JabunAudio Digital Mastering
Thank you for taking an interest in JabunAudio's Online Digital Mastering Services. I aim to bring out the best in your music and make dynamic, clean and punchy masters that'll encourage people to turn up your music, rather than turn it down!
What is Mastering?
Mastering in short refers to the final processing on audio before it goes out into the world, and is a process which can separate demo style recordings from radio / commercial quality tracks. The job of a mastering engineer is to make sure tracks sound the best they can be before distribution, are in line with industry and format standards, and in the case of albums / EPs, that all tracks are consistent with each other in terms of quality, all by adding one final pass of processing to the mixes. As you can probably appreciate, mastering is a big responsibility, since it's the final chance to improve the sound of a track before distribution. You could think of it as a final audio proof-reading / editing process before release.
Of course mastering is not a substitute for good writing, performance, or a good mix / recording, and not everything can be "fixed" simply by mastering. It can however take a well balanced recording and make it sound the best it can be! Think of mastering as developing a photograph (and apologies if the analogy has some inconsistency with actually developing photographs). It can't change what's in the photograph, where people are, whether they're wearing hats, what the background looks like, etc... because the picture has already been taken. What it will do however is make sure the overall colours look right (and consistent with other pictures in the album), it's not too bright or dark, and crop it to remove any unwanted or unnecessary parts, then format it for the frame you want to hang it in. Apply the analogy to music, and that is essentially what I do as a mastering engineer.
Of course mastering is not a substitute for good writing, performance, or a good mix / recording, and not everything can be "fixed" simply by mastering. It can however take a well balanced recording and make it sound the best it can be! Think of mastering as developing a photograph (and apologies if the analogy has some inconsistency with actually developing photographs). It can't change what's in the photograph, where people are, whether they're wearing hats, what the background looks like, etc... because the picture has already been taken. What it will do however is make sure the overall colours look right (and consistent with other pictures in the album), it's not too bright or dark, and crop it to remove any unwanted or unnecessary parts, then format it for the frame you want to hang it in. Apply the analogy to music, and that is essentially what I do as a mastering engineer.
Why Hire a Mastering Engineer?
There are many reasons why you might want to hire a mastering engineer. Examples include not being comfortable with mastering yourself, or not having the equipment / experience to do so effectively. Mastering can be a difficult task especially when working on EPs or albums, and if done incorrectly can do more damage than good to your music. If you're a distributor or record label, you may wish to hire a mastering engineer to master all tracks provided to the same standard so there is less variation in the quality of the records you distribute. Lastly, after spending countless hours recording and mixing your own work, you may simply want to hire another experienced set of ears to proof-listen to your tracks and prepare them for distribution. Overall, hiring an experienced mastering engineer is often the best way to ensure your tracks will sound their best before you release them to the world.
The JabunAudio Mastering Philosophy
My aim in mastering is always to bring out the best in a track without taking away from its vibe. I'm a firm believer in dynamic, clean and punchy masters, rather than the loud-for-the-sake-of-loud, squashed / distorted sounding masters which are unfortunately too common these days. I like a balanced frequency response with a smooth bass presence and clear, but not harsh highs, making sure that elements of the mix are as defined as they can be. I like to make the mix sound glued together so that the track feels like a collective performance, rather than lots of recordings stacked on top of each-other. I aim to make masters which will encourage people to turn up the music, rather than turn it down!
Note: Loudness in my opinion shouldn't be a compromise for audio quality / clarity. I will always aim to make tracks / albums as loud as I feel necessary without compromising clarity. I understand though that not everyone shares those views, so I am happy to master louder if I'm requested to. I will advise however if I feel a track is being pushed overly loud to the point of seriously effecting audio quality.
Note: Loudness in my opinion shouldn't be a compromise for audio quality / clarity. I will always aim to make tracks / albums as loud as I feel necessary without compromising clarity. I understand though that not everyone shares those views, so I am happy to master louder if I'm requested to. I will advise however if I feel a track is being pushed overly loud to the point of seriously effecting audio quality.
