Hello and thank you for your interest in XARC Mastering.
XARC Mastering is a online mastering service, that means we do the
complete process online. If it is the receiving of the tracks from you or the
sending out of the ready mastered tracks to you or the payment, all is
done over the internet. That means no mailcosts and no long waiting times
for you. In the best case it can only take some hours until you get your
ready mastered song back.
What XARC Mastering can do for you:
High Quality Mastering of your songs
- Any input and output format you want (.WAV, .AIFF, MP3 (not
recommended because of soundquality decrease)) - Any input and output Hz/Bit resolution you want (f.e. 96KHz, 64bit
Floating Point) - Denoising (f.e. old Tape recording)
- Declicking / Decrackle (f.e. Vinyl)
- Dehumming (f.e. Humming from a Power Supply Unit)
- Adding the right equalizing (making the frequency response natural to
the ears and matching the tracks of your album) - Adding punch, transparency and “warmth”
- Making the Stereo-Image perfect, so that no out-of-phase artefacts occur
- Bringing the level up to the maximum
- Limiting the maximal peaks to industry standard
- Apply Dithering to keep more bits in the destination bit resolution
(f.e. when dithering from 32bit to 16bit you can almost have 20bit quality
in the final 16bit file) - All processing is done in the highest possible bit-resolution, mostly 64bit
Floating Point - You take influence on what we do, just drop us some notes how your
song should sound (f.e. much bass and in-your-face) and we will do it.
Mastering can also include editing (f.e. fades) and soundmatching of the
songs (for album or single). The output format you like is freely definable,
normally you get 44khz/16bit .WAV files ready for burning on CD.
But any other format is possible as well. You can also get a .CUE + .BIN file
(useful for album or single). So you dont have to worry about pauses or
any other things important for your Master CD.
Six Reasons Why Mastering is Needed.
Every recording deserves good mastering. When you’re through mixing,
your work is not finished. Mastering adds polish, it sounds more than just a
record…it becomes a work of art. The songs work together seamlessly,
their sound can take on a dimensionality and life that enhances even the
best mixes. Here are seven reasons why Mastering is needed.
-
Ear Fatigue Most music today is produced by recording a multi track
tape. The next step is the mixdown. This mixdown may take anywhere
from 4 hours to 4 weeks, depending on the producer’s predilections, the
artist’s whims, and the budget. Usually each tune is mixed in isolation.
Rarely do you have the luxury to switch and compare the songs as you mix.
Some mixes may be done at 2 o’clock in the morning, when ears are
fatigued, and some at 12 noon, when ears are fresh. The result: Every mix
sounds different, every tune has a different response curve. -
The Skew of the Monitors Monitoring speakers. It’s amazing when you
think about it, but very few studios have accurate monitor systems. Did
you know, placing speakers on top of a console creates serious frequency
response peaks and dips? A typical control room is so filled with equipment
that there’s no room to place a monitor system without causing comb-
filtering due to acoustic reflections. And though your heart is filled with
good intentions, how often do you have time to take your rough mixes
around, playing them on systems ranging from boomboxes to cars to
audiophile systems? Usually there is no time to see how your music will
sound on various systems in different acoustic environments. The result:
your mixes are compromised. Some frequencies stand out too much, and
others too little. -
More Me The producer was supposed to be in charge. He tried to keep
the artists out of the mix room. But something went out of control. The
producer was gone for the day, or the bassist had a fit of megalomania. Or
the artist decided to be his/her own producer. Whatever…all the mixes
sound like vocal, or bass, or (fill in appropriate instrument) solos. -
May I Have Your Order, Please When mixing, you (the producer) often
have no idea what order to put the tunes until after all the mixes are
completed. If you physically compile these songs at unity gain, and listen to
them one after another, it probably won’t sound like “a record.” Some
tunes will jump out at you, others will be too weak; you may discover
(belatedly) that some tunes are too bright or weak in the bass, or that the
vocal is a little weak, or that the stereo separation is too narrow. These
things actually happen, even after weeks in the studio, and the problems
sometimes don’t become apparent until the album is assembled in its
intended order, or auditioned in a good monitoring environment. -
The Perspective of another Trained Ear The Buck Stops Here. The
Mastering engineer is the last ear on your music project. He can be an
artistic, musical, and technical sounding board for your ideas. Take
advantage of his special ear… many beautiful music projects have passed
through his studio. -
Midi Madness Lately it sounds like everyone is using the same samples!
Acoustic sounds are coming back in vogue, but perhaps you haven’t got
the budget to hire the London Symphony. So, you had to compromise by
using some samples. But you shouldn’t compromise on mastering. Good
mastering can bring out the acoustic quality in your samples, increasing
your chance of success in a crowded music field.
Mastering is a complex & precise art which requires experience &
qualifications in the subject. Masteringtime required for ONE song is often
over 4 hours. Where others take up to 50€/hour we offer flat fees for the
complete songs! This results in prices usually under 10€/hour!! And always
remember that their is the “dont pay it, if you dont like it” option for you at
anytime. And also think about the fact if you send out a demo to a label
you will have better chances in geting signed when your sound is different
from all the other low quality demos.
If you send your songs be sure that are ABSOLUTELY no additional effects
where applied after mixing (especially no dithering), as that would
decrease the quality of the mastering process.
NO RISK FOR YOU, if you want you get a demo of your mastered songs
before paying in MP3 format (including testtones). And if you dont like it,
simply dont pay for it!
Payment is done via PayPal or transfer to our bank account in Germany.
CREDITCARDS ARE NOT ACCEPTED YET!
As soon as we receive the money on our account you get a link where you
can download your ready mastered songs.
Rates:
Starting from as low as €39, contact us for the detailed rates.
Paying is also available in US Dollars applying the current US Dollar - Euro
exchange rates.
If you are interested in our service, contact us via email at
xarc.mastering@gmx.net for the details.
Yours sincerely,
XARC Mastering Service (xarc.mastering@gmx.net)
