Top Mastering Engineers for hire

Polish your mix with professional mastering

Analog Mastering & Atmos Mixer - Andres Mayo
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(4034)

#1 most hired mastering engineer & Certified Atmos mixer on SoundBetter. Billions of streams. GRAMMY winner. Past-President of the AES. We mix & master your music in stereo, 5.1, ATMOS, binaural, etc. We restore music using AI. Unlimited revisions. Send us a song and you'll get a FREE and HONEST audio quality report that will really help you out.

Award-Winning Analog Mastering - Camilo Silva F Mastering
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(1391)

2X Grammy-winning mastering specialist, Over FIVE BILLION streams (Source: Muso.AI). Analog, tape and custom gear all over the place!

Online Analog Mastering - Fred Miller
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(1686)

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

Techno & Electronic Music Pro. - Eric Sneo
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(438)

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

EDM Mastering - Bram Fidder
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(1455)

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!

Outpacing Adjacent Sonics - Adam Haggar
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(685)

Migos | Scissor Sisters | Henry Fong | Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey) | Sierra Ferrell | The Antlers | Brooks Nielsen/Growlers | The Sometimes Island | Supertask | Lab Group | Randall Dunn | Kan Wakan | Blue Violet | Lists | Brittain Ashford | NLE Choppa | J.R. Clark

Mastering Engineer / Producer - Elliot James Mulhern Mastering
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(1972)

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

Mastering - Maria Triana
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(248)

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.

Mastering Engineer - Fili Filizzola
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(108)

As a Latin Grammy nominated mastering engineer (Best Engineered Album, 2023) I have mastered and been a part of the mastering process of incredible artists such as SZA, Bieber, Harry Styles, Lagum, Khalid, Doja Cat, Snoh Aalegra, and many more. I have the inside knowledge of what amazing records need in order to sound huge, punchy and modern.

Grammy Award Winning Engineer - James Auwarter
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(476)

**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.

Mastering, Audio Post, Mixing - Listen Up Mastering Jamal Ruhe
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(6)

Jamal Ruhe is a musical midwife who has helped to bring thousands of projects into the world. I am an experienced mastering and mixing engineer. I've been privileged to work on music and video / film audio with hundreds of artists in Nashville, Memphis, L.A., Phoenix, and of course New York. Anti-racist, Anti-sexist and LGBTQIA+ friendly.

Mastering Engineer - Jonas W. K.
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(283)

Grammy Award-Winning, Multi-Platinum Selling (John Legend, Jhené Aiko, Amber Mark, Tinashe, Kito, ZAYN, Blackbear, 24hrs, NVDES, FLETCHER, Hatsune Miku, Johan Lenox, Sofi De La Torre etc.)

EDM & Bass Music Specialist - Aaron Roman
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(1198)

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

Platinum Pop HipHop Master Mix - Nate Middleman
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(224)

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)

EDM Mixing & Mastering - KUYANO
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(858)

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

Premium Audio Mastering - Tom Frampton
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(929)

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.

Mastering, with love. - Alex @ A Cut Above London
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(299)

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

Award winning Mastering - John Webber - AIR Studios Mastering
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(207)

AIR Studios Mastering [founded by Beatles producer George Martin] Hozier, David Bowie, MF DOOM, Ash, Duran Duran

Mix & Master Specialist 🎧 - Riley Knapp
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(410)

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".

Mix and Mastering and Engineer - Nacho de la Riega
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(337)

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.

EDM Producer | Mastering PRO - Marco Donnarumma
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(121)

Credited by Universal Music, BBC One TV, David Guetta, Diplo, Monstercat, Zeds Dead, Spotify Editorial Playlists, etc

World Class Mastering Service  - Carlos Freitas
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(120)

Mastering Services for stereo and dolby atmos projects. Mixing services ( using stems ) for Dolby Atmos. Mastering for Vinyl. Dolby USA Certified Studio for Atmos services.

Multi Grammy Indie Mastering - West West Side Music
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(70)

Credits: Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, Converge, LCD Soundsystem, Fleetwood Mac, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ben Folds Five, Cannibal Corpse, Fallout Boy, and The Misfits to name a few.

MASTERING, MIXING - MASTERED BY KRAMER
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(420)

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.

