Top Mastering Engineers for hire

Polish your mix with professional mastering

Award-Winning Analog Mastering - Camilo Silva F Mastering
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(1164)

2X Grammy-winning mastering specialist, Over Two Billion streams (Source: Muso.AI). Analog-tape mastering. World-class mastering skills and technology at your disposal Analog, tape and custom gear all over the place!

EDM & Bass Music Specialist - Aaron Roman
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(965)

Clients released on DeadBeats, Trap Nation, DIM MAK, Lowly, Circus, UKF, House Call Records, Sable Valley, Dharma & many more.

Full-Service, boutique Masters - Mount Olympia Mastering
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(548)

Find out why they call me "Mount." Well-known for delivering the most refined sonics on the platform. Sponsored by Audeze. Apple Digital Masters (MFiT) Certified and all that.

Premium Audio Mastering - Tom Frampton
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(830)

Hi, I'm Tom Frampton, owner of Mastering The Mix. Want to sound as good as your favourite artist? You've come to the right place.

Analog Mastering & Atmos Mixer - Andres Mayo
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(3480)

#1 most hired mastering engineer and immersive audio mixer on SoundBetter. Millions of streams. Unlimited revisions. 2-times GRAMMY winner. Past-President of the AES. If you want to mix/master your music in stereo, surround, Dolby Atmos or binaural, send us 1 song and you'll get a FREE and HONEST audio quality report that will really help you out.

Mastering Engineer / Producer - Elliot James Mulhern Mastering
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(1551)

Major Label Hi-Fidelity Radio Ready + Spotify/AppleMusic Ready ✨Love working on new genre blends + unique sounds Recording Artist, Producer + Songwriter, founder of Blossöm Records in LA. Years of touring bands including Hey Monday’s signing to Columbia Records, tours w/ Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent, Justin Bieber + All American Rejects

Affordable Analog Mastering - Fred Miller
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(1320)

Grammy Award winning engineer. Worked with producers behind Selena Gomez, David Guetta and others.

Mastering - Maria Triana
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(110)

For the past 16 years I worked for Sony Music Entertainment as a Mastering Engineer. There, I had the honor and opportunity to contribute my skills and expertise on many award winning recordings, with artists ranging from Donald Fagen to Wayne Shorter and Britney Spears to Bob Dylan.

Solid Mastering Studio 📀 - Carlo - Solid Mastering
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(443)

Platinum Awarded Real Mastering facility working with top labels Sony Music, Spinnin' Records, Universal Music. Top Level mastering services to achieve that Big, Fat, Warm and Punchy Major Label Sound. Your music will be brought up to meet the highest industry standards thanks to a state of the art, no compromise, top notch analog equipment.

Award winning Mixing & Mastering Engineer - Brian iele (SCS Mastering)
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(54)

UPDATES: 18/05/21 Nominated: Best Album "Alternative pop" - Rosario Ortega - Otro Lado 10/11/20 WON Best Alternative Rock Album. Lucy Patane.(mix+mastering) Also Nominated: Best Alternative Pop Album - Maca Mona Mu "Kalanchoe" Best Electronic Music Album. Diego Frenkel Recording of The Year. Lucy Patane. Song of the Year. Paula Maffia "Polvo"

Grammy Award Winning Engineer - James Auwarter
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(393)

**Grammy Award Winning Engineer** & *OFFICIALLY CREDITED ON 32 TOTAL GRAMMY NOMINATIONS* I’ve worked alongside: Kanye West, Yo-Yo Ma, PJ Morton, Jamila Woods, Kirk Franklin, Kurt Elling, Adam Levine, Cowboy Troy, Tom Higgenson (Plain White Tees), Donald Lawrence, Lupe Fiasco, Hezekiah Walker, Rihanna, Anthony Hamilton, Mavis Staples, etc.

Techno & Electronic Music Pro. - Eric Sneo
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(394)

Professional work around Techno and Club music: Mastering, Mixdown & Producing

Mixing & Mastering Engineer - KUYANO
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(512)

Clients released on Spinnin', Musical Freedom, Hexagon, Warner Music, Kontor, Trap Nation, STMPD-RCRDS, Revealed Recordings and many more.

Mix and Mastering and Engineer - Nacho de la Riega
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(300)

I've been in the industry for 20 years. I Work for independent artists and major labels. I put my ears before my eyes. Multi nominated and awarded for several albums.

