Mastering services for $30 - $50 per song. Good Deal?

[Uladine]

Digidogs.com

These guys are having a special where they are mastering projects at $30 per song, and then the rate is going up to $50 per song. Is it just me or is this really cheap? I always expected mastering rates to be way up there.

 

[Gidge]

did you check out their equipment list?....it doesnt look like they have anything more than most people here have.....i know the mastering engineers greatest tool is their ears, but gear helps....

i didnt see a client list or samples......

let the buyer beware......

 

[wjgypsy]

i would ask for a demo of the stuff that they have done in the past. just to see if they are even good at mastering.

good luck,

zeke

 

[Uladine]

Yea I'm just trying to get an average figure for mastering services. When I saw $30 per song I figured "dang these guys must suck or something" I dunno My current project is far from the mastering stage, I was just doing a bit of scouting to see what I could learn.

 

[camn]

You know.. there's quite the range. I heard that Calbi at Sterling Sound charges $350 an hour. If he took 4 hours on your 10-song LP.. that'd be $1400... or $140 a song. A decent guy I've used here in Seattle charges $75 an hour. .. given the same 4 hours.... $300.. or $30 a song.

For $50 a song.. He better have some NICE gear.. cuz my guy has some NIIICE gear... and is totally a pro.

xoox


ps.. just checked their site... looks wack.

In fact.. it looks like NOT a mastering house at all.. but in fact a recording studio. You'll notice that their phone number is the same as the "ROad Records" studio's number... and they share an engineer. I'm sure he can do a good job... but there are guys out there who are just MEs... and IMO.. they tend to be the bomb.

 

[littledog]

Reasonable people can debate the pros and cons of mixing on NS-10m's. But MASTERING on them?????




P.T. Barnum was right.

 

[DVZON]

I don't know much about mastering, but when it comes to my stuff which I will be mastering real soon with a local sound engineer, I expect the guy to have at least 2 decades of experience, and if less, 15 years. Not less than that. Someone with 15 years of experience mastering records and whatnot have been around the corner and heard the bad ones, good ones, and average ones. Some people just charge more because of their equipment or feel that they have to charge more, others don't charge a lot, but they have more experience. There are always those sound engineers that are new in the fiels, they buy the best equipment, and charge like 300 dollars per hour. The thing is, they don't have as much experience as someone who is been doing it for 15 or 20 years..Not even close to that, but they still feel that because of their latest equipment they have to charge more. Don't be fooled. Go with someone with experience. !5 years or more, if less, forget it.