ultramastering.com???

[kennycarvajal]

Gosh. At this point I hope our project doesn't illegaly end up on the internet.

Kenny

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Judging by these facts, should I consider this a loss? Would you be able to e-mail me the info where you got these from for when I have to file a claim through Paypal? Can you check if there's any correlation between ultramastering.com and masterbymail.com? I kinda had a weird feeling when I first saw these sites for some reason.

Since the site wasn't launched till the 16th of April, I take it those testimonials were from imaginary clients. Damn it!!!

Kenny

Finding out what I did was elementary, my dear Kenny . I looked in my browser history and found that "ultramastering.com" was actually aliased to "ultramastering.moonfruit.com". So I just went straight to moonfruit.com to see who they were and saw that they were a website builder service and software provider. That they price their software in pounds instead of dollars indicates that they are probably located across the pond.

One of the things that moonfruit has on their website is a searchable directory of their clients. I just did a search on "ultramastering" and moonfruit came back with two web addresses for that company; the Apr 16th incomplete one I posted and the even newer one you posted.

The legal search trail stops there. As mentioned earlier, they have used a domain name registration service that provides the web analog of getting an unlisted number; a WHOIS only resolves to Network Solutions (The domain registrar service) and not to the actual owner of the domain name.

I was thinking about MasterByMail myself when you said that you package was coming from Michigan, which so happens to be where MBM was located as well. Here's some more interesting circumstantial - perhaps even just coincidental - information regarding that.

Both MBM and UM are using Network Solutions as their registrar.

MBM used to have a public registration as that's how we managed to track him down to his suburban house last September.

About a month after our look at MBM, on November 9th, 2005, he changed the MBM WHOIS regristration to the same private unlisted service that Ultramastering uses.

Ultramastering.com was registered as a domain name on January 17th, 2006, and is registered until Jan 17th, 2007.

The ultramastering website appears about three weeks ago.

The masterbymail.com domain is set to expire in three weeks (uness it is renewed.)

G.

 

[Massive Master]

The masterbymail.com domain is set to expire in three weeks (uness it is renewed.)

I don't think we'll be that lucky...

 

[mshilarious]

Both MBM and UM are using Network Solutions as their registrar.

MBM used to have a public registration as that's how we managed to track him down to his suburban house last September.

About a month after our look at MBM, on November 9th, 2005, he changed the MBM WHOIS regristration to the same private unlisted service that Ultramastering uses.

You are a genius, Glen, but the use of Network Solutions isn't rare. They were the original domain name registrar and still the largest. They are based in my hometown!!! Shout out to all my homie Hornets out there!!!

I use 'em too, and once you sign up they pester you with emails for the private registration until you shut off the email notices I keep my registration in my name, because I am a cheap bastard

The rest of that detective stuff . . . oh boy, nice work!!! Remind me not to piss you off

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

the use of Network Solutions isn't rare. They were the original domain name registrar and still the largest.

Oh, I know that. In the 90's and early 2Ks, NS was practically the World Bank, Trilateral Commission, Masons, and G8 of the Internet . But because of ther still not-so-competitive pricing and the large influx of ma and pa registrars these days, NS isn't quite the registration monolith they used to be...even if they still have a political stranglehold on almost the entire Net (BTW, compare the board of directors for Network Solutions with those of companies like Bechtel, Raytheon and Haliburton. The incidence of Directors with top national security clearances at NS is very similar...or at least it was the last time I checked )

I was looking more that the overall weight of coincidence, especially in the timiing and timeline of everything between the two. It could easily be just coincidence, I made that caveat right off. I don't know, maybe Motown is just a hotbed of mastering wannabes who misleadingly call their DAWs with HarBal equipment from Swan Song and Manley.

G.

 

[Farview]

MBM used to have a public registration as that's how we managed to track him down to his suburban house last September.

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!

Everybody grab a bat!

 

[SonicAlbert]

"Ultramastering"....sounds like Behringer has a hand in it...

That would be "Ultramastering Pro".

But seriously, the photos on their web site look like stock photos. Not one of them seems like an authentic photo of that actual mastering facility. The gear photos are stock photos taken from the manufacturers promo materials, for example.

The other thing that bothers me is that nowhere do they mention any names, not the mastering engineer(s), owner, studio manager, contact person, nobody. This is really a huge red flag, especially for a mastering studio. There is no personal touch at all, and most mastering facilities are built around the reputation of the mastering engineer.

 

[kennycarvajal]

Ouch. Well guys, it's Saturday and still no response, no mail. I'm fully giving up.

Lesson learned for sure.

Regards,
Kenny

 

[kennycarvajal]

Update....

Guys,

Thanks again for your time and responses. I would just like to inform you that my payment has since been refunded.

Regards,
Kenny

 

[Dogman]

Guys,

Thanks again for your time and responses. I would just like to inform you that my payment has since been refunded.

Regards,
Kenny

Sweet. At least you didn't get taken too badly. That's some decent news....

 

[Massive Master]

So, he said he shipped the package and evidently didn't... And then refunded your deposit...

I'm glad you were refunded, but I wonder why he didn't just do the work instead...

 

[xstatic]

They still have not returned my emails

 

[kennycarvajal]

Massive Master,

When they responded regarding my refund request, they stated that the package was shipped as scheduled (2 weeks prior) but never responded to my question of when it was shipped, nor provide a status of a tentative completion date as I initially requested. Therefore it was a bit difficult to estimate its arrival.

Anyway, yes, I too wonder why the project was (I assume, unless it just got lost in the mail) never finished. Their non-responsiveness definitely made me question this a few days in.

xstatic,

Did you also send them a project to have mastered? How long has it been and when was the last time they responded to you?

Hang in there, they will respond to you eventually. I'm glad they finally responded to me and even went as far as refunded my payment, when I accepted not to get anything at all.

Regards,
Kenny

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I'm glad they finally responded to me and even went as far as refunded my payment, when I accepted not to get anything at all.

In a perfect world, they told the truth and your disc will arrive USPS next Tuesday because they sent it bulk rate and it's been delayed by the flood of first-class Mother's Day cards and packages. You'll have your disc and your money.

Of course, if these guys were a real business, they would have sent the package via a shipping method that could be tracked, and not by first class or bulk rate mail.

At least you got your money back. That's a good thing. Now if they could only give you your time back...

G.

 

[xstatic]

No way did I send them anything. I was curious to see what they would say when I asked if I could attend a mastering session if I sent them a project. I could not find anywhere on their site that had a phone number or address or location of any sort. That is usually a very bad sign.

 

[kennycarvajal]

About a month after our look at MBM, on November 9th, 2005, he changed the MBM WHOIS regristration to the same private unlisted service that Ultramastering uses.

I keep forgetting to ask but... what was the need to look at MBM? Did you intend on having something mastered by them?

Just curious.

Kenny