+ How much does audio mastering cost?

Audio mastering cost somewhere between $100 and $500 for a song of approx. 5 minutes length. There are a number of factors that may affect the cost, the biggest being the experience level of the Mastering Engineer, where very experienced Mastering Engineers get great results very quickly and will charge a premium for this superior service. Other factors that may affect your mastering costs are turnaround time, where very quick turnarounds may incur a premium.

Where you might look to save a little money in mastering is through booking larger projects, such as an albums or EP. A Mastering Engineer may be able to provide some discount for larger song counts, reducing your per-song mastering cost.

At ENCODER Sound we quote on a per project basis and aim about the middle of the competitions price range. By individually quoting we can save you money where possible and still provide an outstanding Master for the money!

+ How long does the mastering take?

If we start the conversation, book in some dates, and plan your project ahead of time we can get things done quickly! Though the turnaround can be quick it is important to give the mastering process a little breathing room in your overall project schedule (Single, EP, Album??). That way you can be super confident that the master is great before sending it on to distribution.

+ Is ENCODER Sound approved for Apple Digital Masters?

Yes, artists and labels who receive masters from ENCODER Sound and use a digital music aggregator that has ADM functionality will be able to display the Apple Digitla Masters badge on their release in Apple Music and iTunes, giving listeners the confidence that due diligence has been served in preparing the digital master for Apple’s encoding process, ensuring that the final listening experience will be of the highest quality. You can read more about Apple Digital Masters here

+ What equipment does ENCODER Sound use?

ENCOCDER Sound prefers and utilises equipment from Adam Audio, Apple, Audeze, Campfire Audio, EGM Audio, Isoactoustics, IsoTek, Lynx Studio Technology, Primacoustic, Sennheiser, and Trinnov. And, software from FabFilter, iZotope, Sonnox, and Soundtheory, amongst others.

+ Does ENCODER Sound mix music?

We are mastering focused at ENCODER Sound, and so prefer to refer mixing work to a specialised mixing engineers. Then we'll help you out when your project gets to the mastering stage. Get in contact about your project and we can connect you to an excellent mix engineers that will suit your work.

+ Does ENCODER Sound record music?

ENCODER Sound is specifically setup to master music, with limited capacity to record. If a project requires some basic overdubs we can facilitate this. However, I can recommend some great recording professionals in the Perth area. Foremost of which Josten Myburgh is an experiences sound recordist and I’d suggest contacting him for all your recording needs.

+ What genres do you master?

The bulk of my audio engineering, performing and listening experience lie in the alternative, experimental, and avant-garde genres and so many of the projects I work on are in this strange space. I am a big fan of any music created with love and intent and my mastering engineer chops extend to most popular genres.

If you’re not sure if I can help you, send me an email (dan@encodersound.com). We can have a good chat about your music, which is a positive end in itself.

+ What does a 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: https://encodersound.com/earsblog/2021/9/14/what-does-a-mastering-engineer-do

+ How do I find a mastering engineer?

The best thing to do is listen to your favourite music and find out who mastered those songs. When you have a short-list of mastering engineers who have worked with some artists you know and respect, send them an email or checkout their website. A good mastering engineer will have a few portfolio tracks that you can listen through, and be easily contactable and conversational. If you have a friendly and positive conversation and their work sounds good to you, that’s a good sign that they’ll be great to work with.

+ How much does a mastering engineer 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 some discussion on the topic head to this blog post: https://encodersound.com/earsblog/2021/9/16/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.

+ 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, that you could play on speakers. 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.

+ What is the best audio mastering software?

The mastering process can be performed in a variety of ways spanning analog and digital methods. Currently most Mastering Engineers are using some form of Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and plugins to complete their mastering work, as well as analog signal processing units. What mastering software is available and what is the best audio mastering software?

There are roughly two groups of DAWs when it comes to mastering, the do-everything DAW, and the mastering focused DAW. Because mastering in the digital realm is the application of processing to a stereo audio file many all of the main DAWs on the market can do this, these do-everything DAWs like Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Studio One, Reaper, and Cubase are often music production and mixing focused but can be used for mastering with great results.

If you are looking for fuller featured mastering focused DAWs that will speed up your workflow for mastering-specific tasks there are some great options available like Wavelab Pro, Sequoia, Pyramix, and Acon Digital Acoustica Premium. These DAWs often provide tool/plugins and metering that is focused on transparency and accuracy and support a wide range of audio import and export formats. Furthermore, they offer the extras that the do-everything DAWs may not ad that are essential in mastering, like meta data editing capability and DDP file creation.

There are a plethora of companies that produce mastering plugins (that can be hosted by the above listed DAWs). Prominent brands in the mastering plugin space are Sonnox, iZotope Ozone, FabFilter, and Weiss.

+ Who is the best mastering engineer?

There are many great mastering engineers in the world! When we discuss mastering we are talking about art, sound and music, and so there is no real framework to decide who “the best” might be. The field does have prominent practitioners who have carved out a space for themselves through long careers, groundbreaking albums, adoption or development of state of the art technology or great educational initiatives. You can read more at this blog post: https://encodersound.com/earsblog/2021/9/15/who-is-the-best-mastering-engineer

+ What is online mastering?

Online mastering can mean a couple of things.

Online mastering (from a computers/AI/software): In this case an online platform receives your finished mix via upload, the software analyses the audio, adjusts the files and outputs a master of your track. In this scenario no other human gets to hear your music during the mastering process. If your music is quite generic this can work just fine, and if you’re on a crazy short deadline (like “it’s gotta be done in 5 minutes”) then this is an option.

Online Mastering (from a Mastering Engineer): Most, if not all, mastering engineers work via online communication these days. Meaning you can upload your finished mix and a human mastering engineer downloads these to their studio, masters you track, and sends back the master. This combines the efficiency of online communication with the very human artistic expertise of the mastering engineer. I think it is the best way to go!

When ENCODER Sound masters audio it is Dan O’Connor, the human, doing the mastering.

+ What is the best online mastering service?

Cloudbounce, LANDR, BandLab, Soundcloud, eMastered all offer “online mastering (from a computer/AI/software)” and they all seem fairly easy to use. Which you prefer really depends on what you are looking for and how the software responds to your mixes.

There are too many “online mastering (from a Mastering Engineer)” services to list here. I’d suggest doing yourself a favour and opting for a human mastering engineer. For the extra money the tailored, bespoke service is well worth it.

+ Is online mastering any good?

Online mastering from a computer/AI/software based service (Cloudbounce, LANDR, BandLab, SoundCloud) is ok, particularly if you consider how cheap it can be. If you are making music you care about, finding space in your budget to hire a human mastering engineer is the way to go.

+ Is audio mastering necessary?

All major releases, even from best mixing engineers, go to through a mastering process before release. At the very least mastering provides a final quality control check before distribution. The best part of mastering is getting an independent, experienced listener to hear your music and apply sonic manipulations that will ensure your fans have the best listening experience possible.

+ Will my music be ready to 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.