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, and from different studios. This all points to the cost of mastering being based on a number of factors. These factors may include project scope, delivery time, experience and status, and equipment and facilities. Below is some discussion about the factors affecting the cost of mastering:
Project scope — A music mastering project might be a single, an EP, an album, a double album, or perhaps a remaster of an entire bands catalogue (at the extreme). Though the underlying goal of a mastering engineer remains the same regardless of the project scope, the complexity and duration of the project is governed by its scope. On the more complex end, an album that was recorded over five years, across ten different studios and a bedroom might take a little more consideration when mastering to get the songs to sit on the same album. On the shorter end, perhaps a 3-minute single that sounds incredible already, and the mastering engineer just makes the slightest of adjustments and adds metadata. When you discuss your project with a mastering engineer and the project scope becomes apparent this will influence the quoted price.
Delivery time — As with many services if you want things quicker you tend to pay a premium. A mastering engineer can work quite quickly compared to a mixing engineer, or a recording engineer due to the nature of the task. But, we are dealing with music, a medium that has duration, and thus there is a minimum time that’s required to achieve a good result. A common scenario might be an EP master. If you give a mastering engineer a deadline that’s a month or two away, then all is well and that engineer will slot the EP into their schedule. On the other hand, if you want it done in 24 hours that’s going to require a bit of overtime, or a schedule adjustment from the mastering engineer, and most engineers will pass this cost on to the client. Some mastering engineers do advertise a ‘rush’ mastering rate for projects on the timescale of hours or days.
Experience and status — Over a career a mastering engineer develops elite skills, and their ability to provide value to your audio project increases. Furthermore, the mastering engineer might become the go-to person for a given sound or type of audio project – holding some special status in the industry. This kind of specialised, elite skillset, and guarantee of quality attracts a premium. Therefore, you may pay less for a first year mastering engineer, and you may pay a great deal more for a mastering engineer with 20 years experience and four Grammys to their name.
Equipment and facilities — In symbiosis with the experience and status factor, some mastering engineers work in huge spaces with hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment, property overheads, and employees. Others, are one-person operations perhaps simply with a laptop, digital to analog converter, and pair of headphones. Both ends of this spectrum have the potential to make a great master, but one of these mastering engineers is going to have a ‘cost price’ that is way higher than the other and this will be reflected in their mastering rate.
In Summary
To get the best value for money make a self assessment of your project before putting it forward to a mastering engineer. Consider questions like: What is the scope of the project? When is the deadline for the master? Is your audience for your music going to appreciate the extra sonic qualities a top-end mastering engineer will provide?
Then get in contact with a few mastering engineers and get a few quotes. Then you can assess the value of these quotes in relation to your project and your desired outcome.
“Yes, but…how much does a mastering engineer cost?”
For a piece of music under 5 minutes in length, expect to pay somewhere between $100 and AUD $500 [USD $80 – $360]. Below $100 I’d say the results may be unpredictable, perhaps amazing value, or maybe hit or miss; over $100 stable and professional; and, approaching $500 you’re talking to big name mastering engineers. Undoubtably, you could pay less that $100 or more than $500, but somewhere in that range is common and would allow you to find a mastering engineer that’s a good fit for your project.