Why master your record?

You’ve spent all of this time. Time working through your song. Getting it recorded. Sometimes, re recorded. Then going through the mixing process. Making all of the tweaks and aligning all of the kick and snare hits with the bass. Sweetening the vocals, getting that guitar tone just right. Time. Which equals money.

But you’ve invested much more than just your money. You’ve invested your heart. So you want to make the time to see your blood, sweat, and tears sound as good as it possibly can. The whole reason you wrote that song in the first place, right? That, is why you have your record mastered.

There are a ton of technical reasons to do it, and they are all addressed at Patterson Mastering, and are important. But none of them matter next to the heart of the recording, your heart and labor of love. So if you are ready to master your record, may we be the first to say, congratulations! Let’s make a wonderful Master together.

The Patterson Mastering process

1. Have your record title, track titles, and track order ready.

2. Make sure that your mixes are not too loud. Look at your VU meter. Try to have around 6 db of play on the VU meter. if you are just seeing solid color on the meter and it’s not dancing with the song, then you have your mix too loud. (Questions? Just ask, we’re happy to help)

3. A dropbox folder will be created and link sent to you, to upload your mixed stereo bounced files. Preferably bounced at a min of 48K/24 bit. 88.2k/24bit is preferred.

4. Share with Patterson Mastering the sound that you are going for. Is there a specific genre, or a particular record that you like the sound of? Those little things will help Patterson Mastering hone in on your record sound.

5. A test master of the first track will be sent to you for approval. Making sure that we are headed in the right direction tonally.

6. A complete master will be completed and sent to you via your dropbox folder. You then have 7 days to listen to the master and make time coded notes. Any adjustments needed will be completed and returned. We recommend listening to the master on several different sets of speakers and ear pods.

7. You then have your master files to send to your duplication or distribution house of choice. We can assist uploading directly to your house of choice for an additional fee.

8. Album art credits should include:

   • Mastered by Aaron Patterson Patterson Mastering Comfort, TX

Cost

$100 per track for single track

$75 per track for 2-9 tracks

$60 per track for 10 or more tracks

At Patterson Mastering we want you to be able to return to this record years from now and still find joy in the songs and sounds you made. Payment is due upon receipt of complete master. If you have any questions on payment options or would like a more detailed quote, please don’t hesitate to contact us.