Are You Ready to Master?

By Stephanie Jacobson

Mastering, for most musicians, is a concept that is better understood after they have participated in the process and heard the results. It can be hard to pick a mastering studio the first time around, when you are not exactly sure what it is you should be looking for.

When choosing a mastering studio, most people focus on equipment and price. One should also take into consideration which studio makes you feel the most comfortable and presents, at the first point of contact, a level of professionalism, knowledge, and helpfulness. The goal of a superior mastering studio should be to make your record sound as good as possible and to provide quality service and an open environment for your ideas. Mastering is not a cookie cutter process. You should always feel that the studio is transforming your unique personal vision into sonic reality.

Every musician wants to be treated like a rock star, but not too many of us have a rock starís cash or schedule. Here are some things you can do to help the studio make the most of your time and budget.

If thereís an album whose sonic qualities you would like achieve, bring a copy to the session. But remember to have realistic aspirations about what can be done to your mixes.

When booking time, make sure your mixes are done, or that you have left ample time to complete them. The number one reason for cancelled sessions is unfinished mixes. Make sure that you are happy with your final mixes. Certain mixing issues cannot be addressed in mastering as most changes made in the mastering process usually effect the entire mix.

Make sure you have a variety of mixes, instrumental, vocal up, and in some cases (if compression was used on your stereo mix), an uncompressed version. Keep in mind that compression is the one thing that canít be undone in the mastering studio.

Make sure that your mixes are not in mono by mistake, this happens more often than you would think.

Have a good idea about track sequence.

If your source material is on an audio or data CD bring two copies, sometimes discs donít read and you donít want to have to run home to make another one while on the clock.

Clear your samples. It is not cost effective to have to go back and remove them later, and most duplication facilities will not replicate masters with uncleared samples.

If you have ISRC codes, UPC/Barcodes, or want to include CD text, have the information handy. If youíre unsure what any of these things are, a good mastering studio will be able to clarify.