Mastering Engineer - Jonas W. K.
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(177)

Grammy Award-Winning, Multi-Platinum Selling (John Legend, Jhené Aiko, Tinashe, ZAYN, Blackbear, NVDES, FLETCHER. Sofi De La Torre etc.)

Mix & Master Specialist 🎧 - Riley Knapp
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(374)

Songs I have produced/mixed/mastered have garnered over 1 Billion streams across the internet. As an artist, I understand the intricacies that make a song sound special. In this day and age, standing out is more important than sounding "perfectly polished".

Affordable Online Mastering - Waltz Mastering
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(169)

I offer top quality, quick & affordable mastering. Clients Include: DJ Premier, WuTang, James Labrie (Dream Theater), Billy Gibbons, Skatalites, Peter Wolf (J Geils) RJD2, Coolio, Marky Mark, Tom Jones & many more. Free previews & No charge for any Revisions. Also offer Stem mastering, free Mix Consulting, and Sound Restoration_DeNoise.

EDM Mastering - Bram Fidder
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(1102)

Welcome at This Mix Is Sick, the sickest EDM mastering service. I'm world-class mastering engineer Bram Fidder. Get started now and let your music make its maximum impact!

Analog Mastering, Music Master - Tim Boyce : NYC Mastering
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(192)

I help music feel alive in an overly saturated market. Mastering for French Montana, DJ Sluggo, Nicholas Jaar, The Happy Mess, and Ayo Jay. Winning APRA and Platinum awards, including nominations for Grammy, & Headies awards. EVERY PROJECT is a chance to shine, big or small. My mastering helps artists uniquely stand-out, Start a chat and let's talk

Mastering Engineer  - Mark B. Christensen
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(119)

New! - We have the best Dolby certified ATMOS / Spatial Audio mixing room in New York! Reach out for special SoundBetter rates!! Multi Platinum, Grammy Award Winning Mastering. We can work together to make sure your mix is everything it can be prior to Mastering. I've worked with all the Major Labels as well as many, many indie artists.

World Class Mastering Service  - Carlos Freitas
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(115)

Mastering services for stereo and dolby atmos projects. Mixing services ( using stems ) for dolby atmos and Sony 360º projects. Dolby USA Certified Studio for Atmos services.

Award winning Mastering - John Webber - AIR Studios Mastering
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(199)

AIR Studios Mastering [founded by Beatles producer George Martin] specialise in all formats of analogue and digital mastering, providing high-end audio services to the world’s music industry. In 2019 Air Studios acquired Alchemy Mastering and now boast one of the UK's largest mastering facilities.

Mastering, with love. - Alex @ A Cut Above London
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(246)

Maximise your music's potential - I love helping artists achieve their vision. All genres welcome.

MASTERING, MIXING - MASTERED BY KRAMER
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(385)

Of the thousands of records I've Produced, Mixed and Mastered, the one EVERYONE has surely heard is the hit single from Quentin Tarantino's PULP FICTION..."Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon". i am KRAMER, founder of SHIMMY-DISC, producer of DANIEL JOHNSTON, LOW, GALAXIE 500, WILL OLDHAM... I work with indie artists making challenging music.

Premium Mastering - DEXY
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(81)

With the professional analog and digital technology as well as 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE in several genres, I will lift your production to a professional level and make it ready for release. During the process you’ll receive relevant tips and feedback.

Mixing & Mastering Engineer - Denis Emery @ Mastering.LT
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(154)

Lets make your music sound great on any device, pleasantly dynamic, punchy, with tight bass, wide and clean! I welcome everybody to my studio, where sonical magic will be applied with the best care:) Lets hear your new song and make it Sound much Better:)

Hi-End Audio Mastering Studio - Hiltongrove Mastering
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(259)

I'm Dave Blackman and I own and run Hiltongrove Mastering, a dedicated mastering facility based in the Essex countryside. We're an Apple approved MFiT provider, and I've been a mastering engineer since 1996 - I'd like to think I know what I'm doing by now! Past clients include Coldplay, Keane, Killing Joke, and Echo and the Bunnymen.

Mastering is all we do! - Garrett Haines
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(74)

Mastering Grammy® winning and Billboard-topping albums, Garrett Haines is a Tape Op Magazine Senior Contributor, and aspiring renaissance man. He focuses on styles: with driving beats, alternative rock, and melodic Americana (Jolie Holland, Watermelon Slim, Ryan Pollie, Wiz Khalifa, Zao, Victor Bailey, Struggle Session, Fuse, Sugarfree Allstars)

Creative and Unique Mastering - Fili Filizzola
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(61)

I have mastered and been a part of the mastering process of incredible artists such as SZA, Bieber, Harry Styles, Khalid, Doja Cat, Snoh Aalegra, Lagum, Jota Quest, Lulu Santos, Djonga and many more. I have the inside knowledge of what amazing records need in order to sound huge, punchy and modern. I am here to help you achieve that sound!

