about trutone
combining art& technology for over 3 decades
A good recording and ultimately a successful release is the right collaboration of writers, arrangers, musicians, artists, mixers and engineers. All play an integral role on the impact of the project.
Mastering is the “last creative step” in the preproduction process, but it is by no means the least. The need for mastering bears no relation to the quality of the recording. Mastering is a separate and necessary process in the preparation of your project for manufacturing, whether it be CD, DVD or Vinyl. The mastering fee represents a very small percentage of the preproduction budget, a sum that cannot be weighed in relation to the competitive edge mastering affords the finished product.
With the advent of digital workstations, the trend of late has been to skip this vital process and replicate from unmastered CDRs. But, the experienced producer appreciates the importance this critical last step has on the marketability of the finished product and therefore always insists on mastering his projects.
A state of the art mastering lab affords the producer an acoustically controlled listening environment to seriously review the finished mix utilizing one or more speaker types. The mastering engineer affords an unbiased perspective to the project as a music pro who has not been involved in either the recording or mixing. He is truly a “fresh set of ears,” a literal “sounding board” who can render an unbiased critique of the mix.
Via the use of sophisticated analog and digital equalizers and limiter/compressors typically found only in a dedicated mastering lab, the engineer works with the producer, experimenting with various level and EQ adjustments until a good mix is great and a great mix is spectacular!
A complimentary evaluation of your master by one of our engineers is available upon request.