ONLINE MASTERING
GRAMMY AND ARIA AWARD WINNING MASTERING ENGINEERS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
AUSTRALIA’S LEADING ROSTER OF MASTERING ENGINEERS
The best of Australian Music
Studios 301 is Australia’s largest mastering facility, specialising in mastering music for Apple Music, Spotify, CD, Vinyl and all other streaming services and digital releases in a variety of genres. Our Engineers are mastering the best of Australian music every day, and so far we have mastered albums selling in excess of 100,000,000 copies!
The Mastering Process
Our engineers work on diverse material, from stadium rock, pop, classical, acoustic, indie, hip hop, to electronic music. More importantly, this work is produced in an increasingly wide variety of studios, from large scale recording complexes (not unlike Studios 301), to bedroom studios, and the occasional laptop sitting on a beach.
As you can imagine, the end results also sound quite diverse in their ‘fidelity’. The mastering process aims to provide the finished recordings with a ‘polish’ so that they sound as balanced and consistent as possible when played back on any sound system. It is the last step that’s done before playback, broadcast, replication and distribution.
Having an impartial set of ears on a recording also never hurts.
Our Mastering Service
Our premium mastering services are tailored to meet your deadlines and creative specifications and bookings can be made quickly here on our website, over the phone 02 9698 5888 , or via email. You can send your mixes to us for unattended mastering, or come in and attend the session.
Our award-winning engineers give your music the time and attention it deserves, ensuring every master is at its highest quality sonically, while always maintaining the mix’s original integrity.
New EP/Album pricing is available for bookings of multiple songs.
How does it work?
1
Submit project details & payment
3
Submit your files through upload links provided
4
You’ll receive your requested files, ready for distribution!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I prepare my tracks/files for mastering?
- we prefer interleaved Stereo WAV files to work from. AIFF and/or dual mono LEFT and RIGHT files can also be accommodated
- MP3 format is unacceptable for mastering. 44.1KHz 24bit or higher is preferred.
- supply your mix at a sensible level: try and achieve a level close to 0dB but never allow the mix to go into the red (clipping).
- provide clear notes as to what you would like done in the mastering process (i.e. desired level and tonal balance)
- if you have a reference song then please supply details
- provide details regarding intended release platform (i.e. CD, Streaming, YouTube or Video)
- provide precise details of any special edits (i.e. remove count in at start of song, fade song at end or any other requirements)
FILE FORMAT
- Bit Rate: 24Bit is preferred however 16Bit files are fine if a 24Bit source is unavailable. 32Bit Floating Point files offer no benefit but can also be used.
- Sample Rate: Please submit to us in whatever sample rate your track was recorded at. Leave any downsampling to us. If you require masters outside of the standard 44.1Khz sample rate, please let us know.
AUDIO
- Peak Level: There is a lot of advice around saying that -3 is a good target which is fine, however as long as the audio isn’t clipped (unless a deliberate effect), or very low level, then the mastering engineer can adjust the gain as needed.
- Master Buss Processing: This is often case-by-case, as it’s easy to overdo compression/saturation/limiting on the master buss. We don’t advise removing it completely however, as it may lose the intended vibe. If you are unsure, you can provide us with both a version with master buss processing on, and a version with it off.
What is GST?
GST stands for Goods and Services Tax, which is only charged to customers within Australia. If you are outside of Australia, GST will not be added to your mastering fees.
What is the difference between an unattended (charged per-song) and an attended (charged per-hour) session?
Most of our sessions are client unattended, which allows our engineers to work efficiently and to their own schedule – and we pass the saving onto you. However, we enjoy our clients attending sessions and your music has our undivided attention whilst you are here (hence the hourly rate).
Is my track good enough to master? Can you give me tips for improving my mix?
We are happy to listen to your song before booking in mastering, please contact us to discuss. Any way of improving the mix will enable us to improve the final master.
I have more questions. Where can I find out more?
We are happy to help, please contact us on +61 (0)2 9698 5888 or mastering@studios301.com
We also have answered a few common questions on our FAQ page.
Our Mastering Engineers
Leon Zervos
Chief Mastering Engineer
Recently Mastered
Leon Zervos is a world-renowned mastering engineer with exceptional credentials across a diverse range of genres. In a career spanning over 3 decades, Leon moved to New York City in the early 90’s to work as a senior mastering engineer at Masterdisk and Sterling Sound. Leon’s strengths lie in his fast and flexible working style, and uncanny ability to master big radio friendly anthems that frequently go on to commercial and critical acclaim.
Steve Smart
Chief Mastering Engineer
Recently Mastered
Steve Smart is regarded as one of the most respected and prolific mastering engineers in Australia. Starting his 30+ year career as a vinyl cutting engineer at CBS Records, Steve joined Studios 301 in the early 90’s. With a love of analogue equipment and enormous collection of outboard processing, Steve’s masters achieve a depth and space unachievable in the digital domain.
