Absolutepower
New member
How much money per song should one budget for the mastering of an album? My friend's band had their album produced a year ago or so, and he told me they paid something like $400 per song for the mastering. That just seems excessive to me, but with some things you get what you pay for, and maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.
So seriously, can you get a great result for less money? I'm also skeptical that a top mastering job can somehow save an album, or make it way better or something. I feel that by the time it gets to that stage, its too late for that, and Mastering is just putting the final touches on, or the icing on the cake. But then again, if you have a great cake, but the icing is all screwed up, that's not going to be too popular with the guests at the party.
Anyone care to disagree, or voice an opinion on how much mastering is really worth? And I'm talking about indie stuff, bands making their own albums. Not how much a major label record pays for a famous mastering guy, that's a whole different thing.
So seriously, can you get a great result for less money? I'm also skeptical that a top mastering job can somehow save an album, or make it way better or something. I feel that by the time it gets to that stage, its too late for that, and Mastering is just putting the final touches on, or the icing on the cake. But then again, if you have a great cake, but the icing is all screwed up, that's not going to be too popular with the guests at the party.
Anyone care to disagree, or voice an opinion on how much mastering is really worth? And I'm talking about indie stuff, bands making their own albums. Not how much a major label record pays for a famous mastering guy, that's a whole different thing.