OVER 20,000 SONGS MASTERED. ONLY $35/SONG.
17 years of experience and great analog gear yield stellar sounds. Low overhead costs ensure that you get them for a fraction of what you would pay elsewhere. At Trakworx world class analog equalizers and compressors (plus a few "secret weapons") are used to fine-tune and enhance your songs. 1/2" 2 track tape can be incorporated to add classic analog tone. Burl Audio B2 Bomber digital audio converters are used for their musical, "non-digital" sound. Your songs can be edited, faded and spaced. Levels will be balanced and brought up to industry standards for loudness while preserving clarity and punch. Thanks to the internet and the mail, it is easy send your music to be mastered at Trakworx from anywhere in the world. Feel free to make contact no matter how far away you are.



ADVANCE BOOKING IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Trakworx gets very busy sometimes. There can be a long wait to get in.



BE PREPARED FOR MASTERING Here are 4 important things you should know before mastering:


1. PLEASE WATCH YOUR MIX LEVELS. NO LIMITERS ON THE MASTER FADER AND NO CLIPPING PLEASE. It is normal and preferable for songs to sound about 1/2 as loud before mastering. It is the job of the mastering engineer to bring the levels up at the end of the process using the proper equipment. Before mastering, louder is not better. When mixed too loud, the sound waves become clipped, causing the highs to sound harsh, and the low's to lose "punch". This is the most common problem before mastering. It is best to have a master fader in your mixing session, and watch the master fader's meter. Do not allow the master fader's meter to hit the red at the top. If it hits the red, then pull the master fader down. Please do not put any limiters, maximizers, or mastering plug-ins on the master fader (you will only be tying the hands of your mastering engineer by doing his job before him with - no offense - inferior equipment). This does NOT mean that you shouldn't use processors and effects on the individual tracks within your mix. Following this advice will result in a better, more professional sounding final product for you and your listeners.


2. FILE TYPES: for best quality render your mixes as 24 bit wave or aiff files at whatever sample rate you are already using. They can be on CD-R, DVD-R, flash drive, or Mac compatible hard drive. Files can also be uploaded via https://www.wetransfer.com, http://www.yousendit.com or http://www.sendspace.com (send to: justin@trakworx.com ). Audio CDs are OK too, but they are 16 bit, 44.1 kHz, and therefore slightly lesser quality than 24 bit data files. You can bring 1/2" analog tape, 1/4" analog tape, or DAT. Please avoid MP3s or AAC files - the audio quality of MP3s and AACs is inferior (see #3 below).


3. BEWARE of MP3! itunes and many operating systems/media players have a nasty habit of automatically converting every song to AAC or MP3 when you import it, without you even knowing it. Even though you burn it onto an audio CD or convert to a wave file, it is still an MP3 QUALITY file; the damage has been done and cannot be undone. Any song that has been converted to MP3 or AAC at any point is data-compressed and not the best quality for mastering. This also applies to 2-track beats that are used to record vocals over. Files should never be MP3 or AAC until after mastering when they are used for digital distribution.



4. PLEASE BE ORGANIZED. It is much better for the mastering engineer to be focused on enhancing your songs rather than on finding them. Please know your song order and titles. If you're bringing audio CDs, it helps to have the songs in order on 1 disc. If you're bringing data files, please have all songs properly labeled and in 1 folder.



Thanks!

RATES:


RECORDING, MIXING - $50/hr - Includes engineer and studio. Ask about discounts for large bookings. When I mix a song, mastering is included.


MASTERING - $35 per song for songs up to 6 minutes in length.
$45 per song for songs over 6 minutes in length (For songs over 10 minutes long - we'll just work something out).
$15 per alternate version of a song (instrumental, vocal only, etc.)
$15 per recall master (remastering a revised mix using the same mastering settings)
$15 per mastering revision if I have to start over to make the requested revision.
$5 per mastering revision if it can be accomplished by digitally adjusting the existing master.
$10 per PMCD (CD master).
$5 per reference CD (listening copy).


The above reflects a slight rate increase and new fees for revisions and CD-Rs burned. This has become necessary due to sustained high demand for Trakworx mastering services. Your business is much appreciated. Thank you for understanding!


ADVANCE BOOKING IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Trakworx gets very busy and sometimes there is a long wait to get in, so please plan ahead whenever possible. Sometimes there are cancellations, so feel free to ask about short-notice appointments. I will make every effort to accommodate your needs. Thanks!


TRAKWORX has REVIEWS! You can use this URL:

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