Pricing and Products
General Remote Hire - from £150 per day (please contact for more details)
Digital Mastering (from £50 per track)
The price above is based on tracks up to 10 minutes long. For longer tracks please specify on order for exact prices. These prices will give you:
Additional options include:
Album and EP discounts can be given for collections of 5 or more tracks depending on overall album length (please contact JabunAudio for an exact quote). Please note, JabunAudio Mastering is generally catered towards digital releases, but if you let me know your goals for release (CD, vinyl, i-tunes), I will aim to cater to these formats.
- A 16-bit 44.1kHz WAV Digital stereo master (CD quality ready for physical formatting*)
- A 32-bit 44.1kHz WAV Digital stereo master
- Additional lossless formats are available at no extra cost (please specify on order)
- Track trimming and album sequencing (if applicable)
- Up to 2 revisions after initial delivery (constructive feedback needed in order to create revisions)
- Completion including revisions within 1 week from receiving mixes and payment, with initial turnaround within 4 days (subject to demand and project size)
Additional options include:
- Stem Mastering (from +£25 per track): Sometimes more flexibility is preferable to get the best out of a track and so you may submit up to 8 separate stems (For example: Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Drums, etc...) to allow me to dive deeper into the mix and provide the best master possible. I will treat and mix the stems separately before mastering the stereo mix-down as usual.
Album and EP discounts can be given for collections of 5 or more tracks depending on overall album length (please contact JabunAudio for an exact quote). Please note, JabunAudio Mastering is generally catered towards digital releases, but if you let me know your goals for release (CD, vinyl, i-tunes), I will aim to cater to these formats.
Mastering with JabunAudio: How it all works
The digital mastering process can be broken down into a few simple steps, which if followed correctly will ensure the smoothest workflow for your order:
starting point
2) Mixes have 3dB - 6dB of clean headroom to ensure no digital clipping damages the signal
3) Mixes have a second or so gap at the beginning of the track and all of the final sound tail so that I have the
complete audio to work with
4) Mixes are provided in a lossless format (WAV or AIFF) at a minimum of 16 bit (preferably 24 or 32 bit) and 44.1kHz
or higher
For stem mastering, I ask that each of the stems meets these standards with the additional condition that all stems have the
exact same start and end points, to ensure that all the stems are properly synced.
2) Is there a specific style / artist you'd like to emulate sonically? If so feel free to provide links to reference material
3) In the case of albums / EPs, would you like the collective work to be gapless?
4) Are there any additional / alternative lossless digital formats you'd like the audio provided in? (No extra cost)
5) How fast do you need me to deliver?
Once I have your mixes and know your goals for the project, I will provide a total cost for the services and an approximate
turnaround time (usually within a week). After further discussion, if you're happy to continue, we can proceed to the next step.
demonstrate my services for future clients.
2) Whether you'd be happy for me to re-stream the finished works in my professional portfolio (streaming links to be
provided by the client)
Please let me know if you are unhappy with these clauses and I will remove them. My main request in the contract, apart
from standard legal clauses, is just to be credited as the master engineer for the works provided. An example invoice /
contract for my services can be downloaded below:
- Preparing your tracks: In order to create the best masters from your mixes, it is vital that I receive files meeting certain format standards. I ask that before you send over your mixes, please make sure they are prepared as follows. If you have any questions about preparing your mixes, please feel free to ask me and I'll do my best to help:
starting point
2) Mixes have 3dB - 6dB of clean headroom to ensure no digital clipping damages the signal
3) Mixes have a second or so gap at the beginning of the track and all of the final sound tail so that I have the
complete audio to work with
4) Mixes are provided in a lossless format (WAV or AIFF) at a minimum of 16 bit (preferably 24 or 32 bit) and 44.1kHz
or higher
For stem mastering, I ask that each of the stems meets these standards with the additional condition that all stems have the
exact same start and end points, to ensure that all the stems are properly synced.
