JAMBOX AUDIO MASTERING LAB
ABOUT AUDIO MASTERING
So, let’s say you’ve nailed the mix – now it’s time to upload or send this amazing sounding file to a distributor. This file is known as the master. It’s from this file which all copies are produced, whether that be for streaming, CD, vinyl, cassette, or for the four people out there still using MiniDisc.
99% of tracks need mastering in some way, from the basic leveling of the tracks to extreme eq and compression and anything in-between! All major releases are mastered, so, if a track isn’t mastered, it will likely not have the presence of sound to compete against other tracks. Your mix will sound good in your studio until you play it after a well mastered track!
At the JAMBOX Mastering Lab, we use tried and true mastering technology, our 30 years plus mastering great music and utilizing the best of both analog and digital worlds.
Our experienced engineers have the trained ear necessary to utilize the full frequency spectrum and dynamic range available to ensure the best playback reproduction from any music player. We will work with you and your budget to supply you with a finished product ready to kick radio’s butt.
Here’s the Mastering Breakdown:
Mastering is the last stage in the audio production process, after mixing, where the song or album is prepared for release.
- Optimizing for Playback:
Mastering engineers use specialized techniques and equipment to ensure the music sounds good on a wide variety of playback systems, from phone speakers to high-end home audio systems.
- Key Techniques:
Mastering involves techniques like equalization (EQ), compression, limiting, and stereo enhancement to fine-tune the sound. - Loudness and Clarity:
Mastering aims to achieve a certain level of loudness (without sacrificing dynamic range) and clarity, ensuring the music stands out and is easily understood. - Cohesion and Consistency:
Mastering also ensures that tracks within an album or EP sound cohesive and consistent, creating a smooth listening experience
- Preparing for Distribution:
Mastering prepares the audio for different distribution formats, such as CDs, vinyl, streaming services, and broadcast, ensuring it meets the technical requirements of each platform.
- Fresh Perspective:
Mastering engineers often have a fresh perspective on the music, allowing them to catch subtle issues or areas for improvement that might have been missed during the mixing process.
- Not Just for Loudness:
While loudness is a factor, mastering is more than just making a song louder. It’s about optimizing the overall sonic quality and ensuring the music translates well across different systems and formats.
Short Video
BEFORE & AFTER AUDIO SAMPLES
Below are some Mix and Mastered before and after samples !
- All levels are actual mix then mastered levels… No extra enhancements were used on the audio. Remember…a great mix helps ensure a great master! Make your mix phenomenal and let our Mastering Engineers take it to new heights!
- Enjoy our samples of some of the best signed and unsigned music mastered or mixed and mastered here at JAMBOX Mastering LAB.
Thanks to the many talented artists that chose to share snippets of their work for the world to hear.
5 Mastering Prep Tips To Remember:
1
Remember, a good mix will produce a great master. Get your mix sounding as close to a final as possible. fixing any issues Our job is mainly to enhance.
2
Do not make your final mix levels too loud. 6-to -10 dbfs will work fine in most cases. Do not ‘Pre-Master’ thinking that it will help (It won’t)
Click here for a pic of optimum audio final mix levels from Wikipedia.
3
Do NOT put any processors or plug-ins (ie compressor/limiter) across the Master Bus… This is why you hire us
4
Try not to master to mp3,mp4/ aac. These are compressed audio files that are lower in quality. You want to deliver your master formatted to offer the best quality. We advise to use 24 bit 44.1K AIFF or Wav files. Bwf and SD2 are also ok. We can also work with final mix audio copies from cds however, these are 16 bit by default.. Usable, we’ll still make them sound great, but not the best format.
5
Including a song reference of a cd that you like is always a great idea and helps us to pinpoint what you want your finished master to sound like.
Remember, a great mix will produce a great master. Spend the necessary time it takes to get your mix right before the final mastering process.
What audio formats are acceptable?
- All mixes should be final stereo 2 track audio files
- DO NOT SEND THE SESSION FILES. No Logic or ProTools Sessions with seperate stems.
- All files should be interleaved (not separate left and right files).
Please note: when saving your files, please make sure they are saved with a file extension, i.e. trackname.wav
Just had to tell you that you did your thing on those Masters. Great job chief.
— Landmark Records
I'm beyond happy with the outcome it sounds PHENOMENAL!
— Blayke Hanson Recording Artist
Pricing
GREAT LOW RATES FOR QUALITY ONLINE AND IN-HOUSE AUDIO MASTERING
Add Ons and Policy:
- Additional Versions (of the same song ie. clean /dirty /TV trk, Acapella) $25 ea ver.
- Full MP3 album 10 songs or more $100
- Extra back-up CD $5 ea.
- Reference mp3 or cd Free
- Deposit of 1/2 of total cost required up front as a down payment.
- You will be sent a sample of your mastered project for you to test. If the sound of the master blows you away, let us know and we'll finalize your master.
- Final payment must be made before final master is delivered...NO EXCEPTIONS!
Frequently Asked Questions
99% of tracks need mastering in some way, from the basic leveling of the tracks to extreme eq and compression and anything in-between! All major releases are mastered so if a track isn’t mastered, it will likely not have the presence of sound to compete on the radio or on an mp3 player against other tracks.
A qualified, experienced mastering engineer has worked with many types of musical programs, can pinpoint areas that need work, and can usually enhance even the best mixes done under the finest recording conditions. That’s why the world’s top artists usually spend considerable time in mastering. When recording under less than ideal conditions, mastering is especially important. It can make or break your project.
Equipment does not make someone a mastering engineer Experience, talent, taste, and “great ears” do.
YES! The Mastering engineer has “ears of experience” to hear what your work can become, and they have years of expertise and understanding on how to get it there.
You can try your hand at “mastering” at your recording studio with the recording or mix engineer, or at home. You can sometimes get pretty good results. However when you want the best for your music, bring it to our mastering engineer that does this day in and day out! We will give your music that final edge.
Just check out our samples
Specially designed mastering equipment, along with a fresh set of ears, is an invaluable resource for putting the final touches on your music. Mastering gets your music ready for the radio without it having a different sonic quality from other songs of that genre.
Our rates are very competitive! As a general rule, the more songs you master, the less time is needed per song. This is totally dependant on the project of course. Don’t worry about the long laborious process that we mastering engineers go thru to perfect your music. Just enjoy the benefits. Please contact us to talk about the goals and budget of your mastering project, and we will work with you to achieve that sound.
With our file transfer service, you can take advantage of our great quality mastering from anywhere in the world. Just upload your tracks, along with any notes containing special requests pertaining to your music, and leave the rest to us! We usually upload your finished masters to a secure transfer site (we use Wetransfer.com) that only you can access. This is truly Professional audio mastering in the digital age.
That’s completely your choice. Your final mix may sound great…just as it should, however, when your song is played back to back with professionally mastered songs, trust me… you’ll here the difference. Your song will sound lower in volume, less bright, smaller and not have as much energy or excitement to it. Check it…If you came this far to make your song sound amazing, why would you want to cut corners here?
No, mastering is something that should NOT be attempted while mixing. For a demo, this may be ok. For a release, you may be sorry later if you try the shortcut and try to master at the end of your final mix. By the way, sometimes mastering can save a song by making a less than stellar mix sound great.
ISRC codes are assigned to songs and encoded onto a CD for tracking purposes (royalties, etc.). Each song will have a unique code that’s a series of 12 letters and numbers (think of it as a special bar code for each song). To learn more, click here: All About ISRC CODES (INTERNATIONAL STANDARD RECORDING CODE)
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