Editing a song during the mastering phase....

[bobsandifer]

I had an indie project come in last week that needed to be mastered. After the work was complete the label called and asked if I could take the first chorus on one song and replace all of the others on the same song.

It appears the band liked the first one but did not care for the rest. I did noticed that some background vocals were missing but I just assumed that is what they wanted or it would have been fixed on the final mix.

I really do not mind doing the work but is this common? Should I charge my engineering rate or just include it in the mastering fee? This has never happened to me before so I am at a loss on the "proper" procedure. My gut feeling says just fix it but the song seems to build as each chorus comes around. If I simply move the first chorus then the song will kinda mellow out a bit. I did explain this but they still want the move to take place. I know this is silly but it makes me feel like I will be the one that screwed the song up.

[nickynicknick]

Originally Posted by rsandifer

I had an indie project come in last week that needed to be mastered. After the work was complete the label called and asked if I could take the first chorus on one song and replace all of the others on the same song.

It appears the band liked the first one but did not care for the rest. I did noticed that some background vocals were missing but I just assumed that is what they wanted or it would have been fixed on the final mix.

I really do not mind doing the work but is this common? Should I charge my engineering rate or just include it in the mastering fee? This has never happened to me before so I am at a loss on the "proper" procedure. My gut feeling says just fix it but the song seems to build as each chorus comes around. If I simply move the first chorus then the song will kinda mellow out a bit. I did explain this but they still want the move to take place. I know this is silly but it makes me feel like I will be the one that screwed the song up.

Whatever it takes

[bobsandifer]

Originally Posted by nickynicknick

Whatever it takes

Ya know. I wasnt expecting such good advice so fast.
Cut paste.........

[bobsandifer]

bounce

[Bob Olhsson]

This is why most mastering facilities charge different rates for EQ session time, editing time, transfer time and a flat fee for parts.

[MAzevedo]

Editing is part of mastering. How do you bill for mastering? If you bill by the hour, run the clock and do the edits. If you bill by the song, make sure you are billing at a rate that allows you to feel comfortable putting the time in. Flying sections of a song around or cutting between 2 different mixes of the same song are not uncommon things to do in a mastering room.

[finetuner]

Originally Posted by rsandifer

... I know this is silly but it makes me feel like I will be the one that screwed the song up.

Know what you mean.
But after you've given your advise and arguments against it, it's their call ultimately.

One very small contribution you still can make to at least keep some build up is to play with the level; Lower the level of the first chorus 0.5 dB, keep the second as is and raise the third 0.5 dB or so.


These things may be difficult to justify in a price-per-track rate but they are definitely part of mastering practice. Just make sure you'll convince them of the extra time needed to make smooth natural edits and charge accordingly.

[jayfrigo]

Sure, edits like that definitely happen. There are times when we really re-arrange the pants off a song. Also, major edits for radio versions are not uncommon, and at times, crossfades and transitions between songs and other elements can be rather complex. That's why billing is hourly. If it turns out there are many of these edits, it just happens on the clock.