How does one choose a mastering facility??

[C/G]

I have a project of mine, actually my band's, that I have been working on and it will be ready to go out to be mixed by the end of August to a GS member.

I need to choose a facility to get the final product mastered and have never had the luxury of choosing where to get this done before, so I am at a crossroads of sorts with this decision.

before I was in the know of things, I usually had it done at the local studios where I or a band I was in was tracking. I am really proud of how the project is turning out and I don't want to simply have anybody or any place master it for me. A friend religiously uses J.J. Golden, but I think he will be over our tiny budget, although his rates are pretty good.

Since we are working on a budget, I am curious about good mastering facilities that won't break the bank. Maybe there are a few GS brothers that can suggest a facility or a GS member that can do a great job for a modest price and cut a fellow GS member a deal. (fingers crossed)

We have 7 songs and are looking at about a $700 US (or less) buget max to get it done. Time frame for mastering will more than likely be the end of September/early October when we get some cash saved from gigging. Any mastering engineers interested can PM me. Thanks to all who reply.

Edit: I should mention we are of the indie rock, alternative vibe. One can check out my bands material on the MySpace link in my signature, but that is a crappy demo with the final product being a far better recording.

[carlsaff]

I'm sure you'll get lots of responses from the MEs who post here.

That said, I still think the best way to choose an ME is to call the people whose names you see on the records you love and/or ask friends who they've had great experiences with. And remember that customer service is as valuable (if not more valuable) than an impressive gear or credits list.

BTW... $660 gets you mastering of up to 60 minutes of music at Golden Mastering... you sure you can't afford it?

[C/G]

Originally Posted by carlsaff

I'm sure you'll get lots of responses from the MEs who post here.

That said, I still think the best way to choose an ME is to call the people whose names you see on the records you love and/or ask friends who they've had great experiences with. And remember that customer service is as valuable (if not more valuable) than an impressive gear or credits list.

BTW... $660 gets you mastering of up to 60 minutes of music at Golden Mastering... you sure you can't afford it?

I think my drunken buddy gave me a wrong quote over the weekend. I called him again this morning and he said what you had printed. I like Golden's stuff a lot, so I will check into it. Thanks carlsaff.

I assumed most of the more popular ME's like J.J. Golden would be way out of our price range.

[Mike Bruce]

You have mail!

Mike Bruce
Auricle Audio Mastering

[jayfrigo]

Originally Posted by Colin Gaucher

I assumed most of the more popular ME's like J.J. Golden would be way out of our price range.

100 bucks per song as an indie will gain you access to most of the working pros out there (myself included) except for the top tier guys at Sterling, Masterdisk, Grundman etc. Call around. It sounds like you have enough of a budget to have a pretty diverse group to pick from.

[C/G]

Originally Posted by jayfrigo

100 bucks per song as an indie will gain you access to most of the working pros out there (myself included) except for the top tier guys at Sterling, Masterdisk, Grundman etc. Call around. It sounds like you have enough of a budget to have a pretty diverse group to pick from.

Thanks. That is comforting to know we can get some quality work and still be within our budget. Thanks to any who have replied to this thread and PM'ed me so far.

[aivoryuk]

one suggestion could be if you contact some mastering engineers and see if they will do a sample for you on your work.
that way you get a taster of what is possible, every engineer is different and you may prefer one approach to another.
It will also give you a idea of their work ethics how approachable they are etc so a potential relationship can be formed.

I'm sure most mastering engineers would be happy to due a sort example for you. I know i would

cheers

Alex

[C/G]

Originally Posted by aivoryuk

one suggestion could be if you contact some mastering engineers and see if they will do a sample for you on your work.
that way you get a taster of what is possible, every engineer is different and you may prefer one approach to another.
It will also give you a idea of their work ethics how approachable they are etc so a potential relationship can be formed.

I'm sure most mastering engineers would be happy to due a sort example for you. I know i would

cheers

Alex

I know some places/people offered that service. I think once myself and the rest of the band decide on a few facilities, I will contact those and talk about doing a sample. I don't want to be a tire kicker and waste someone's valuable time until a small number of facilities have been decided upon.

[rolo95]

Originally Posted by carlsaff

BTW... $660 gets you mastering of up to 60 minutes of music at Golden Mastering... you sure you can't afford it?

Ohhhhhh
my last memeories was that PRO mastering cost like 3000+
for an album ...10-12 songs....

BOB LUDWIG and such....

[C/G]

Originally Posted by rolo95

Ohhhhhh
my last memeories was that PRO mastering cost like 3000+
for an album ...10-12 songs....

BOB LUDWIG and such....

That is what I was thinking, but apparently the price quoted from Golden Mastering is correct. I thought it would be way more, but a friend had his last two albums done by J.J. Golden for the rate of $660 per 60 minutes.

I have heard his work with Sonic Youth, Calexico and the two albums he mastered for my friend's band The Besnard lakes. He is on my list as are a few cats off the GS board.

[carlsaff]

Golden Mastering flies below a lot of people's radar. Amazing to me, as they've touched so many records, are one of the only MEs that Steve Albini recommends, etc.

Many of John and J.J. Golden's masters are reference discs for me.

[Cellotron]

Originally Posted by carlsaff

Golden Mastering flies below a lot of people's radar. Amazing to me, as they've touched so many records, are one of the only MEs that Steve Albini recommends, etc.

Many of John and J.J. Golden's masters are reference discs for me.

Gotta say J.J.'s work on Rachel's "Systems/Layers" is prettty damn impressive.

Best regards,
Steve Berson