Mastering is the final process of the production before you release or publish your music in any way. The goal of this procedure is to reach maximum clarity, aim for the right amount of loudness, give character to the final product and optimise audio for the targeted release format.

1. Mastering for CD:
I deliver DDP file for CD pressing and separate WAV [44.1, 16] files. You’ll also get some high quality MP3 or OGG files if you want to for personal or promotional use.

2. Mastering for Streaming Platforms (YouTube, Spotify, iTunes etc)
Streaming platforms and digital distributors nowadays provide specifications for optimised sound via their platforms. These specifications concern mainly loudness, true peak level and format.

3. Mastering for Vinyl:
I highly recommend specified mastering for cutting a vinyl record otherwise you may end up with a terrible sounding record or worse: playback problems. Even if you only have an already mastered version of the audio I can advise the best way of separating sides and post-master it to ensure a safe cut and good sounding result. I can guarantee that factory will not only approve the pressing but they’ll also get everything the right and professional way (cue sheet, MD5 checksums, cutting instructions). This means you won’t be charged extra, receive a record with altered sound, errors or get extra delays (nowadays waiting time in pressing plants is quite extensive anyway).
CAUTION: I do not provide a transcription physical master (master lacquer for example). That is much more expensive and only a few studios in the world still do that quite well.

4. Mastering for Compact Audio Cassette (MC/Pro-Tape)
This format does not have that many restrictions as the vinyl does, but I always recommend a less loud/compressed mastered version since tapes sometimes do sound a little bit more compressed and saturated. Will guide you to set the sides right, insert silence if needed, provide md5 checksums and deliver according to plant’s specifications.

PRICING

• Single track price range: 50 euros
• Mini album price range: 200 euros
• Full album price range: 300 euros
• all deals include one revision. Additional revisions will be charged extra.

• DDP delivery (DDP player included): 20 euros
• Mastering for vinyl pressing: 120 euros
• Mastering for tape pressing: 30 euros

In order to master your music I need:
– a stereo audio file of your mix in uncompressed format (wav or aiff).
– you also have to provide a text file containing artist name, track titles, album title and order of tracks.
– you can also provide ISRC codes, barcode (UPC/EAN) and catalogue number.
– you can also provide the release cover artwork to be embeded in image compatible formats/files

Additional informationa and tips:

It is highly recommended exporting your mix without converting sample rate or bit depth. It is also recommended to set your project at 32 bit float resolution especially if you are working in the box (no outboard / analogue gear). This will provide further headroom for me and will make clipping recoverable.

It is also highly recommended that your mixdown provides some headroom. Try not to exceed -4 dBFS peak level and that is just a safety zone, not a rule. If your mix sounds exactly the way you like it then don’t bother with such details, just make sure your master output does not clip (do not exceed 0 dBFS unless you are bit floating).

Mixing tip: You can use a brickwall limiter in your master output channel with a threshold set to -4 dBFS and monitor for gain reduction indications. If you observe your limiter working hard then you should probably rebalance your mix until you avoid limiting. Extreme limiting is killing your transients and that is best for your mastering engineer to handle. If you can reach a point where your limiter works rarely and slightly (-1 dB gain reduction max) then you can completely remove it.

STEM MASTERING:
This is a mix-master hybrid and might lead to better results if you are not confident with your mix or not sure how overall compression will affect your mix. To stem-master your tracks you’ll have to send me stereo files of grouped instruments (drums, guitars, bass, synths, vocals etc).
If you actually love your mix exactly the way it is then I don’t recommend it because you’ll be charged more than normal mastering and I’ll probably rebalance the stems according to my taste.

Let’s talk, organise and plan everything together from the beginning!

• Demos and pre-production
• Recordings
• Mixing
• Mastering

We can also talk about:

• Aesthetics
• Target listeners
• Promotion
• Artwork/Design
• Videos
• Distribution
• Social Media management
• Bookings
• Record Labels

For this special and complete package, I can only make an offer if I know all details, so Contact me and please write down your thoughts in organised and detailed manner.

Digitisation:
Procedures required to digitise any audio material you currently own in analog format (tapes, vinyl records or other less common formats)

Restoration:
Working on audio material disrupted by noise/scratches/hiss/distortion to improve sound and minimise sound quality problems.

Contact me for details and offer.

Composition of music, creation of soundscapes, sound effects and in general sound treatment for videos, movies, theatre, performances etc. Contact me for details and offer.

• Drum Editing: You can send me your drum multitracks to edit them and get a flawless (or not!) performance. I charge 20 euros per hour.
• Vocal Editing: I can align multiple channels and tune your vocals.
• General Editing: Let me know about your unique situation and we’ll find a solution for you.

Tip: Time stretching, pitch modifications and other audio editing techniques sound much better when sampling and resolution is set high. If you are planning on over-editing your performances, prefer a sample rate of 88200 to 96000 kHz and 24 bit resolution.

If you already have an album, EP or single finished we can help you out releasing it and distributing it to all well known streaming and download platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Soundcloud etc. You just need to provide us the sound files, some info and a PayPal account that we can connect with your possible earnings.

ATTENTION:
If you want us to optimize the sound of your music for streaming platforms read THIS first.

PRICING:

• Single Track: 10 euros
• Mini Album: 20 euros
• Full Album: 30 euros

WHAT YOU GET:

• Upload for life at once
• Free ISRC codes
• A landing page to promote your digital release on your social media (example)
  
• We will be available anytime for questions, additional services and helping you out with your release.

WHAT WE NEED:

• Standard high resolution uncompressed audio files
  – WAV or AIFF [44100 Hz, 16 bits]
• Fill out an .rtf or any text file containing release and personal related information
  – Artist/Band name
  – Release title (album title)
  – Tracklist
  – Noted which tracks are instrumental
  – Noted which track have explicit lyrics
  – Noted if there’s a cover track and license
  – Your PayPal address to receive your possible income
• Cover Art and Images
  – Cover artwork (perfect square with a size between 3000x3000px and 6000x6000px in .png or .jpeg)
  – A band/artist photo if possible
• Upload files
  – Upload a .rar or .zip file containing the information form, audio and cover artwork.
• Send us a download link
  – Have all files available on Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive or Sync.
  – Send the files to info@suncordaudiolab.com
  – If all these steps are too complicated for you just Contact us and we’ll guide you through.
  
  UPLOADING IN BANDCAMP

Bandcamp is a completely different thing and it’s up to the artist or record label to manage. If you need to we can help you out creating a page and set up everything professionally for you. Use Contact form for details.

FOR DETAILS OR IF YOU NEED ANY HELP CONTACT DIRECTLY:
jon.kapsaskis@gmail.com