Audio and Video Arts and Services

FAQ

What is mastering?

Simply stated, mastering is the process between mixing and releasing your music; whether that comes in the form of CD duplication or distributing MP3 (or another digital format) files on the Internet.

Historically, mastering grew from the process of taking multiple songs recorded to 2 track magnetic tape and producing a master vinyl disk (sometimes called the gold or "green master") from which all subsequent copies of an album were made. In today's digital world, most mastering engineers process songs provided as digital computer files and are then burned to CDR, which is then in turn sent to the duplication facility for mass production and/or encoded and uploaded to a web provider or digital media vendor for sale.

In recent years, computers have not only changed the process and format used to master and release music but also the ability to manipulate the audio itself. Not only does modern mastering services include preparing songs for replication but also of enhancing fundamental qualities and minimizing substantial deficiencies in the material.

This process typically includes the following:

  1. Track sequencing (song order)
  2. Tonal Balance
  3. Stereo Widening
  4. Level Optimization (leveling)
  5. Equalization
  6. Fixes such as DC Offset and Noise Reduction, Click/Pop removal
  7. Editing PQ Codes
  8. Dither and Bitrate conversion (where applicable)
  9. Creating a redbook compliant master disk or encoding to MP3/FLAC/ALAC/etc...

I have <insert plugin or application name> that does mastering, can't I just use that?

While nothing wrong with using mastering plugins or applications to enhance your material, you should really think of mastering not so much a tool or effect, but a series of processes that a well trained engineer performs based on a number of subjective and objective factors. Mastering software or plugins normally attempt to automate the mastering process by combining common mastering tasks to a series of presets that help less experienced musicians enhance their mixes.

Although sometimes these are very nice tools, they are just that, tools. As with any tool they are only as good as the person using them. A good mastering engineer may or may not use these tools, as what is best for one type of music will not fit for others.

So you have just spend countless hours writing, recording, and mixing your music to be the best it can be. Do you really trust a preset in a mastering application made by someone who has never actually heard your music to process fundamental characteristics of its sound?

Although it is debatable, many professionals also feel that the same person that mixes a release, should by nature not the the same person that masters it. This is simply due to the fact that if you are the one who is intimately familiar with the details of the individual tracks and how they are mixed, you will not be able to hear it objectively enough to master it. Regardless of your stance on this issue, its always good to get a "fresh set of ears" at the mastering stage and clearly mastering software or plugins don't do this for you.

I had my stuff mastered once in the past by someone else and it still sounded bad. Is mastering really worth it?

Well, for all the good things mastering is to your music, there is also many things it is not. Mastering is not a replacement for mixing or production in general. There is an old saying in the computer world. "Garbage in, garbage out". Though mastering can turn a lackluster sounding mix into a great sounding mix, it cannot however take a horrible mix and change that. The mastering process is designed to enhance good mixes into great mixes.

If you don't start with a good mix in the first place, what a mastering engineer can do for you becomes extremely limited.

What is a "Foley" artist?

from wikipedia.org

The Foley artist on a film crew is the person who creates and records many of the sound effects, (these days many often associate the Foley artist with the job of capturing the natural/everyday sounds leaving the role of special (audio) effects to the Sound designer). Foley artists, sound designers, editors, and supervisors are highly specialized and are essential for producing a professional-sounding soundtrack suitable for distribution and exhibition.

Sound effects are rarely recorded at the same time as dialog and action, since the sound mix is so difficult to balance; the Foley artist listens to the dialog track for the (usually quite faint) sounds of, for instance, footsteps, a door slam, etc. and records them onto a new track (the Foley track) in sync with the action onscreen. Other sound effects are drawn from recorded libraries, but many directors prefer the direct involvement of the Foley artist.

The Foley artist also adds sounds that may not exist at all on the original track: for instance, thumping watermelons or cracking bamboo to create the sounds of a fight. Many Foley artists take pride in constructing their own sound effects apparatus, frequently using simple, common materials. Some "making-of" features show foley artists at work. The contrast between the action on the screen and the down-home effects is striking.

Where do you source sound FX used in the audio 4 video service? Are they royalty-free?

Every attempt is made to produce original material for film. Pre-canned libraries or sounds are only used if they are officially licensed and approved by the customer. Sound FX and Foley work is produced and recorded in 0xf8 using original material written by us or recorded live "in the field".

What do we need to begin working on your film?

