🎵 How To Choose Where To Master Your Track Based On the Available Budget - MProducer #4
Practical guide for producers and independent musicians
Hello my friend,
welcome to a new episode of Music Producer.
In this issue I am going to tackle one of the most frequent issues that indie musicians and producers/DJs have to confront when it comes to deciding where to master their new tracks: what variables to take into account to make the most effective choice.
Budget can be in many cases the key driver, but once you look at all the questions/variables you should ask yourself, you may see things in a different light.
Consider these for example:
Is your track of a predictable type such as it could be some kind of electronic music or complex such as a classical or jazz track?
How many revisions do you need?
How quickly do you want to get the track mastered?
Do you need to customise the result or would an automated process suffice
Based on these and more, I have put together a small guide to help you choose the most effective mastering service for your needs and budget.
Introduction: Steps to Take Before Contacting a Mastering Studio
If you've decided to master your track at a mastering studio, regardless of the budget you have available, here are some simple tips I suggest you to follow:
1) Find the Studio
Identify a mastering studio or a mastering engineer who has experience, especially in your genre, and who has worked frequently on commercially-released tracks.
Take a look at their portfolio of work, if it’s available on their website. Investigate and try to understand if the tracks they've worked on align with the type of music you produce.
Try to understand, through a specific set of questions, if the mastering engineer has the right experience and if they consider it important to interact with you to do the job: for example ask to listen to the work they've done.
It doesn't matter if they haven't worked on popular tracks or if they don't have a super-professional online portfolio. They could very well be someone new to the record industry but with a good ear, and therefore, they could be the right fit for you.
Try to understand if they are open to your requirements and if they have experience in the sector you want to emerge in.
Ask if revisions are included after the work has been delivered.
Ask if they work in digital or analog. The use of analog equipment for mastering could confirm that the person you're contacting is a professional.
2) Check the Reviews
Look for opinions and reviews about the quality of the facility you want to entrust your track to, to ensure that the sound of your production will be impeccable.
3) Reach Out
Contact the studio via email or phone and try to understand who you're dealing with. If the facility is reputable, a representative will respond to you and ask to listen to your mix before starting the work.
Sometimes, a free or paid pre-consultation service is provided, which allows you to optimize the material before delivering the tracks for mastering.
If you decide to take advantage of this, be prepared to inform the mastering engineer about these essential points:
a) What kind of sound would you like to achieve?
b) How did you produce the track?
c) Which well-known tracks could be used as a reference to achieve an optimal result?
Now that you have a clearer approach to a mastering studio, here's a list of useful tips on how to choose where to master your track based on the budget you have available.
High Budget Mastering: Pros and Cons (price between $80-300 per track)
If you have a substantial budget available, you can turn to professional mastering studios.
Most high-budget studios do not display prices on their websites, but require you to contact them for a quote.
Here are a few listed with their rates:
Metropolis Mastering - from $107 up to $180 per track
Abbey Road Mastering - $130 per track
Examples for my Italian followers:
Fonoprint - €80 per track (~ $87)
Solid Mastering - €80 per track (~ $87)
Relying on industry professionals with years of experience usually comes with a high cost, but the benefits can be:
Professionalism and experience
A slightly higher cost is not always a negative factor. It can ensure the level of professionalism and experience you're seeking.
Precision and reliability
An acoustically controlled listening room optimized for mastering and high-quality monitors can give your track a more precise and reliable sound.
Quality of the final sound
Typically, those charging higher prices use high-level analog equipment that can positively impact the quality of the end result, adding dimensionality and warmth to any digitally produced track.
Quick turnaround times
Those accustomed to working on lots of tracks daily are likely more skilled than those who don't do it professionally and can achieve excellent results in a short amount of time.
However, the risks and drawbacks of this type of studio vary and can generally be grouped as follows:
Lack of human contact
Often, renowned mastering studios (especially abroad) receive so many work requests that they tend to minimize communication with clients, potentially hindering their understanding of your needs and of what you truly require.
Limited or absent revisions
After delivering the master track, these studios might not offer revisions, or they might provide few, often requiring additional payments.
PROs:
● Professionalism and experience
● Precision and reliability
● Quality of the final sound
● Quick turnaround times
CONs:
● Lack of human contact
● Limited or absent revisions
Affordable Budget Mastering: Pros and Cons (price between $15-70 per track)
If you need to somewhat limit the budget you can turn to more affordable mastering studios.
To get an idea, you can consider some of the ones I've listed below:
Audio Animals - from $50 per track
Major Mixing - from $50 per track
Sunrise Studios - from $50 per track
Cheap Audio Mastering - from $15 per track
Low Price Audio Mastering - from $13 per track
Examples for my Italian followers:
Alar Recording Studio - from €50 per track (~ $55)
Angelina Mastering Studio - from €45 per track (~ $50)
Groove Sound Design Studio - from €40 per track (~ $44)
Remo Mastering Service - €25 per track (~ $27)
Typically, relying on affordable-budget mastering services can have the following benefits:
Human contact
Those working at a not-so-high rate might be novice mastering engineers trying to establish themselves. If the person you're dealing with shows attentiveness to your needs and interacts with you in a professional manner, they could be the right fit to give your track the sound you're looking for.
