Bad form I know but Mastering Reccomendations?

[Text_Edifice]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a mastering recommendations for a studio that specialises in jazz / soul type stuff (if such a beast exists). I've taken projects to mastering facilities (that will remain nameless) with more of a rock / pop bent in the past and the masters have come back sounding - ahem - not quite as nice as I would have anticipated.

I realise Turtlerock is a good choice but the project has a budget which probably excludes anywhere above $150 / hr.

All suggestions / warnings / experiences greatly appreciated.

Text_Edifice

[Chris H]

Give Rick a call

[Jason]

I know I work here but Grevillea Recording Studios has a huge amount of experience with both jazz and classical music.

Give us a call and we can arrange a time for you to come down an discuss you project. PH:3262 8422

Cheers

Jason

[wez]

i don't think many mastering houses 'specialise' in any style... part of the job description involves being fluent in pretty much anything. someone may of course be better at a certain thing, but an eclectic background is what you want, and what you would expect.

i'm sure you'll find someone local to help you out, matthew gray comes to mind. there are plenty of cheaper options and i know price is a big factor but try not to let it be the only factor.

i won't tell you to send it down here even though i'm great at jazz ;-) and i get a fair bit of interstate work, we probably all do. but it's nice to develop a relationship with a local person, and of course be able to attend the session, if that's what you want.

just my opinions of course

cheers, wez (definitely not trolling)

[wez]

...

[Jason]

I understand what your saying wez. We do other work as well but about 80 to 90 percent of our work is in that area.

Not trying to stir, just telling it how it is.

Jason

[Text_Edifice]

Thanks for the responses! Will relay to the client as it's there choice at the end of the day.

Cheers.

[wez]

no that's cool jason, there are always exceptions.

[rick]

can i troll for a gig on my own site....?

hourly rates dont actually tell you what the bill will be
maybe our high rates will work out cheaper because i am faster and better at it then some cheaper options.

jazz....?

specialists ...?
we do and have always do heaps of jazz and all the big names in australian jazz but i dont think there is such a thing "jazz" mastering house in australia.
maybe ring a few guys and talk actual budgets not just hourly rates
i would be very suprised if a good mastering house fluffed the job because of style of music, a good place will handle everything that comes in and treat it all the same the same
that what makes them good...
being consistant
end of troll....
- rick

[Text_Edifice]

Hi Rick,

I realise that hourly rate doesn't necessarily equate to higher overall costs but having contacted you about mastering some stuff for an EP recently (still considering options) I believe I can reasonably say this particular project doesn't have the budget to pay you what you're worth.

Rather than try and haggle for an unfair price I thought it would be better to ask around for other recomendations. I probably should have listed a total budget rather than a guesstimate hourly rate though. :oops:

I realise also that a good mastering engineer will be able to master any programme material well but in order to work within their budget the artist may have to settle for someone who may not have as much experience as yourself. :(

I guess what I was asking for was recomendations of smaller / less experienced mastering engineers or studios who might have a track record of doing a good job on jazz stuff.

I know what's around locally in Brisbane but am not familiar with what's available in the rest of the country so thought I'd tap the collective knowledge of the board (I acknowledge that it's kinda bad form to be asking the question on the Turtlerock forum though so apologies if you've taken offence).

Perhaps I should have worded the question differently :)

Cheers

[chris p]

Hey there TE

No matter what your budget is, ask Rick what he can for you for the money. He did a great job for me on a budget, and he does work efficiently. Obviously the more time you can afford the better, but if you can only afford 5 hours or so, 5 hours of TurtleRock can still do wonders for your album. I'm sure the other mastering gurus on the forum would also do their best to give you the most bang that your buck can afford.

At the risk of hijacking the thread (just a little), it reminds me of an article in AudioTech about budgeting for the whole process. Its not that mastering is expensive compared to the rest of the process (the opposite seems truer), its more that people seem to either not know or forget that they will need it, and so do not budget for it.

[Text_Edifice]

Hey Chris,

I agree five hours at Turtlerock would be great.

To give you an idea of the budget - mastering costs were figured at about 25% of the cost of the entire project (including pressing and promotion) and this worked out to about 50% of the cost of the tracking / mixing budget.

I don't think this is unreasonable on the clients part, the budget just isn't very big :)

Might just let this thread die I think - I feel I've asked the wrong question and stepped on some toes.

Thanks all for your comments, I will represent them to the client.

Text_Edifice

[rick]

hey i am not offended in any way, my thoughts were just to clarify that hourly rates dont equal actual budget costs
we have more work then i can comfortably do so i am not really concerned who the job goes out to ,
just get it done the best you can afford was my thoughts on the subject and dollars per hour only matter if you know how many hours you will use.
and to clarify that a good mastering house will do everything