Professional Audio Mastering - Julian Lowe @ JML Mastering
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(208)

With over 27 years’ experience as a mastering engineer, I can deliver the best results from your mixes, adding punch, polish and that professional touch, as well as meeting all your editing requirements, from radio edits through to album compilation & sequencing.

Mixing Engineer & Mastering - Juan De Sedas
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(45)

Juan has worked on projects for Shakira, El Chaval, Farruko, Elvis Crespo, Gente De Zona, Fat Joe, David Bisbal, Olga Tañon, Pitbull, and many others. He has also collaborated and worked for new talents like Jessie Reyez, La Ross Maria, and Ala Jaza and has garnered millions of views online.

Sound unique. - Mark Galup Mastering
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(26)

Ultra-Fidelity Custom & Rare Analog Chain, with a Pinch of State-of-the-Art Digital. Radio/Stream-Ready. Stereo & Atmos Mastering. Mark's work has been featured on critically-acclaimed major label record releases and national television networks. Galup Mastering is an ADM (Apple Digital Masters) certified studio.

Analog Mastering, Big Mixes - Ohad Nissim
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(135)

It’s all about bringing out the essence of the artist and their music.

Platinum Pop HipHop Master Mix - Nate Middleman
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(218)

Certified 2X Platinum! Mixing & Mastering engineer for Wiz Khalifa, A-Boogie, Shordie Shordie, Lil Baby, etc... I recently mixed and mastered Warner Bros artist Shordie Shordie’s single “Betchua” (Over 600 million streams) and 300 Ent. artist Tate Kobang's "Bank Rolls Remix" (#4 Spotify #22 Billboard, HBO "Ballers", MTV "Wildin Out", Playstation)

Mastering Engineer  - Qbical Music Productions
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(95)

High quality mastering service for electronic music.

World Class Mastering Engineer - Disero Mastering
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(39)

My name is Eric Disero, better known as the electronic artist Disero. I have had multiple releases on Monstercat, STMPD, Armada, and Warner Music, and my masters have racked up 20 million plays on Spotify over the past couple years. If you're looking for an ear you can trust in the vital final stages of production, you have come to the right place.

Mastering Engineer - Epicenter Mastering
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(16)

Epicenter Mastering is run by Mastering Engineer Gentry Studer, (yes, like the tape machine). Gentry is a 3X Grammy and Emmy Nominated, Juno and MIA Record of the Year winning Mastering Engineer. Working with indie and signed clients alike including: Metallica, Spoon, Incubus, Wynonna, Jackson Wang and many more.

Bring Your Music to Life - Yukon at Blue Oak Mastering
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(46)

Mastering music goes far beyond making your record louder. It enhances the feel, focuses the sonics, and assures you that your record is ready for release!

High-End Mixing and Mastering - The-MPL
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(25)

The MPL is a full-scale music production studio at the heart of Toronto’s bustling music scene. We specialize in radio-ready mixing and mastering. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, we now offer remote production assistance and reduced pricing. Stay inside and let us put the finishing touches on your music.

World Class Mastering Service - Reuben Cohen
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(70)

Reuben Cohen is an award-winning mastering engineer, winning a Latin Grammy for his work on Diego Torres' album “Distinto," and a TEC Award for his work on the single, "Happy," by Pharrell Williams.

Mixing & Mastering & Producing - Rudi Dittmann|Ruhrtone Studios
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(85)

Multi platinum awarded music producer, mastering engineer, songwriter and studied sound engineer Rudi Dittmann from Germany. Mastering Enigineer for amongst others: Robin Schulz, James Blunt, ATB, Topic, Nervo, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Alle Farben, Deepend, Moguai / Working for Labels like Sony, Spinnin', Armada, Universal, Warner, Kontor, WePlay

Digital and Vinyl Mastering - Welcome to 1979
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(20)

Welcome to 1979 is an analog-centric studio in Nashville, Tennessee. With 7,000 square feet of space, all your needs from pre-production, to tracking, to mixing, to mastering (and vinyl cutting/electroplating) are housed under one roof.

