[LAU] Linux mastering services?

[Aurelien]

On Tue, Mar 30, 2010 at 02:37:20PM -0700, Mark Knecht wrote :
> On Sun, Mar 28, 2010 at 3:30 PM, Ken Restivo <ken at restivo.org> wrote:
> > We're almost done with a 12-track, 40-minute-long CD, recorded partially in Ardour and mixed entirely in Ardour.
> >
> > We should probably get it mastered. However, "pro" mastering houses want like $500 for a CD. We haven't made that much money in a year. I think we spent a total of $80 on recording it. So, not likely that we'll be justify big bucks to get it mastered.
> >
> > I suppose I could run it through Jamin myself, and just hope for the best, but I don't know squat about mastering.
> >
> > Are there any Linux-based mastering engineers around (i.e. on this list) who'd want to take on a project like this, for a rate that we might be able to actually justify?
> >
> > -ken
> 
> Hi Ken,
>    First, good luck with your work. I hope it all comes out well.
> 
>    I guess I'm sort of the odd man out here. I see mastering a bit
> differently than it usually gets talked about here. That's OK I guess,
> but just warning you up front. I've only been involved with a few
> project that we professionally mastered, and they were done by pretty
> expensive places. That said the mastering engineers did some really
> great work. So I'd say if you can afford it (which I cannot) then it
> was a good place to spend money from my experience.
> 
>    The things we felt we got from professional mastering:
> 
> 1) A more consistent product across all types of listening
> environments. (As stated by others, high end stereos, low end stereos,
> radio, cars, etc.)
> 
> 2) A new set of ears that listened to the songs as a group and helped
> with the order they should appear in, or helped with the overall
> sounds so that one song supported the next. this gave us some good
> inputs.

That's a real point. However, it also leads to "people who knows less
accurately the structure/aims/feelings of the piece".


> 
> 3) Access to equipment that we couldn't afford, mostly in the form of
> high end compressors and limiters.

See my previous mail concerning that.
(but be aware I use Line6 amp simulators with a Leduc bass, which is, in
some way, kind of a heresy!!!)


-- 
Aurélien