Today there are many opportunities to show yourself as a musician. You can produce music with a single laptop, and get a record deal wherever you are in the world.
However to get attention in this increasingly competitive market you have to have the best sound quality as possible, which is as much important these days as the song itself.
This is where Aetheron Audio can support you. With more than 10 years experience in the electronic music industry as a mastering engineer and music producer, with 1000+ mastered tracks, I am able to enhance your track to the actual commercial standards.
My mission is to help artists their music to be heard with enhancing/improving the sound, and bring clarity, depth, warmth, richness and power into your music. Releasing great sounding tracks into the world is always a great success to the artist, and to myself as well.
As a chief mastering engineer of Monstercat Silk (former Silk Music), mastered tracks are field tested and played by top artists all over the world, and I mastered many genre-defining tracks in the past years.
As an artist I also know that how important is to keep the original artist’s vision during the engineering work, and enhance from there, therefore your opinion and satisfaction is my top priority. Through close communication we are able to define the goals together, and I can give you professional advice how to reach the best possible quality of your work.
As in many things, it’s in the details that the essence is revealed. If you want to get the attention of major agencies, labels or the “big players” in the music business, you need to get every detail right.
Big productions separate these activities and outsource them to an external sound engineer for a good reason, who with his years of experience, professional tools and fresh ear can hear the mistakes that our ears are used to.
In order to get a high quality result, you need many years of learning, practice and high quality equipment. Furthermore, professional equipment to compete with the sound of big productions is a big investment.
Once we have agreed on the expectations, I do not disappear until the final result is ready. I am continuously communication to reach the best possible result.
As soon as we have the final version of your music, we will listen to it together and make any necessary changes. I guarantee that you will be satisfied, and you have to pay only after I have received your final approval.
I like clear deadlines, which is exactly why I work according to them, so that you know when you can expect the result.
Submit the song/s you would like to use one of the services for. After listening to the song, I will suggest the recommended depth of engineering to achieve the best possible results.
We will then discuss the goals together, define references, the exact steps to reach the goal, and all technical details. I will communicate continuously as necessary throughout the work and send you the final results upon completion.
If there is a point where the final result does not fully reflect your original vision, I will make the necessary adjustments
Prices above are for 1 track. If you need mixing or mastering on a regular basis, or for multiple tracks, please contact me for a bundle discount.
Like music production, mixing and mastering is also a subjective form of art in itself. Therefore it is very important to agree about a clear goal before the process, otherwise my own taste will take the lead, which can be different compared to yours.
There are many ways to do this, but the most common is providing a reference master, or a self-master. Reaching the goal is a team work between the artist, the producer, the label, the engineer, and anyone who is leading the project, but in case of smaller projects it is usually just the artist and the engineer. At the end, differences can still occur due to the subjectivity, but in this case revision is always possible, and 2 revision loops are included in the price.
Minimum requirement is 44,1kHz/24bit WAV or AIFF files, but 48kHz/24bit files are recommended. There should be a headroom of minimum 6dB (-6dBFS peak level), no limiting, compression, or mastering EQ on the master channel. Please check the beginning and the end of the track to be sure that there is no missing data, and the tails are complete. No additional fade in or out is necessary, as it is part of the mastering process. Providing a reference master is not mandatory, but highly recommended.
Stem mastering is required when some more in-depth approach is necessary to improve the relative proportions of the main groups inside the track, which is not possible with normal mastering. Number of stems can vary depending on the song and the complexity, but usually 5-8 instrument groups are enough: vocals, leads, kickdrum, bass, snare or clap, hihats and percussions, pads and atmospheres, effects. If there is a special issue with the track, it is possible that certain sounds or groups will be requested separately, which can help me to get the most out of the final results. File preparation requirements are the same as for mastering.
Mixing is required when balancing and clarity can be improved only on the instrument (track) level. Therefore in this case all tracks are necessary for the engineering process separately. It is very important to name each files properly to support identification and organization of the tracks on both sides. In case of larger projects, some tracks can be merged after prior agreement. File preparation requirements are the same as for mastering.
Your new mix/master may sound significantly different to you, in comparison to the sound / aesthetic of your track during the production process. This difference is caused by the effort of making the track more clear and balanced, as well as the addition of depth, dimension, and loudness. Before replying with your initial feedback about the results, I would like to recommend to live with the master for at least for 24 hours. If there is something about the master that you don’t like, it could be the fact that you’re simply used to the original sound, which you heard many times during production. Take some time to get used to the new sound. Listen to the new track on as many systems as possible: on headphones, on your mobile, in a car, etc.. This will give you a broader perspective on how your track sounds and is an essential practice vs. only checking on the same speakers where you produced the track. If you have sent a reference master, please always compare to that track first.
After you’ve taken the above steps and waited at least 24 hours since first receiving and listening to the new master(s), please contact us with your feedback. If there is anything you would like to change to match your artistic decisions, let me know, and I will be glad to provide some advice/guidance on how to reach the desired goal and provide a new revision of the mix/master when necessary.
You absolutely can, but it is not recommended. Many artists have the skills to do the whole process by themselves, but even these artists can have the benefit of an additional pair of ears of an experienced engineer. Your ears can get used to some flaws during the long production process, and this can be easily corrected by the engineer, who is listening to your track the first time with all the experience behind, in an acoustically treated room, and with a transparent signal chain.
There are many advantages to work with an engineer. The most important is communication, where we can set the goals together, and customize the process to the artist’s needs. I am taking care of my clients, giving advices how to reach the best possible quality, and supporting the idea and vision of the artist through revisions if it is necessary. Together we can achieve a highly personalized outcome of the mixing/mastering process.
Making clear decisions about the next steps when your song is ready is often hard based on my experience with some of my clients.
I have started a free evaluation service for this reason to support less experienced artists in the decision making process. Just drop your file, fill out the form, and I will get back to you with a detailed evaluation.
