Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What will audio mastering do for me?

A: Audio mastering is the process of finalizing your work for listening or duplication. It brings out subtleties in your music: clarity, punch, overall level increases, it offers precise fade ins/outs, fattens up instruments, adds sparkle, and keeps the songs at the same level and EQ from track to track, i.e., cohesiveness. Please check out the samples to hear pre and post mastering sound files.

Q: How do I know that you will get me the sound I'm looking for?

A: We are willing to master a portion of one of your songs for free to show you what our services can do for you. If you do decide to have your whole project mastered by us, tell us what kind of sound you are looking for and/or mention or send CDs that have the sound you like. Tweak Sync will master your work and mail you a reference (SCMS non-duplicating) CD to proof and critique. If you want any chages, let us know. We will then make the changes and mail the final master (non-SCMS) to you. If you are absolutely not satisfied with the reference CD, you have the option of halting the project with only the 50% down payment as your cost.

Keep in mind that the mastering engineer is a musician that has performed for years in styles ranging from rock and roll to techno to classical and opera (no kidding). He knows the characteristics of these different styles and will work with you as much as you require to ensure that the final product has the sound you want.

Q: What should I be aware of during my mixing and tracking before I send the mix to you?

A: The quality of your recordings and mixdown is important. Mastering will not make a horrible recording or mix sound good...only perhaps better. So, the better the original recording, the better the final mastered result. With mixing, there are different options: you could mix down everything to stereo left and right pair or send all the tracks separately and have us mix it for you (mixing charge applies). Pay careful attention to the levels of the individual instruments and vocals (if any). If you have a part (vocals or solo instrument) that you want to be highlighted in a song, mix it a little higher over the other instruments. Better yet, send the highlighted track separate from the other instrument tracks. We'll mix them in at just the right level and make it shine through. Also, do not compress or normalize the final stereo mixdown - this will be handled on the mastering side.

Q: What media formats do you accept?

A: DAT (16-bit, 44.1/48kHz, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VHS, 8mm Video, LP/78/45 records, cassette tapes, .wav files (up to 24-bit, 96kHz), .mp3 files, Sound Designer II files (up to 24-bit, 48kHz), AIFF files (up to 24-bit, 96kHz), standard MIDI files and ADAT tapes are currently accepted.