MASTERING AUDIO MUSIC, CD Mastering, Audio Mastering, Music Mastering questions and answers.....

"What exactly is Mastering?"

Mastering is the final step of the recording process, optimizing your recording to sound as good as it can on a variety of sound systems, including typical consumer quality playback systems. Mastering is necessary to prepare and "translate" your music into it's final delivery format. After all, your recording needs to sound great whether it is heard on a car CD player, MP3 player, phone, ipod, computer speakers, radio broadcast, home dvd/cd stereo, etc. By skillfully applying equalization, compression, and limiting as needed, a well-mastered project will sound louder, richer, fuller, and your listener will be able to hear the full impact of the great sounds and emotion that you have put into your recording.

You may have noticed that certain records have a greater impact and just plain sound better than others. The mastering of the music can make the difference between an OK sound, and a Grammy-winning sound. A well-done mastering process is able to make the most of the overall sound of your recordings, shaping and molding the frequencies and dynamics to provide the best sound possible. Virtually all of the recordings you have ever heard have been mastered.

"Does my recording need Mastering?"

Yes! Mastering is the final stage in your recording project, and prepares your collection of music for the best overall sound in its final medium. Not only can we polish what is already there, but also in many cases we can correct problems that can only be addressed with the kind of control good mastering provides. A project that has been mastered will simply sounds better, louder and fuller. Mastering is the definitive watermark of a professional quality project - no matter what style of music.

"How do I choose the right Mastering studio?"

If you search the web for "CD Mastering, Audio Mastering, Music Mastering", you will find many businesses that offer mastering for a wide variety of prices. The cost difference between a truly experienced professional mastering facility and a questionable one really amounts to a very small part of your recording budget. Mastering can MAKE or BREAK the sonic impact of your recording project, and should not be the place to try and trim a few dollars from your budget. So research the mastering facilities, and choose the most experienced one that has mastered a lot of your style of music. Choose a reputable and experienced facility.

There is good reason why experienced music professionals trust experienced mastering engineers. If great masters could be made by just anyone who has a simple software plug-in, or from an "all-in-one-mastering box" device, then that is what all the best-sounding recordings would be using. Professional competent mastering engineers don't just all have the same plugins or magic black box software. Quality mastering requires a variety of special EQ, dynamics, and digital-conversion tools, and more importantly they must be used correctly. "Chops" for mastering are not bought; they are earned from years of recording experience and thousands of hours working with the right tools.

No matter what your music style, a quality-mastering job with a great mastering engineer is the final step of your recording project.

"Will Back at the Ranch Master my project?"

You bet! At Back at the Ranch, we bring our 40+ years of professional mastering experience and skill to your project. We have mastered all styles of music, for all kinds of projects, from beginners to Grammy winning artists. Your project will be mastered to the highest quality standards using the best of both vintage and modern analog and digital mastering equipment.

Great masters require great tools, and we have the best of the best. Our high-end mastering system includes the world's best equipment from BENCHMARK, MANLEY, TC ELECTRONICS SYSTEM 6000, MASSENBERG, NEUMANN MASTERING EQS, NEVE COMPRESSORS AND TAPE EMULATION, MD4 LEVEL CONTROL, AUDITRONICS PEQ82, SPL EQUALIZERS, CUSTOM-MODIFIED APHEX DOMINATORS, COMPELLORS, EXPRESSORS, AND A/D CONVERTERS FROM MYTEK, SOLID STATE LOGIC AND LUCID.

At Back at the Ranch, your music will be flowing through the same recording equipment that was used to record THE EAGLES, FLEETWOOD MAC, CARLY SIMON, PAUL McCARTNEY, DAVE MATTHEWS, RAY CHARLES, BB KING, JOURNEY, STEVIE WONDER. Our equipment includes gear formerly owned by CHEROKEE STUDIOS, the same actual gear that was used to make many of the most famous gold/platinum albums.

Our MOST IMPORTANT mastering equipment is our ears and our many years of experience crafting fine recordings.

Back at the Ranch has been turning out great masters for independent artists and major labels like Word, KNB Music, Starsong, and Sparrow, for over four decades. Our mastering can be the difference between your project sounding like a "demo", or sounding like a "record."

"What is the cost of Mastering?"

The cost of CD Mastering, Audio Mastering, Music Mastering depends on your project and your requirements for final formats. You should plan on budgeting about $70 - $100 per song for a professional mastering job as a general rule.

How to prepare your mix for mastering? CLICK HERE

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