Mastering
Every mix is different and requires a unique approach in mastering. The mix that you and/or your mixing engineer likely have put a good deal of energy into, was most likely done with a strong focus on balancing and featuring individual elements within itself. When that is all nailed and the song is “working”, it’s a good idea to hand it off to someone to do the final push to give the music its proper presentation to sound as good as it can on all different types of playback systems.
Sometimes that means taming some distracting frequencies--with a surgical approach, a broad and dynamic one, or simply static. Other frequencies may need a stronger representation, so they may be boosted and/or saturated slightly. After these fine-tuned adjustments, the overall volume is carefully brought up to the desired level, while retaining the important dynamics. Along the way, the song may inspire some additional sweetening - maybe some extra harmonic saturation or stereo widening, to make the track really be the best that it can be. I feel a strong sense of responsibility with every song, EP and album I work on, since this is such an important & final step in the production process, and I truly appreciate your trust in me to do it well. A solid 15 years into mastering, I continue to be inspired by all the different types of music and production styles, and look forward to hearing and helping you finish what you’ve worked so hard on.
To hear songs I’ve mastered, check out the Spotify playlist below, or click here.
For mixing services, click here.
Mastering Process
For mastering projects or inquiries, contact me to get started.
To send me your mixes, use this Test Tube Audio WeTransfer link.
Tips for an uninterrupted turnaround:
send .wav(s) of your stereo mix in the native resolution ( i.e. the sample rate and bit depth that the music was recorded at. ) Please no limiting, and not overcompressed. Headroom - I’m not picky on, as long as it’s not audibly peaking.
put track numbers in front of each mix file OR include a tracklisting with final song titles in our correspondence, or in a doc file, .txt file, etc.
Let me know what if any physical releases are planned. ( CD, Vinyl, Cassette ) For analog releases, please indicate what songs are on what sides. Keep in mind length recommendations for vinyl. For starters - 22min per side of a 12”. Best to check with your pressing plant.
artist name - include somewhere in your correspondence or in a .txt or .doc
EP / LP Title - include somewhere in your correspondence or in a .txt or .doc. not critical, but certainly helpful if you have it.
Any specific requests - I’m happy to go with my instinct, however if you’d like to provide any references to other masters, that’s cool too!. This includes if you’d like to provide “Loud refs” or “hot refs” that may have been used during the mix approval process.
All projects are invoiced upon completion and approval. No charge for revisions.
I look forward to hearing and working on your music!
Rates & Fees
Quote Estimate Formula:
( # of songs x $75 ) + ( # of ALT versions - [instrumental or TV versions for example] of same songs x $10 )
For example: (3 songs x $75) + ( 3 instrumental versions of same songs x $10) = $255
Vinyl Premastering:
For an additional $10 per song, I can also prep your tracks for delivery to the vinyl pressing plant or lacquer cutting engineer.
For vinyl premastering, you’ll get one high resolution .WAV per side. Depending on the genre, extra tweaks may be necessary for the file to play nicely with the physical medium of vinyl (more specific de-essing treatment & a mono’d bottom end).
I will also provide a cue sheet to help the lacquer cutting engineer place the visual track markers in the correct location(s).
If you have questions about your specific project, get in touch.
Mastered by Kevin:
Note: On some devices, the player below may not appear. If it doesn’t, use this link.