- Placing an order: Once you have prepared your mixes, please message me using this CONTACT form or via EMAIL to discuss your order. Some questions to think about before I start work are:
2) Is there a specific style / artist you'd like to emulate sonically? If so feel free to provide links to reference material
3) In the case of albums / EPs, would you like the collective work to be gapless?
4) Are there any additional / alternative lossless digital formats you'd like the audio provided in? (No extra cost)
5) How fast do you need me to deliver?
Once I have your mixes and know your goals for the project, I will provide a total cost for the services and an approximate
turnaround time (usually within a week). After further discussion, if you're happy to continue, we can proceed to the next step.
- Invoices, Contracts and Payment: Once you're happy with the total cost and the details of the product to be delivered, I will prepare an invoice / contract for the services I am providing. There are a few optional clauses to the contract:
demonstrate my services for future clients.
2) Whether you'd be happy for me to re-stream the finished works in my professional portfolio (streaming links to be
provided by the client)
Please let me know if you are unhappy with these clauses and I will remove them. My main request in the contract, apart
from standard legal clauses, is just to be credited as the master engineer for the works provided. An example invoice /
contract for my services can be downloaded below:
| invoice_mastering_example_2018.pdf |
For general standard mastering, I ask for 50% of the cost up front before delivery, and 50% on satisfaction / completion of
the project. Alternatively, you may pay 100% up front. Refunds will not be given on payments for projects successfully
delivered due to the time invested. Payments can be made via PayPal as detailed in the example invoice.
the project. Alternatively, you may pay 100% up front. Refunds will not be given on payments for projects successfully
delivered due to the time invested. Payments can be made via PayPal as detailed in the example invoice.
- Initial Mastering, revisions and final delivery: Once I have received initial payment, I will proceed to work and aim to provide you with an initial master within a few working days. These will be delivered at CD quality only. Usually the client is already happy by this stage, but if there are any further adjustments you'd like me to make, for example to the gaps between tracks, overall bassiness / brightness or loudness, please provide details and I'll do my best to accommodate to your needs (Please note: if you are unable to provide detailed feedback, then I'm unable to make the adjustments). Rinse and repeat within reason until you are satisfied with the finished product. Once you are happy with the CD quality masters, I will ask for the final payments (if not already processed) and once received will deliver the final masters in all formats specified.
- Feedback and streaming links (optional): Once you are satisfied with the completed mastering session, feel free to send over streaming or buy links to the tracks you've provided for mastering, and I may share them in my portfolio. Sharing streaming links can be some free advertising for yourself and also helps provide a taste of what I do for future clients. Feel free to provide feedback on my services as well as it allows me to improve the service for future clients.
Further Information and Requesting Services
To place an order, please message me using this CONTACT form or via EMAIL with details of the project you'd like mastered including if possible the mixes to be mastered, and I shall get back to you as soon as I can. From there we can discuss the best options for reaching your mastering goals, final pricing and target delivery times. If you have any further questions, feel free to message me using the same methods as above or browse this Newgrounds discussion thread on my services: http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1387710. Thank you for considering JabunAudio to master your tracks and I look forward to working with you.
JabunAudio Digital Mastering - Hear the difference
It's always useful to have a before and after comparison to see what will happen to the music you supply, so below is a SoundCloud playlist of Mastering Demo Reels. For each pair of clips in the reels, the first is the pre-mastered final mix and the second is the final master as delivered. Feel free to download these reels for your own reference and share them with anyone you think would be interested in my services. For a level matched comparison of the 2015 JabunAudio Mastering Demo Reels, please listen to the following edit >>>LINK ON NEWGROUNDS<<< For many more examples of mastered tracks, feel free to visit the JabunAudio Music Portfolio Page.
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