 Master of Mastering - Nicky Howard
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(146)

x8 Platinum 💎 SoundBetter, not just louder! Credits for WuGd (Jax Jones), Hot Since 82, Anjunadeep, Ben Böhmer, !K7, Afterlife (Tale of Us), Hannah Laing, This Never Happened, Franky Wah, and many more...

Professional Audio Mastering - Julian Lowe @ JML Mastering
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(253)

With over 28 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.

Analog Mastering, Music Master - Tim Boyce : NYC Mastering
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(236)

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

Mixing • Mastering • Atmos - Mark B. Christensen
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(140)

50+ RIAA Certified Gold And Platinum Hits • 3 Grammy Award Winning Projects With Many More Nominations • Owner And Chief Mastering Engineer Of Engine Room Audio In New York City

Mastering Engineer  - Qbical Music Productions
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(115)

High quality mastering service for electronic music.

Affordable Online Mastering - Waltz Mastering
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(210)

Top Quality, Quick & Affordable Analog Mastering. Clients: DJ Premier, WuTang, Marky Mark (GrammyNom) James Labrie (Dream Theater), Billy Gibbons, New Kids On The Block, Skatalites, RJD2, Coolio, Peter Wolf (J Geils), Tom Jones, ..many more. Free previews & No charge for any Revisions_Stem mastering_Mix Consultation_Sound Restoration_DeNoise.

Solid Mastering Studio 📀 - Carlo - Solid Mastering
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(510)

WARNER MUSIC signed artist, Platinum Awarded Real Mastering working with top labels Warner Music, 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. Dolby ATMOS equipment.

Mastering is all we do! - Garrett Haines
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(87)

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)

Mastering Engineer - Evren Göknar
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(26)

Evren Göknar is a Grammy® Award and RIAA Multi-Platinum and Gold winning Mastering/Mix Engineer and bestselling author of "Major Label Mastering: Professional Mastering Process". After 25 years as a Mastering Engineer with Capitol Records, Evren founded EGM (Evren Göknar Mastering) where he offers exceptional analog mastering to discerning clients.

Hi-End Audio Mastering Studio - Hiltongrove Mastering
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(282)

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.

High-End Mixing and Mastering - The-MPL
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(37)

I'm a Toronto-based recording engineer and multi-instrumentalist with nearly 20 years of experience. I work out of a hybrid analog/digital studio filled with tools that allow me to focus on what's important: The music. I approach the elements of every project as a whole from the standpoints of musicality, theory, and sonic technique.

ANALOG MASTERINGSound unique - Mark Galup Mastering
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(41)

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.

Mastering Engineer AIR Studios - Jasper Ward
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(32)

AIR Studios Mastering Engineer. Using the highest quality analogue mastering outboard gear and plugins in a brand new, state-of-the-art mastering space built in 2023.

Mixing & Mastering Engineer - Denis Emery @ Mastering.LT
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(167)

Let's enhance your music to sound exceptional on any device, ensuring it's dynamic, punchy, with a solid bass, and both wide and clear. I invite everyone to my studio, a place where sonic magic is crafted with utmost care. Let's listen to your new song and elevate its sound together!

World Class Mastering Service - Reuben Cohen
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(81)

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.

Award winning Mixing & Mastering Engineer - Brian iele (SCS Mastering)
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(60)

2x Latin Grammy Nominations 4x Winner Premios Gardel 1x Winner Premios Graffiti 9x Premios Gardel Nominated

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.

Mastering Engineer - Epicenter Mastering
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(21)

Multiple award winning Major Label Mastering Engineer. Working with indie and signed clients alike including: Metallica, Spoon, Incubus, Wynonna, Jackson Wang and many more.

Mixing & Mastering & Producing - Rudi Dittmann|Ruhrtone Studios
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(93)

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

World Class Mastering Service - Gavin Lurssen
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(39)

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.

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.

Mixing Mastering Productions 📀 - Alex Picciafuochi Mastering
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(545)

Luca Agnelli Drumcode, Suara, - Caneschi, Revealed - Satoshi Tomiie - Robert Miles - Claudio Coccoluto - Pakkio Sans, Nervous Rec - JAM Rec - Sony, Universal, Warner, Kontor, Alex Neri (Planet Funk), Etruria, TheDub, Feiyr. Stereo Master $30 / Stems Master $60 / only Mixing $150 https://www.masteringcredits.com/profile/Alex%20Picciafuochi

🔊🔥MASTERING & MIXING PRO🔥🔊 - Juan De Sedas
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(87)

Juan has worked with icons like Shakira, Pitbull, Gente de Zona, Elvis Crespo, David Bisbal, El Chaval amassing millions of online views. He's also collaborated with rising stars like Jessie Reyez, La Ross Maria, Ala Jaza.