Typically, the details of work for film are negotiated at the time of commitment. Because the time required to create original audio for a film can vary greatly from project to project depending on a number of factors, contact 0xf8 to discuss price and workflow options. Generally once the fee has been agreed to by both parties, the customer provides a DV tape of the project or AVI files of the relevant sections requiring audio services.

Sounds great! How do I place an order?

Thank you for choosing 0xf8! We feel that no other service offers the level of professionalism at such a price. To place an order, email orders@0xf8studios.com and include the following:

  • Your name (primary contact for the project)
  • Your band/project name (spelled and punctuated exactly how you would want it to appear in an mp3 player)
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Number of tracks to be mastered and approx. lengths
  • Desired track order
  • Release target? (CD, MP3, Live use, Radio? Club?)
  • Which option? (Option 1 or 2)

Once we receive your email we will contact you to discuss your order.

For Audio for Video, contact 0xf8 to discuss your project.

How do I get my music to you for mastering?

Multiple options are available. You can send us a cdr, provide links to download .wav or .aif files or contact me to arrange for upload options.

If you are using Option 1, we require either an audio CDR of your songs, or (preferably) a data CDR with stereo .wav or .aif file of each song.

If you are using Option 2, we require a data CDR with stereo .wav or .aif files of each group of instruments.

Things to remember:

  1. Burn at lower speeds. When burning CDRs, burn them at lower speeds to minimize the possibility of introducing any errors in the files which effect the music. Often a CDR burned at high speeds on cheaper CDR media have errors that can produce glitches and pops when played back. Obviously for the purposes of mastering we need the best possible quality to start with. Burn CDR's at 1x or 2x. At a minimum, do not attempt to burn a cd at a higher speed than the media itself is rated for. (Don't burn at 32x with media designed for 24x use)
  2. Use only "lossless" compression. (whats this?) MP3 or similar loss-based compression formats cannot be used for mastering. If you are uploading your tracks and providing a link for us to download them and must minimize the file sizes, consider a compression format such as FLAC or ALAC instead. Although not recommended, Zip archives of .wav/.aif/.flac files will be accepted.
  3. Leave Headroom! If your music is provided with levels averaging close to 0db, the amount of processing possible is limited. On the flip side if you provide mixes at -5db or lower the amount of compression required to bring this to an acceptable level for lease could introduce undesired artifacts in the sound. An industry standard recommendation is that your mixes are provided at around -2db.
  4. Avoid Clipping. Obviously if you followed the previous recommendation you should not have clipping on your mix. However I have seen tracks exported with an average -2db level but contact +0db peaks that clip. Before exporting, listen to your song the entire way through and watch your master db meters. Look for it to stay around -2db and turn it down until there are no clips when played all the way through.

Once I place an order, how long does it take?

It depends on a number of factors such as the level of processing required and the current work queue at 0xf8. Generally, customers using Option 1 to have a 3 song demo mastered for example should see their order completed within several days. Customers using Option 2 for full length CD release can take up to 2 weeks.

Once you submit your order, 0xf8 will contact you to arrange obtaining your tracks for mastering and can provide you an estimate on the delivery date.

Once mastering is complete, what do I get back?

Once we receive your tracks we will create a "1st take" of your mastered cd and email you a link to take a listen. You will be able to provide feedback on the sound which will be taken into consideration when the final master is created. The final master is provided to you both as an audio CDR, ready to send to a duplication facility and a data CDR of the final .wav files produced as the result of mastering.

Along with these CDR's a cue sheet will also be included detailing relevant information on each track.

Where is 0xf8 located?

The 0xf8 studio is located in Boston, MA USA

What equipment do you use?

The main 0xf8 studio contains a number of hardware and software technologies used during mastering. Although it is temping to list off the nifty tools we use, we feel that it subverts the point made above in the discussion of the use of mastering plugins and software. In the end, what you are paying for is the talent of the 0xf8 engineer and not a particular tool or plugin version.

What are your qualifications? Why should I hire 0xf8?

0xf8 studios was founded in 2002 by Clint M. Sand of the bands cut.rate.box, Mono Chrome, and synnack.

In addition to his production and mastering work with these bands, he as also cut his teeth mastering a number of various rock and electronic bands throughout the US and Europe. A complete list of references is available upon request.

The techniques and processes used at 0xf8 when mastering come from a combination of experience, knowledge of our equipment and listening environment, and research. A great resource for technical information we use is the book "Mastering Audio: the art and the science" by Bob Katz. We highly recommend it to anyone looking to understand what mastering is all about.