Loading ...
Something you may notice when looking for a mastering studio online, is that some studios will boast a very quick turn-around time. That’s great, right? …not exactly.
Prompt service is important, but in most cases, the assurance of a quickly completed project is not actually an added value. When it comes to audio mastering, rushing the process is a bad idea. For example, let’s say the average mixdown takes 5-10 hours to master properly, and you have 10 songs. Do you really want your mastering engineer to work like hell to get your music back to you in 24 or even 48 hours?
Keep in mind, the mastering stage is the last chance for you to notice and fix mistakes in your recording that may have been missed during mixing. Also, remember, the whole point of hiring a third party to master your audio is to have at least one more fresh set of ears involved.
It is generally accepted for mixing and mastering engineers as “best practice” to take a break between sessions, so the hours it takes to master one song, for example, are not all spent consecutively. There really isn’t a way to avoid the fact - an engineer’s ears get tired, and the ultimate goal for someone mastering your music shouldn’t be to just make it sound better, but make it sound it’s absolute best.
“It’s like going to a restaurant - or any other service business that also delivers a product in the end - most of us want to get noticed and helped right away. That’s good quality service. But after that, we’re willing to wait for a better quality product.
…the only thing fantastic about drive-thru, is the time it saves - how efficient it is. And when we talk about studios and mastering audio, efficiency is important for the transfer of files, the artist experience, and the general administration involved with that - especially online. But we all want the real technical work to be done right - to be perfect. That’s how it should be, and bands shouldn’t have to pay more to get it.”
- Will Duke, Co-Founder of SoundOps.com
At SoundOps Mastering, we don’t claim to have the fastest turn-around time, but we guarantee the best value. With SoundOps.com, our clients get a team of people who will care about their audio, and even more importantly, care about their music. If you send your hard-earned recording to us, we promise, your tracks will receive the most attention from the most engineers for your money - every time. For us, no mastering project is too small to be handled the right way. And no album is big enough to merit cutting corners.
You know your songs are too important to rush through any part of recording or post-production. Take your time looking for a mastering studio, and make sure they’ll take their time too.