Music Producer & Engineer - Tom Matera
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(9)

I’m a NYC-based producer specializing in pop, electronic, and hip hop production. I’m also a mastering engineer. I deliver forward thinking, creative production to up and coming artists. I work closely with my clients to meet their every need and realize their vision for their project.

World Class Mastering Service - Gavin Lurssen
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(32)

Gavin Lurssen has been a mastering engineer since 1991 and has been in the forefront of, and contributor to the many technical developments that have taken place in the industry over the past two decades.

Mixing Mastering Productions 📀 - Alex Picciafuochi Mastering
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(477)

Drumcode, Suara, Luca Agnelli - Caneschi, Revealed - Satoshi Tomiie - Robert Miles - Claudio Coccoluto - JAM Records. Sony, Universal, Warner, Kontor, Alex Neri (Planet Funk), Etruria, TheDub, Feiyr DANCE ALL DAY - Music Production since 1984 Price List: Stereo Master $30 / Stems Master $60 / Mixing $150

Master of Loudness - Neel Erickson
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(167)

Loud, clean, and professionalized masters at a competitive price. Numerous placements on Spotify's New Music Friday! I care about my clients and love working with all genres of music :) Each and every track is unique and deserves its own unique attention. Additional credits include placement in Warner films and Topsify & Spotify playlists.

Mastering | Free Sample | $50 - Daniel Szanto
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(96)

Award Winning | Major Label Credits | Free Sample | Free Mix Feedback | Unlimited Revisions | In 24 Hours

EDM & MelodicTechno Specialist - Rob Hes
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(128)

Clients released on: Afterlife, Atlant, Bedrock, Black Hole, Delsin, Ellum, Filth On Acid, Kraftek, Non Series, Oddity, Odd One Out, Ovum, Polegroup, R&S, Second State, SCI+TEC, Soma Toolroom, Tronic & many more.

Mixing & Mastering your work! - Zeitstill
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(22)

Do you want your compositions to be mixed and mastered? My name is Constantin and I studied Sound & Music Production in Germany. I am open for all genres, although I am specialized in electronic music. My offers are: Mixing, sophisticated Mix Feedback, Mastering, Stem Mastering, Sound Design, Synthesizer Reworks.

Hip Hop Mastering Engineer  - Studio Torrent
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(129)

Studio Torrent engineers are specialised in Mixing and Mastering Hip Hop & Dance Music.

Secret Weapon Mastering - Rob Dennler
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(14)

YOUR MUSIC IS IMPORTANT. LETS MAKE IT SOUND AMAZING TOGETHER.

Grammy Award Mix&Mastering Eng - Pepe Ortega.
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(37)

Music producer/Mixer/Mastering Engineer +25 years experience. Grammy Winner and Gold platinum winner. All Generes accepted. Let me take your music to the next level. Wolrd class analog equipment ( Euphonix Mixer mixer, SSL, Neve/Manley/Focusrite/API/ Lexicon : TC) Lot of plug ins for Hybrid mixing.

Affordable Analog Mastering - legatomastering.pl
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(104)

Brand new, reference mastering room. I studied in Hollywood under Howie Weinberg & Vlado Meller. Apple Digital Masters and Tidal MQA certified engineer. I work with Polish most known independent bands & musicians, Polish & European labels, i. ex. FatCat Records UK, Instant Classic PL, Warner Music PL and many others.

EDM Production, Mix/Master - Achilles (Iliad Studios)
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(55)

EDM/Pop Specialist, Ranked 64th Most-Played Producer In The World By 1001tracklists, Credits: SPINNIN', ARMADA, REVEALED, HEXAGON, KONTOR, SOAVE + many more. Supported By: DAVID GUETTA, TIËSTO, HARDWELL, AFROJACK, ARMIN VAN BUUREN, TIMMY TRUMPET, W&W, DON DIABLO, MORTEN, MORGAN PAGE, MARLO, DADA LIFE, BLASTERJAXX, KRYDER + many more.

Metal Mixing & Mastering - Davis Hay - HayWire Studio
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(46)

Specializing in Rock, Metal, and Punk. Professional mixing and mastering with a 48-hour turnaround. I'd be thrilled to take your recordings to the next level.

Mixing & Mastering - Suno Records
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(44)

Almost 20 years of experience mixing and mastering records. I'm passionate about bringing your songs to life!

Loud. Clean. EDM Mix & Master. - Mark Shorter | Hotcaller
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(20)

I will unlock your track's potential to be industry-competitive, professionally finished & club/festival ready.

