Mastering: The Last Step Before Release

Mastering is quality control with consequences. It decides whether an album sounds like one piece across twelve songs, whether the gaps between them breathe or rush, whether the loudness suits the normalisation of streaming services, and whether the file that goes to the pressing plant is actually the one you approved. We listen to each song alone and in sequence, measure integrated loudness and true peak, check the start and end of every track for clicks and noise, and prepare exactly the formats your release needs.

Mastering happens in Control Room 1 at Burggasse 95, on the same monitoring Theresa Hofbauer mixes on – with the difference that in mastering the stereo sum alone is on the desk. The moves are correspondingly small: half a decibel in the low end, a shade less edge at 3 kHz, a compressor that carries the chorus without flattening it. One revision round is included, and delivery is within 3 working days of receiving your files.

How it works

1. Step 1

   Enquiry with target formats

   Tell us the number of songs, where the release is going – streaming, CD, vinyl or all three – and the date. Quote within 1 working day; work starts once the 30 % deposit has arrived.

2. Step 2

   Checking the mixes

   We check levels, clipping, sample rate and the head and tail of every song and let you know if a mix needs a change before it is mastered.

3. Step 3

   Mastering and sequencing

   Tonal matching, dynamics and loudness per song, then the running order with gaps and transitions. You receive a listening copy of the whole programme.

4. Step 4

   Revision, QC and delivery

   One revision round, then quality control of every file, embedding of ISRC codes and metadata, export per platform and hand-over by download link.

Who our mastering is for

Mastering at Klangnest is for anyone with an approved mix and a release to make – whether the mix was done here, at another studio or at home. The people who come to us most often:

• Bands and solo artists ahead of a single or EP release on streaming platforms.
• Labels and self-releasing artists who need a DDP image with ISRC codes for the CD pressing plant.
• Vinyl projects where side length, level and low end must be prepared before the lacquer is cut.
• Producers who deliver regularly and want a dependable outside ear on loudness and tonal balance.

If the mix itself still has balance problems – the vocal too quiet, the bass unclear – that is a job for mixing, not mastering. We will say so plainly after the check, before we start.

How mastering proceeds

We begin with measurements, not with equipment. Every song is checked for integrated loudness (LUFS), loudness range, true peak and clipping; head and tail are checked for DC offset, clicks and noise tails. Then we listen to the programme in the order you intend. From there:

1. Tonal matching: equalisation and broadband shaping so the songs of an album sit together without losing their character.
2. Dynamics: compression and limiting to suit genre and target platform – as much as needed, not as much as possible.
3. Loudness: levelling to the agreed targets, measured across the whole song.
4. Sequencing: running order, gaps, crossfades and fades; for vinyl also the split across side A and side B.
5. Metadata: ISRC per song, album title, artist, year, and for CD the CD-Text fields inside the DDP image.
6. Listening copy to you, one revision round, final check and export per format.

For albums we suggest listening to the sequenced copy once in full – that is when gaps that are too short or too long reveal themselves.

What to prepare

A good master needs, above all, a mix that has not already been limited. The checklist:

• Mix file: WAV or AIFF, 24-bit, at the sample rate of the mix session, with no limiter, dither or loudness maximiser on the master bus.
• Headroom: peaks around −6 to −3 dBFS; mixes that touch 0 dBFS leave us little to work with.
• Head and tail: about a second of lead-in and the full decay; we trim and fade in mastering.
• Running order and gaps: a list with sequence, preferred gaps or transitions, artist, album and song titles.
• ISRC codes: if your label or distributor has already issued them; otherwise we agree in advance who will.
• Reference: one released song whose loudness and tonal balance you want us to use as a bearing.

If we mixed your record, there is nothing to export: we hand over internally at full resolution. Everything else about hand-over is in our guide File formats and delivery.

Target formats and loudness per platform

Each form of release makes its own demands on loudness, level and file. The figures below are bearings we level towards; the actual targets for your project are agreed in conversation.

You receive the formats you ordered plus a listening copy; further formats from the same master are added on a time basis.

Vinyl pre-master: what the groove demands

Vinyl is a mechanical medium, and the cutting stylus imposes limits streaming never meets. That is why we prepare a separate pre-master for vinyl, at €45 per track incl. 20 % VAT on top of the master. We watch the side length – the longer a side, the quieter it has to be cut – keep low end below roughly 100 Hz in the centre, tame sibilance and extreme highs that would overload the cut, and think about where loud songs sit: the inner groove tolerates less level than the outer, so loud tracks belong near the start of a side. You receive one file per side with gaps in place and a sheet of track timings for the cutting studio. You are welcome to come and check the test pressing in Control Room 1 later on.

Turnaround and the revision round

Mastering is finished within 3 working days of receiving complete files and the deposit; for 12-track albums with DDP we agree a date together that allows for sequencing. One revision round is included, as described in article 7 of our terms: you listen, send all your notes in one go, we implement them and deliver the revised master. Typical revisions are a touch more low end, a less loud version with more dynamics, or a longer gap before the final song. A changed mix arriving after mastering has begun is not a revision but a new master of that song at the single-track price. Rush jobs under 3 working days are possible when the diary allows – just ask.

What the master price does not cover

Mastering does not replace a mix. Not included, therefore, are changes to individual tracks, stem mastering with separate groups, treatment of vocals or drums, and repair of clipping that is already in the mix. Also not included: the issuing of ISRC codes themselves (your label, distributor or the responsible agency does that; we embed existing codes), pressing costs, artwork and registration with distributors. Quoted separately are vinyl pre-masters, additional formats such as instrumental masters, and listening copies in further running orders.

Further reading: rights, terms and contact

Who owns the master after payment, what ISRC codes have to do with rights and how label contracts change the picture is explained in our guide Rights to your master: who owns the recording after the session? The binding rules are in the terms: article 5 on cancelling and rescheduling bookings, article 6 on prices, deposit and payment periods, article 7 on the revision round and approval, and article 8 on the transfer of rights after full payment. Upload size, archiving and dates are covered on the FAQ page. For a quote, use the contact form or call +43 1 890 46 27.

Scope of the service

Rates

All prices in euros. Consumer prices include 20 % Austrian VAT; for businesses VAT is shown separately on the invoice.

A master costs €95 per track incl. 20 % VAT. Multi-track releases come as packages including the DDP image: EP of up to 6 tracks €480, album of up to 12 tracks €890, each incl. 20 % VAT. The vinyl pre-master adds €45 per track incl. 20 % VAT. A 30 % deposit is due on ordering, the balance on approval – private clients pay within 7 days, businesses within 14 days of invoicing. Rights to the master pass to you once payment is complete (terms, article 8).

Questions about this service

Mix approved, release planned?

Tell us the number of songs, the target formats and your date – we reply within 1 working day with a quote and a delivery date.

Request a session