...A Little About Why YOU Are Here!

 

Let’s take a guess…you have just finished recording, and you are ready for the final step before releasing your CD to the public. At the request of your producer/record label, or even venturing out on your own, you have come to the conclusion that you need the final touch that specialized expertise, and a fresh set of ears can provide.

You are not entirely sure what it is that we will do to your precious audio, or how it is that we will do it, but you know that all good releases, be it vinyl records (45s, 33 1/3 LPs, 78s), CDs, or DVDs, have all gone through a veiled process to bring out the best in them. What is this process? And what is it really called?

You have heard many terms thrown around to describe this, but end up running in circles, because more often than not, the same terms have been used to describe different processes…some, not even related to audio! Well, here we go. Read on...

Choosing a mastering service can be a daunting task, especially with all the confusing and misleading opinions and terms floating around out there!

So please take a moment to browse this site and learn about the actual ''black art'' referred to as MASTERING.

As a suggestion, utilize the links on this page, as you will find an informative outline of what this process is, and what it is that we actually do with your project. And for those information junkies out there, keep reading through all of the links, as they provide a wealth of information, from the history of mastering, all the way to specific details of this mysterious process!

It is here we will discuss everything, from vinyl lathes, and how LP records were tweaked, to compressors, limiters, and equalizers, all the way to analog vs. digital workstations and what all the buzz words actually mean. For example, some refer to this process as finalizing, pre-mastering, or even simply, final EQing or tweaking. All of these words have come to describe this seemingly secretive process.

We’ll try to clear things up a bit. Just remember, CD replication/duplication is the literal final step in your recording. The step before that, when a specialized audio engineer makes all of the necessary preparations prior to mass replication/duplication is what we do. All of these steps are what most people are trying to find a word for!

So, finalizing, master equalizing, final compression and limiting, cd authoring, audio, analog , or digital mastering, pre-mastering, or even audio restoring, or restoration can, and are used to describe the same thing.

You get the idea.

Confusing, isn’t it?

It can be, if you let the terminology get in the way!

Just remember what was said above about the last person to actually affect any sonic changes in your recording before replication/duplication.

Focus on that fact, and you'll be fine.

No, we don’t offer mass duping found at a large scale professional replication/duplication plants (although we do offer some duplication on our additional services…usually concerning video/audio transfers, as well as audio restoration), we just fine tune your audio to sound its absolute best before it is presented to the replication/duplication plants, and then ultimately to the public.

We are audiophiles.

That is the mindset required now.

Your multi tracking and mixing are finished.

That is why you are here at this point.

It is precisely this audiophile perspective you need now to make your work a sonic masterpiece.

So, go on, take your time familiarizing yourself with this site. Don't worry, we'll still be here... With that being said, I very much look forward to putting the final sparkle on your project!

Best Regards,

Fotios Koulakos, Chief Mastering Engineer