LOUD MASTERING
Making Music Timeless
Hailed by many as the last creative process for your record, professional mastering is the discerning musician’s and producer’s choice for ensuring that your music is perfect for release. Whether the delivered media type is CD, Download, Vinyl, Blu-Ray or Online Streaming with quality ranging from MP3 to full HD, if you get your project mastered correctly then you can be confident that it will translate across all formats and players alike.
With ever-increasing demands for new specifications and formats (such as “Pure HD”, “Apple Digital Masters” and “Spotify” algorithms), getting your project mastered correctly is the only way to present your music to the world. Using professional mastering tools and experience, LOUD has the advantage of two dedicated mastering and editing rooms that utilise a broad range of equipment from analogue EQ, compressors and tape machines to full digital limiting and state-of-the-art software plug-ins. With everything from the cabling to the clean power supply meticulously tested and chosen, to the custom EQs and modified hardware, these high-resolution studios will compliment and complete your music.
The main analogue studio, Studio 1, is our ultra high fidelity “Premium” solution ranging from a simple analogue transfer to mastering via 1/2″ tape and vinyl. This is the way mastering should be done! There are no limits to technical creativity; all options are explored by seeking the best route through the hardware to get the best possible sounding record.
All our mastering hardware is stacked with access to the rear sockets so we can exclusively select the right equipment for the session with nothing in between, ensuring the cleanest signal path! This service needs to be booked in advance and is definitely our most popular solution.
The second studio, Studio 2, is a more stripped back solution offering the same high attention to detail but based more around a plug-ins system with select hardware. In an acoustically controlled environment with the same ATC monitoring as Studio 1, Studio 2 offers rates to unsigned artists and quick projects where the full weight of Studio 1 isn’t required.
Costings for a mastering session vary; we differentiate between individual track mastering (where each track to be mastered is treated independently) and project mastering (where a collection of tracks relate to each other and will be compiled into an EP or album, creating a consistency between levels and EQ). A more detailed explanation for both services is below.
Mastering for iTunes, CD, Streaming and Cassette
Whether your music is to be listened to through Apple’s AAC format, CD or any other medium, our engineers have the skills and experience to have it sounding the best it possibly can. One size does not fit all, so different techniques will be employed to optimise the sound for each format.
LOUD
STUDIO 1
This Premium service is performed in our main mastering room using a wealth of state-of-the-art analogue and digital equipment, custom EQs and analogue tape machines. The equipment in our main mastering studio has been meticulously chosen with a passionate attention to detail. It even utilises custom OEM modifications from highly respected equipment manufacturers to ensure the cleanest, quietest, most transparent signal path. With a choice of engineers, encompassing years of experience and expertise, this is professional mastering at its best, skilfully enhancing your music whilst striking a good balance between high-quality results and price. These sessions are ideally suited to mastering albums and EPs for all sizes of record label.
Due to the unique nature of each mastering session, it is impractical to put a price guide for you to follow, it’s best to e-mail or call us for a specific quote for your project (we can then take into account tracks, length, editing, master choices, etc.).
*Sessions for the Track Mastering and Project Mastering options have strict terms and conditions. There are also additional charges for “stems” mastering; these charges involve the set-up and preparations of the stems.
LOUD
STUDIO 2
Working in Studio 2 keeps the mastering costs to a minimum. The entire session is composed within our dedicated computer using specialist software and plug-ins. Studio 2 also uses selected hardware for sessions based on the same equipment from Studio 1. Studio 2 mastering is ideal for both “project-based” and “track-based” options, targeting those on a small budget, or simply those who need a fast, cost effective mastering solution but still want professional results. To keep the prices down this service is strictly unattended. We only use licensed plug-ins and registered DAWs.
*There are also additional charges for “stems” mastering; these charges involve the set-up and preparation of the stems.
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BOOKINGS
If you have any questions about our studio or would like a no-strings quote, please fill out the form and we will get back to you.