mastering Studio

Dan O’Connor at ENCODER Sound masters music for Australian indie, alternative & experimental musicians. Dan is focused on artistic integrity and high fidelity. He aims to frame music the way the artist intends, realising your artistic vision and preparing your music for impactful presentation to listeners and fans.

 

ENCODER Sound is an approved provider of Apple Digital Masters

 
 

Dan’s engineering credits include projects by Mia June, Moth Swatter, Heathcote Blue, Gap Year, Jocelyn’s Baby, Nika Mo, Éric Normand (Quebec) Sage Pbbbt, Jeremy Segal (Berlin), Sugar Wife, and Web Rumors (Berlin).

Out on labels including Father/Daughter Records (USA), Blue Grey Pink (AUS), Pink House Records (AUS), Rockton Records (AUS), Group Therapy Records (AUS/Germany), Edition Wandelweiser Records (Germany), Burnt Seed (AUS), Tone List (AUS), and Tour De Bras (Canada).

About Mastering Engineer Dan O’Connor

Operated by Dan O’Connor, a mastering engineer & musician embedded in the exploratory music scene of Perth, ENCODER Sound brings a wealth of experience and unique perspective to audio production via 10+ years across many facets of the music industry; audio engineer, trumpet player, performing artist, record label owner/operator, and postgraduate researcher. ENCODER Sound is the studio arm of an empire built on listening, focusing on mastering services for alternative, independent, and experimental music. Dan has developed a unique perspective on sound and the process of creation that can help you bring out the nuance in your recordings and prepare them for release.

Producers and Mixers Dan has worked with
Everyone below is fantastic at what they do and connected to Boorloo/Perth or Walyalup/Fremantle (though some living abroad). If you’re looking for someone to recording, mix, and/or produce your next project, these are the folks.

Arran O'Mara — Producer. Mixer. Engineer. Sound Designer.
(Selfless Orchestra, Injured Ninja, Oakabella Mae, Max Barton)

Ezekiel Padmanabham — Producer. Mixer. Engineer.
(Scratching, Mia June, Nathan Staggers)

Em Burrows — Producer.
(Web Rumors)

Rhien Tan — Producer. Mixer. Engineer.
(Gap Year, Segue, Shy Panther, Teen Angst)

Ryan K Brennan — Producer. Mixer. Engineer.
(Jocelyn’s Baby, Julia Jacklin, Marcus Minus, Sugar Wife)

Jeremy Segal — Producer. Mixer. Engineer.
(Buckland, Didion’s Bible, The Drowners, Wound Honey)

Brendan Dietrich — Mixer. Engineer. Live Sound.
(Permeclipse)

 

ENCODER Sound is located on Boorloo and recognises the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation as the traditional custodians of this land. We pay respects to their elders past, present & emerging.

+ What does an audio mastering engineer do?

A mastering engineer will apply their wealth of listening experience and knowledge of digital and analog signal processing to optimise a recording or set of recordings in preparation for distribution. A mastering engineer receives the final mix of a song and adjusts the sonic qualities of the music such that it is well received by the fan on the intended prsentation format (streaming, vinyl, cassette, CD). The mastering engineer also looks at how the many songs of an EP or album are sequenced and sit together sonically, achieving consistency across the larger work. You can read more at this blog post: What does a mastering engineer do?

+ How much does mastering audio cost?

Mastering is not a one-size-fits-all process, in the sense that every project is unique and every mastering engineer has their own take on how a given audio project should be mastered. Furthermore, every mastering engineer is working with a different level of experience and specialisation, in different studios. This all points to the cost of mastering being based on a number of factors. For Discussion on the topic head to this blog post: How much does a mastering engineer cost?

To summarise the blog post...For a piece of music under 5 minutes in length, expect to pay somewhere between $100 and $500 (Australian) —$100 for a professional local-level mastering engineer, and closer to $500 (or more) for a big name mastering engineer with major label credits. At ENCODER Sound we quote per project, so the best thing to do is contact us for a quote.

+ Is audio mastering necessary?

The vast majority of major releases, even from top producers, artists and mix engineers, go through a mastering process before release. Audio mastering is essential in preparing music for its distribution format, whether that be streaming, CD, cassette or vinyl, and the benefits of engaging a mastering engineer on your project are many. Primarily, the mastering engineer offers an experienced, independent, and fresh pair of ears available to hear your creative work. This presents the oppurtunity to optimise your audio project beyond its current state. Having worked with a mastering engineer you can release your music with the confidence that an experienced listener has finalised your work, ensuring optimal playback for fans.

+ Will my music be ready for release after mastering?

Yes, mastering is the final stage of music production. The files delivered to you by the mastering engineer can be uploaded to the various streaming platforms, or printed to CD, vinyl, and cassette.

+ What is the difference between mastering and mixing?

During mixing the mix engineer brings together the individual recordings/tracks/instruments into a complete mix — a complete song, usually a stereo file. Mastering is the process of taking this mix, a stereo file (the song), and enhancing it such that it sounds amazing when your fans and listeners hear it out in the world. The mastering engineer draws on extensive listening experience and applies a range of audio processing techniques to optimise the stereo audio file.

+ Audio mastering for streaming services, Spotify and Apple Music.

The world of online streaming, where the majority of music is consumed in 2021, presents a dilemma for audio production because the many streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon, Youtube, etc.) treat music files slightly differently from one another. This is mainly in reference to the format the music is streamed in (for example, .WAV, .MP3, Ogg) and the related bitrate or compression inherent in the format, and the playback settings available to the user, which often include loudness management processing that effectively adjusts the volume of your music on playback. Whilst this sounds complex, with some knowledge and experience the potential effects of streaming service distribution can be managed. A great mastering engineer will be acutely aware of the essential details of how streaming services handle your audio files and will make sure optimal playback is the result.