finalizers" on the mixes, or using sample-rate conversion unnecessarily. Please call us, or even better, have your engineer call us, before you make costly mistakes.[Return To Top] For Engineers:Stay away from any mix-buss processing (such as compression, EQ, or "finalizers".) They can do much more harm then good and can tie the hands of the Mastering Engineer. If you're not 100% confident in your mix, then make two or three versions (your favorite mix, a vocal-up mix, and a guitar-down mix, etc.) Don't over do it on reverbs and effects, some of it will be brought up as a natural part of the mastering process. Do not "Normalize" the songs, as this will create more problems than it will solve. Make sure you leave a little extra at the beginning and end of the song, we'll remove it (and any extra noises or count-offs) during the mastering. Leave any final fade-outs to us. If you fade it out too sharply, we can't bring it back for you; but if we do it, we can easily extend it to it's original form. Label your songs with the correct names, especially when using data files. When creating data files, please make them WAV or AIFF, stereo interleaved, 24-bit, and what ever native sample rate you're working in (48KHz, 44.1KHz, etc.) When mixing to analog tape, make sure to clean and align the machine. Use leader in between songs and store the tapes "tails out". Include alignment tones at the beginning of the tape; one minute each of 1KHz, 10KHz, 100Hz, and Dolby noise. For an even-better alignment, include 50Hz, 500Hz, 5KHz, and 15KHz as well. Make sure your clients understand to treat their mix masters with great care. Do not play mixing-master CD's before mastering, get a second reference copy. Make sure they get backup copies of the project before it is to be thrown away form the mixing system. [Return To Top] What payment is acceptable and when is it due? We accept Visa, Mastercard, check, or cash. Full payment for the day's work and materials is due at the end of that session. No finished materials (reference discs or duplication masters) will be released until payment is made in full.[Return To Top] At the end of the session will I have a master? No, at the end of the session we will give a Reference Disc. This is your "potential finished product". Listen to it carefully to make sure you're happy with the way it sounds and the decisions made that day. Most people will live with their reference disc for a few days, sometimes a full week. Once you have decided that there are no more changes to be made, then we will move forward with creating an appropriate Duplication Master.[Return To Top] What is a Duplication Master, and why is it so special? The Duplication Master is the critical link between the creative decisions in the mastering room and the finished product. The Duplication Master will be replicated exactly into hundreds or thousands of CD's. If there is a mistake or problem on the Duplication Master, then it will be on all your CD's. This is why we take extra care to make sure that the Duplication Master is perfect in every way possible.[Return To Top] Yes! The best way to make sure the mastering engineer understands what you want is to be there to answer any questions he may have. It's your project, so stay involved![Return To Top] When should I call to book a session? It's best to call us before you start mixing or two weeks ahead of when you want to master (which ever comes first). This usually allows us to remind you of some common mixing mistakes or file preparation procedures. Sometimes we will become very busy and it may be three weeks or more before we can get you scheduled in, other times we may be able to take you that next week.[Return To Top] Can I bring you the ProTools session files? No, we cannot do anything with the ProTools session files. You must have your songs mixed to a stereo format. If you need mixing, please speak with SugarHill Studios. [Return To Top] |