If you want your music to have maximum impact for radio release, or if you want to be able to compete with major record label releases, it is vital that you do not miss this important step in the recording process. Mastering can help your music sound louder, bigger, smoother, cleaner, more 3-dimensional, and generally more commercial. EDT Media's specialist mastering facility, SoundMaster Studios, can help give your recording that "big studio" sound that is so crucial for success in a modern competitive marketplace.

Your material is analyzed and evaluated by experienced engineers on high resolution monitor speakers. Specialized tools are then used to add the final sheen, punch, drive, clarity and smoothness to your recordings. All the enhancements and changes that take place during mastering are done in close consultation with you, to make sure that the end result fits your vision of the project.

Mastering is also where the final assembly of the album occurs. In this process the project may be edited, songs placed in their proper order, gaps between songs adjusted, fades performed, noises & glitches removed, and so forth.

Equipment used in our mastering studio includes:

• PMC IB1S full-range midfield monitors
• Proceed HPA2
• Lavry DA-10
• Meridian 518
• Weiss DS1 Mk III
• Requisite L2M MkIII
• Manley Variable-Mu Series I
• Chandler LTD-2 Mastering edition, modified
• API 550m Mastering EQs
• Millenia Media NSEQ-2, Fred Forssell modifications
• Crane Song HEDD
• TC Electronic Finalizer 96K
• Lexicon 480L, AMS RMX16, Sony DPS-V77
• Vintage preamp modules used for line level processing : Neve, Langevin, Telefunken, Siemens etc.
• Ampex ATR800 tape machine
• Rega Turntable w. Bryston phono preamp
• Arcam and Marantz CD players
• Panasonic, Tascam DAT
• Sony Minidisc
• Sony PCM F1
• Samplitude dual-Xeon workstation w. Sonnox, TC Electronic, UAD, Waves, Focusrite etc.
• Plextor CD writers w. PlexTools

Do I really NEED mastering?

Every major record label recording project goes through the process of mastering. Even with the best recording engineers and the most expensive studios, mastering adds a dimension of sound quality that is essential for commercial success. Mastering is a second opinion. It is bringing your record to someone you trust who can listen to it with fresh ears. Many recording engineers develop long-standing relationships with mastering engineers who they know they can count on to maximize the potential of their recordings. Mastering is the difference between ending up with something that sounds good but is ultimately flawed in some way (too muffled, to bright, too boomy, too grainy, too splashy, etc.) and something that sounds thoroughly professional (effortless, spacious, balanced, detailed, powerful, dynamic, engaging).

How does mastering work?

Sending your project to a professional mastering studio accomplishes two things. In the first place you gain access to an experienced set of ears that is new to the project. After weeks or months of working on a project the artist and engineers involved often lose the ability to be completely objective about the recordings. The mastering engineer hears the project with fresh ears and within a very short period of time can identify any sonic deficiencies and shortcomings and correct for them.

Secondly, mastering studio speakers are a little different from the speakers used in recording and mixing studios. Mastering speakers are usually high-resolution, full-range, mid-field speakers. The speakers and room are tuned to represent the ideal consumer listening environment. If the project sounds right in the mastering room it should translate well across a wide variety of playback systems.

Trying to master a project on the same system that was used to mix the project is usually a mistake because the flaws in the speakers and room are amplified. Moving the mastering to a dedicated mastering room allows flaws in the mix monitoring system to be revealed and corrected for.

Tips for getting the most out of the mastering process

• Mix down to 24-bit or 32-bit floating point files at whatever sample rate the project was recorded at
• Don't worry about trying to make the mix loud - just make it sound good!
• Don't use a digital limiter if you can help it. We can usually make a quiet, clean mix louder than a loud, limited one.
• Watch out for clipping. Check the meters and make sure you're not clipping either in the mixer channels or on the stereo bus.
• Reference other CDs while you're mixing so you can keep a good sense of balance and perspective.
• Pick a couple of commercially released tracks to submit along with your project so that the mastering engineer can get an idea of the kind of sound you'd ideally like for your project

How much does mastering cost?

Premium quality mastering is not as expensive as you might think. Our clients typically pay between $450 and $950 per album project, depending on the needs of the project. When you consider how much time and money you've already spent on recording the album, and how much work you're going to put into marketing and supporting the album after it's released, this is not a lot of money to ensure the best possible sound for your project.

Please contact our mastering studio to discuss your mastering project!
Call 1-800-915-1915 ext. 84