Mastering is the last stage prior to mass replication. Mastering renders better audibility and smoothness to incipiently recorded audio signals, this process also makes the audio tracks compatible to a wider range of acoustic environments for playback.

Mastering comes after mixing of the original sound tracks by fine polishing the acoustic quality encompassing an integral session of a piece, aimed at making the quality and feature consistent throughout as one piece may have undergone extended time span in its incipient production, during which period minor nuance is inevitable in the original recording process. In addition to varying expressions in a single piece, multiple stylistic pieces with widely different dynamic range in acoustic intensities and spectra are collected in a single album. This challenges the mastering engineer in optimizing the overall perception of the listeners under contiguous playback.

Within MuScene Studio’s tool kits for mastering are L2、Liner-Phase EQ、Multi-band Dynamic Compressor、Dorrough Meter、Aphex EX-BB、Real-Time Frequency Analyzer, powerful acoustic gadgets allowing us fine-tune the frequency and dynamics domains to create desired sound characteristics such as warmth, neatness, power, etc.

Stereo imaging is the process of increasing the special depth, width, and resolving power through adjusting the phases of acoustic signals. For example, acoustic power is boosted via the use of a limiter and enables the processed acoustic signal to stand out among environmental competitive acoustic sources. High signal sampling rates and dynamic bit rates, e.g., 96 kHz/24-bit, are typically applied in original recording and mixing processes, and the signals are later down sampling and bit reduction to the CD standards of 44.1 kHz/16-bit through the use of dither and noise shaping techniques to improve resolving power and noise reduction.

It is at the mastering stage when the ordering of the sound tracks, sound track information, intermittence intervals, volume fading in/out, copyright declaration, CD Text, and ISRC are manipulated. All these processes are performed in accordance with the Redbook audio media standard specifications.

A good monitoring environment is vitally important for the mastering procedure, this is only possible in a meticulously designed acoustic setting that properly avoids interfering reflection, asymmetric and residual acoustic standing waves─fatal factors adversely affect sound recognition and stereo imaging. Through the use of a variety of monitoring and playback systems during the mastering session, the engineer can ensure similar high-quality playback performance for listeners applying their favorite devices.

Mastering takes a huge amount of hands-on experience on top of talent, solid training, and broad exposition to different music styles; finally, with access to advanced professional tools can the mastering engineer lively transform studio music into portable media that the audience can replay at their fingertips. 

Service charge: Album, audio book, demo recording, band demo, independent publishing, broadcasting, movie melodies, and so on… 

Standard Mastering Pricing : 

US $59.99 per song

US $729.99 / Album (5~15 tracks)

US $73.29~162.99/DDP&Master CD Solution

Special note: 

Please carefully confirm that your mixing tracks are in their final form before handing over for mastering process. While the mastering process can remedy some defects created in earlier stages, it cannot fully recover all defects generated in the recording and mixing stages.