Q. What is mastering?

Mastering is the process of taking the final stereo mixes produced by a recording studio, and creating an album (or EP or demo) master ready for duplication. It is the final creative stage in the music recording process.

During this process, extra sound processing is usually applied in order to get the sound just right, and to fix any problems from the recording stage.

Q. Why should I have my material professionally mastered?

Put simply, so that it sounds as good as possible.

Professional mastering engineers have years or decades of experience. They have mastered hundreds, perhaps thousands, of projects. They work in good sounding rooms with good sounding equipment. They know exactly what to do to make your music sound better.

It's not just a case of making your tracks loud before pressing copies. It's a process that gets the best possible sound out of your music.

Q. Can I hear demos of Hafod's work?

Yes. Click on the Samples link at the top of this page.

Q. What exactly should I bring to the mastering session?

Please bring WAV or AIF sound files at 24 bit resolution. Leave them at the sampling frequency that the projet was recorded at, be that 44.1, 48 or 96kHz.

You should export your finished mixes to stereo interleaved sound files, straight off the mix bus.

Remove any limiters or mastering processors from the mix bus.
Please don't normalize, finalise or maximise.
Please don't apply any other overall processing to the entire mix as this is best left to the mastering stage.

If you're not preparing the files yourself, please pass this information to the engineer that is.

Q. Why shouldn't I use a Finaliser before sending the tracks to be mastered?

A Finaliser will apply multi-band compression and limiting to your track. It automatically applies algorithms that can change the sound of your music significantly.

We much prefer to use our ears to decide what needs doing to your music, and to use the best equipment in the best listening environment to do it.

Q. How much will it cost?

The cost will vary, depending on a number of factors. Please call us on 01446 775512 and we will always endeavour to give you a quote that fits your budget.

Q. How long will it take for my music to be mastered?

An album will take a day, and EP half a day, and one track takes between an hour and an hour and a half. We will aim to get your project turned around within a week of taking your enquiry.

Q. What do I do if I'm not happy with how it sounds?

We encourage you to attend the session so that we can make sure you're happy with the sound on the day. In the unlikely event that you're not happy having taken the project home, please get in touch and we'll re-work the songs until they're right.

Q. Can I attend the mastering session?

Please do attend the session if you can. It's more fun that way, and you'll have the opportunity to give your input during the mastering session.