I am Robert S. Liam (aka "Simon") - Mastering Specialist, Mixer, Producer, Musician
Contact:
323-687-8547
[email protected]
I offer the highest quality commercial digital mastering that is also affordable for independent bands.
I specialize in all types of music and offer special rates for unsigned artists!
All work is backed with 12 years of mastering experience. I also use some of the best digital processors available, along with a top-of-the-line HD Pro Tools workstation, Genelec and Dynaudio monitoring, and an acoustically tuned room.
I put patience and care into each track individually so that every track reaches it's maximum sonic potential. I am all about detail and perfection and I take special pride in giving "warmth" and "air" to your sound.
You will receive a gold CD master made to industry standard Red Book specifications along with corresponding PQ log. All Redbook CD Masters are analyzed for media errors before they are released.
What is mastering?
CD Mastering is the final step in the production of audio before manufacturing the CD. It is a critical process that gives your tracks the needed clarity, depth and punch that is necessary to take your music to another level and compete with todays commercial releases. The process includes using EQ, compression/limiting, effects, and other dynamics processing to give an album a consistent sound from track to track. It also raises and evens out the overall levels and addresses issues such as pops, phasing problems, and noise reduction. After the processing is complete, the tracks are assembled with the desired spacing between tracks.
Note regarding LOUDNESS:
I boost the volume to the highest level
without compromising the integrity of the mix. However, louder is not necessarily better. Don't fall victim to the loudness war. Many albums in recent years sound terrible because people just want their record to be as loud as possible. This is a result of over compression and limiting which causes lack of dynamics, distortion, and overall poor listening quality. The constant intensity also causes extreme ear fatigue, making it difficult to listen to the record to the end without feeling aurally exhausted. In digital recording, there is nothing above 0. When you go above 0, you are just throwing away that information, and dynamic range. The average commercial CDs today have levels maximized about 6 db above 0.
Sample mastering for new clients
If you have a
full length album (10+ songs) that is ready for mastering, and you would like to know what I can do for your music, you can send me a track (via internet or snail-mail) in AIF or WAV format to process for free. I will send you a 30-60 second sample mp3 version of the mastered track for your evaluation. You are also welcome to make an appointment to stop by the studio with a track.
Also, I offer a free analysis of mixed tracks prior to mastering. This is very helpful in determining what problems the mixes might have before moving on to the mastering process. I can do a lot for problematic mixes, but it's much better to fix problems before the music is mixed down to two stereo tracks.
Out of town artists
If you are not local, that's no problem! You can send your tracks via internet or on a CD/DVD through the mail. I will send you sample mp3's of the mastered tracks for your approval. Or, by request, I can mail you a sample CD for you to listen to before I print the final Gold Master CD.