Mastering - Roxy
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(27)

Affordable mastering for your music

Mastering | Free Sample - Daniel Szanto
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(150)

Award Winning | Major Label Credits | Stereo Mastering | Stem Mastering | Unlimited Revisions | In 24 Hours

Indie/Rock Mixing & Mastering - Alan Garcia
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(46)

Let's make you sound your best! I'm passionate about bringing your music to life! 20 years of experience. Fast turnaround.

Mixing & Mastering - Samuel Dan
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(63)

Get an initial feedback on the mix, unlimited revisions, and a satisfaction guarantee with my mastering service. If you're not happy with the final master, you don't pay anything.

EDM Production, Mix/Master - Achilles (Iliad Studios)
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(60)

EDM/Pop Specialist, Ranked 43rd 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.

Mastering Engineer - Todd Tobias
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(186)

Todd Tobias is a mastering engineer in the rock, acoustic, ambient, singer-songwriter, experimental, electronic, jazz and classical genres. Todd began his career making records with indie rock pioneers Guided by Voices in 2001.

Mixing and mastering - Andreas 'driss' Kempe
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(16)

Millions of streams. 100% satisfaction guarantee. Worked with Universal, Epic, Sony etc. I will treat you as my friend. Unlimited revisions. University degree in audio engineering. Highly skilled and experienced engineer with the customer service as top priority, next to the engineering.

House & Bass Music Mastering - Brian Kish
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(18)

Clients released on Mau5trap, Deadbeats, Atlantic, Lowly, Wakaan, Insomniac & many more, showcasing my ability to work with a wide range of genres & styles.

Multi-Platinum Mastering - VLM
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(438)

Multi-Platinum Mastering. Credits include Kyle, Kehlani, Lil Yachty, Anderson .Paak, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Aloe Blacc, Lil Uzi Vert, Kodak Black, J Dilla, Blu & Exile, Dam Funk, Tokimonsta and many more.

Mastering & Mixing - Fast Track Mastering
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(21)

My goals is to bring out the best of each artist I work with. The master is not done until you're 100% satisfied.

Master of Loudness - Neel Erickson
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(210)

Warner Music, Purified Records, Colorize, Black Hole, Dim Mak | Ultra, Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza, EDC, Electric Zoo | New Music Friday, Topsify, Fresh Finds Spotify | I know what it takes to make a hit record, from production to mix to master, and I take a personalized approach to each and every track!

Mixing & Mastering Engineer - Sam Wills
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(63)

Check my previous works :- Insta Handle sam_wills_wired_masters Spotify Playlist https://tinyurl.com/yyvz88r7 Trusted by the likes of FFRR, Circa 99, Island & Defected, Sam Wills started his career at Wired Masters in early 2012. Sam has built up a reputation for quality masters and quick turn-around times.

Mastering Engineer - Tom @ E1 Mastering
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(37)

Mastering and mixing for over 20 years, over 100,000,000 streams. Mastered for IDLES, Fontaines D.C, The Joy Formidable, Jamie Lenman, Ultraísta, Ditz, Heavy Lungs, The Boo Radleys and many more. I also do vinyl pre masters for cutting, radio editing, album compilation and sequencing

Metal Mixing & Mastering - Davis Hay - HayWire Studio
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(50)

Specializing in extreme metal, rock, and punk. A professional mixing and mastering service with a lightning-fast turnaround. I'd be thrilled to take your recordings to the next level.

Mastering(Techno/Amapiano etc) - SK Mastering
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(6)

I am providing Mastering Service for Dance Music. Most of dance music creators/labels doesn't have sufficient budget, I can be an option for those people. Recently one of my Amapiano/Gqom work had streamed on BBC Radio 1. Experienced in Techno/House/Amapiano/Gqom/Hardcore, all welcome.

Mastering music for 20 years! - Erman Aydöner
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(22)

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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(31)

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.

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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