Mastering for EDM, Pop & Dance - Nicky Howard
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(82)

The expert finish your music deserves! When you've put everything into your music, I'm here to enhance the link between creator and audience. Independent mastering for the past 14 years, credits for Anjunadeep, Afterlife (Tale of Us), This Never Happened and many more.

EDM • Mix & Master - Revelz Music
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(31)

Trusted by artists from major labels like Sony Music, Universal, Revealed and many more. Get your tracks ready for clubs, radio stations and streaming platforms to achieve your goals by increasing the quality of your songs.

Mixing/Mastering Engineer - Spencer Broschard
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(31)

Mastering is about pulling that extra 10% out of your song to make it the best it can be!

Mastering music for 20 years! - Erman Aydöner
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(20)

Have been mastering for many years for many genres. Worked for hit records of national and interntional artists. Writer of the books Müzik Yapımında Mastering, Mastering Hakkında S.S.S., FAQ About Mastering. Being endorsed by many big companies. The pro last touch, the secret sauce for your art using specialized analog and digital equipment!

Mastering | Mixing | Remixing - C-Base Productions
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(24)

My name is Sebastian Schleinitz. I have been producing remixes since 2001 and have achieved many official releases so far (named "Captive of Society" or "Hartung & Schleinitz" Remix). Through remixing and own projects I worked on I deepened my skills in mixing and mastering (studies at HOFA Institute). So that I have also produced some bands.

Award winning jazz Mix& Master - Mark Wingfield - Heron Island
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(60)

Internationally acclaimed mixing and mastering engineer with over 300 rave reviews on jazz albums I have mixed and mastered (Including 3 Downbeat Magazine awarded "Masterpiece Albums" and a Jazzwise "Best Release" of the year). I can take your album to the next level. Want your album to have that "world-class sound"? I can help.

Ghost Producer And Co-Producer - Summ
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(12)

MIX and MASTER TOP 2 in the Armada contest, over 700k plays on Spotify on tracks mixed by me and on major labels like Gem Stone, Groove Basement, Armada, House Talents and many more. I also work with Ghost Producer and Co Production, come on over and let me know what you need. Co Production (sends me the idea and I leave it professional and with.

What is Mastering?

Mastering adds the final sonic touch to a mixed song. It is the final process performed on a song before it gets released and distributed. Mastering aims to address the following issues

1. Matching a song's sonic character to that of other songs on the same album or playlist, so listening to different songs in sequence feels natural.

2. Optimizing loudness, so the song doesn't sound softer than other songs that might be played before or after it.

3. Adding the last touch of sonic enhancement to the mixed song, addressing macro problems such as harshness, muddiness or lopsided stereo balance, and complementing the mix with subtle global adjustments to EQ, clarity, warmth, punch and wideness.

 

Mastering is a quicker process than mixing and makes less of a difference on the overall sound of your song than mixing, but is nonetheless important as a finishing touch after mixing. It polishes the final mix so all the elements sound as good or better, while achieving extra loudness and 'glue'. Mastering is the final bridge between the mix and distribution.

No two mastering jobs are the same. The nuances of the source material make all the difference in how the engineer approaches mastering, and different engineers have different styles. They may need to merely fine-tune a song before it's ready to be distributed. Other times, a mix might require a significant amount of sonic clean up. Regardless of the project, the goal of mastering remains the same: to ensure audio sounds great across multiple platforms and on different speakers, headphones and listening environments. Mastering is as much a creative art as it is a science and is just as important as other elements in the production process. Get it wrong, and your listeners might think a track sounds "too loud and harsh" or "too muffled or weak". Get it right, and assuming the production and mix are good, your listeners will enjoy the experience.

Different Mastering Techniques

There are various techniques involved in audio mastering. Engineers might use some or all of the following:

Compression and limiting: Compressors and Limiters reduce the dynamic range of the final mix, and when used with taste, make the mix sound fuller, louder and more cohesive. It's easy to squash a mix with poor use of compressors and limiters so you want to work with an engineer who has experience, a good listening environment, a great set of ears and good gear.

Clipping: Some mastering engineers push their analog to digital converters or use software clippers to subtly lop off the peaks of an audio file, to achieve increased perceived loudness and a bit of saturation.

Equalization: Optimizing for a sonic balance that complements the song, often described in adjectives such warmth, huge bottom, brightness, openness or airiness.

Sequencing and spacing: If you are mastering an entire album, spacing lets you determine the amount of silence between each track, sequencing their order, and fades in song endings.

