all in one mastering suite

[DickHarvey]

i currently use the L1+Ultramaximizer for mastering and it is quite useful but just isn't cutting it. i need major label quality levels for under 1k. can it be done?

[kooz]

Sure. Send your mixes to me and I'll EQ and compress 'em to within an inch of their lives for $995, payment in advance of course.

Seriously though, find a mastering engineer that you like, and who you think does justice to your work. Serious professionals charge serious money, and if you are equally serious about your music, the expense is as justified as the cash you spent on your recording rig/room/monitors... If it's for your clients, then you have some bridges to build, and a sell job to do. That sell job is not nearly as much of a challenge as getting them to record with you in the first place, believe it or not, as you should have by now built a rapport and trust level.

A software or hardware solution is fine and dandy, but it really gets down to an unbiased, experienced set of ears who has no involvement in the project, a perspective appropriate to it and a mastering rig as impressive as your own recording rig. But like your clients look for in you, there's a trust level involved. I could tell you to go with product x or y, but it might not work for you as well as it does for me.

Good luck! -kooz

[JFreak]

i need major label quality levels for under 1k. can it be done?

I'll do it for $990

Seriously, choose one:
1) devote yourself to being top mastering engineer that will get mastering clients in the future
-or-
2) pay a professional mastering engineer to master your mixes.

[cwhite771]

Mastering is definitely its own animal.

However, this is on its way to the mac in the not-to-distant future...
http://www.har-bal.com/
...and it's less than $100 (at least the current PC version is).

Too good to be true? Maybe, but I've seen dicussion of it elsewhere and a lot of people say that it does do what it claims. I contacted Har-Bal a couple months ago and they said that they are currently working on the mac version... no timeframe though.
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c