Reduced costs
Spending less is not always synonymous with poor quality. It's possible that the mastering studio you're contacting is new and has decided to keep prices low to get started.
The risks and drawbacks of this type of studio vary from one to another but can generally be grouped as follows:
Lack of experience
Don't always trust those who ask for very low fees, as they might likely be individuals who aren't professionals and might not meet some of your requirements.
Lack of proper equipment
To achieve excellent results in mastering, it's important to use high-level equipment and technology. A too-low price could signal that the person you're dealing with lacks the right tools to make your track sound as it should.
PROs:
● Human contact
● Reduced costs
CONs:
● Lack of experience
● Lack of proper equipment
Automated Online Mastering: Pros and Cons (price under $20 per month)
If you don't plan to spend significant amounts of money, you can turn to an automated online mastering service: the average price usually hovers around $20 per month, but free solutions are not uncommon.
The most well-known online mastering services are:
eMastered (paid monthly plan)
LANDR (paid monthly plan)
Waves Online Mastering (from $6 / song)
BandLab (completely free)
AI Mastering (completely free)
MajorDecibel (2 free masterings / month)
Music Gateway (2 free masterings / month)
MAZTR (free in low-resolution MP3 format, paid for high-resolution WAV formats)
Typically, relying on automated online mastering services can have the following benefits:
Affordable subscription plans
In addition to the low cost per individual master, you can benefit from highly advantageous subscription plans that allow you to master an unlimited number of tracks.
Ease of use
To use these services, all you need to do is upload the mix of your track (if you have one, you can also upload a reference track) and choose the preset settings for compression, stereo imaging, and equalization. The rest will be handled by the service's AI-based automatic processing.
Instant results
The artificial intelligence will process your mix in a matter of seconds and offer you the opportunity to listen to the final result for free. If you don't have an active monthly plan, you'll need to pay to download it.
The risks and drawbacks of this type of service can generally be grouped as follows:
Lack of communication and human interaction
There won't be any communication, and you won't be able to request "human" interventions, only modifications predefined by an algorithm.
Lack of creativity
While the result might be qualitatively acceptable, you'll never have the artistic and creative input that a flesh-and-blood mastering engineer could provide.
Limited or absent customization of the work
Since these services only work on a stereo track (and not on separate tracks, as is typically done in modern mastering), they can't give you the ability to intervene at a specific point in the track or on a specific instrument; only on the overall sound.
Limited possibilities for revisions
You'll have the ability to perform revisions on the overall sound independently through a control panel, but you won't be able to manage all the parameters as you can in traditional mastering.
PROs:
● Affordable subscription plans
● Ease of use
● Instant results
CONs:
● Lack of communication and human interaction
● Lack of creativity
● Limited or absent work customization
● Limited possibilities for revisions
Home Mastering: Pros and Cons (zero cost)
If you've decided to master your tracks at home, you could save a lot of money, but keep in mind that on this front if you have little preparation, you might not achieve the quality you're looking for.
There are several tutorials on how to do home mastering through which you could start to learn the basics.
I highly recommend this one:
Home Mastering Tips - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro
(duration: 15'30")
Typically, doing home mastering can have the following benefits:
Utilization of personal resources
Thanks to technological advancements, nowadays you can effectively use a computer and your plugins to achieve an acceptable sound.
Possibility to use Artificial Intelligence and assisted procedures
Many plugins nowadays include an AI (Artificial Intelligence) component that can help you achieve results you wouldn't be able to normally attain on your own.
Infinite possibilities for revisions
By working directly on your track, you can make changes as many times as you want to try to achieve the best possible results.
Potential for improvement over time
With practice and training, you can reach a good skill level and find yourself capable of accomplishing more than decent mastering results.
The risks and drawbacks of home mastering are:
Longer processing times
Lack of experience and consistent practice can slow down your progress, causing you not to achieve satisfying results rapidly.
Uncertain results
If you're not accustomed to mastering on your own, you might not immediately achieve a professional sound quality.
Higher margin of error
Without an acoustically controlled listening room, it's challenging to make precise sound adjustments, even with high-quality monitors.
PROs:
● Utilization of personal resources
● Possibility to use Artificial Intelligence and assisted procedures
● Infinite possibilities for revisions
● Potential for improvement over time
CONs:
● Longer processing times
● Uncertain quality
● Higher margin of error
With the above info you can make your own evaluation and choose where to master your track depending on the budget and the production needs you have.
To get my personal recommendations and advice on how to make this choice as effective as possible, please consider checking out the final part of this guide:
How To Choose Where To Master (full version)
I hope you have enjoyed this issue and the new format.
If you did please click the heart-shaped icon at the end of this issue.
Make yourself heard!
Alessandro Ciuffetti
Audio Mastering Engineer
Alessandrociuffetti.com
Naïve Mastering (Naïve Recording Studio)
alessandro@alessandrociuffetti.com
WhatsApp/Cel: +39 - 3292240048