Creative Effects: Other effects include subtle reverb on the whole mix, distortion, stereo widener or filters.

Restoration: This process gets rid of any issues or unwanted sounds, such as pops, clicks, hum, and hiss.

Preparation for distribution: Some engineers will prepare audio files based on particular specifications of online music stores and streaming websites such as Spotify, Apple Music, or CDs. This might entail adjusting the file format, bit rate, sample rate and metadata depending on your needs, and the platform you are distributing to. Other mastering engineers deliver a high resolution Wave file is often sufficient based on your needs.

How to Choose a Mastering Engineer

Some important factors to consider when choosing a Mastering Engineer are experience, gear, listening environment and specialization in a particular genre. There are some benefits to choosing an engineer who has mastered recordings in your genre. Listen to examples of his or her work. This gives you a feel for their work and lets you decide whether an engineer is right for you. Do they specialize in mastering? It might be fine that they do other things, as long as they are devoted enough to the art and science of mastering to have the proper gear, a well tuned critical listening environment and experience.

On SoundBetter you can listen to sound samples, research a mastering engineer's experience, and read reviews of previous clients.

Keep in mind that while the most renowned sound engineers might charge thousands of dollars for their services, some offer reduced rates to indie artists and producers. Also, some engineers might charge you less if you pay for several songs or an entire album in advance. Keep in mind that mastering is a relatively affordable step in the process, so probably not worth skimping on.

Was your song mixed in stereo, or in Dolby Atmos or other Immersive format? If you have an immersive production (multi-channel mix that is greater than stereo), you should hire a mastering engineer that specializes in immersive.

How to Prep Your Mixes for Mastering

The first step of preparing a mix for mastering, is to be sure you love the mix. Don't expect mastering to fix a mix you don't love.

Once you are happy with the mix, simply export the tracks to a stereo file from your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), with the same sample rate and bitrate as your original mix session. If it's 16/44.1, use that. Same goes for 24/48, and so on. Don't upsample (export from a lower to a higher sample rate). If you hired a professional mixing engineer, they will know what files to deliver.

Make sure there is headroom in your mix for mastering. In other words pay attention that you aren't clipping or regularly peaking your master bus if you mixed the song yourself. The mastering engineer needs some room to manipulate the audio file. A mix that is very 'hot' doesn't leave them that room. One of the biggest pet peeves shared by mastering engineers is mixes that are too loud. These mixes are difficult to master and might result in a finished master that sounds very similar to the mix. -3 dB of headroom is usually a good goal, but simply make sure the mastering engineer has headroom to do their work.

If you have any plugins on your master bus, you can remove them, unless they are creative effects that are integral to the production. Generally speaking, compressors, EQs and limiters should be removed.  If this causes your track to clip you can just pull your master fader back a bit, or leave a limiter on, but set it to no gain reduction - rather just to catch the few peaks, so you don't clip the DAW's master bus. If you do leave a limiter on, make sure you have dither set to 'off'. If you see the limiter is gain reducing a lot, even though you didn't set it to gain reduce (i.e you set it to 0 or -.01), that means you're hitting the input of the master bus too hot, and you should pull back the faders on your individual tracks.  If you do need to pull all your individual tracks down by a couple of dB, make sure you account for tracks that have automation written, as they may 'bounce back' to their original position. You can avoid this by lowering all the tracks through the automation, rather than using the faders.

Make sure you review your mix to remove any pops or clicks. You may not notice these but if they exist they may be accentuated in mastering. It's helpful to listen to individual tracks soloed to catch these. Pay particular attention to sections you have edits. If you didn't add fade to edits, you might have digital pops that are easy to miss when many tracks are playing together, but that should be addressed.

Lastly, align your expectations of what mastering can do to a mix. There are subtle things that can be done in mastering to shape and optimize loudness, tone, punch and intensity. However, mastering is not mixing. Mastering can only slightly improve a mix. It doesn't replace the need for a great recording, production and mix. Those are ingredients that make all the difference. Mastering is just the cherry on top.

Master your songs

Mastering is best left to professional mastering engineers. It is affordable enough, that squeezing 5% more shine out of your track is usually a good investment after you've put in all the work to get to that point. The alternative is reducing the quality by 5% by not working with a pro mastering engineer.. Prepping your mixes for mastering and hiring a great engineer with experience in your genre could provide you with just the right touch to take your track from great to awesome. A good mastering engineer can shine a diamond, but not create one.

Happy mastering!

 

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