Distinct Mastering

Mastering Engineer, Producer

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5 Reviews
Distinct Mastering on SoundBetter

Distinct Mastering offers a full range of quality services that are specifically designed to make your final master exceed even the highest standards. We specialize in electronic and dance music but have worked with all genres of music. We are excited to hear from you, once we receive your files we can start talking about your project.

You’ve worked to make the music just right. Now follow through with the all-important final step. Distinct Mastering offers a full-range of quality services that are specifically designed to make your final master exceed even the highest standards.

As a 20-year veteran DJ and producer, one who has topped the Billboard Dance Club charts twice, Distinct Mastering owner and Sleeping Giant Music president Freddie Harb understands the importance of fidelity and professionalism when selling your music. And these days, it’s so much more than making sure your final master “sounds good.”

Are you mastering for iTunes? Interested in a stem mix master? Do you need to ensure your music will stream seamlessly across all platforms? Unsure how to embed metadata or ISRC codes onto audio files? Distinct Mastering can help.

When it comes to the equipment, we only use the best to bring your music to life. All of our equipment cables we utilize are custom Mogami for clear signal pass-through. The room that we use is acoustically treated and tuned by Auralex Acoustics to ensure perfection when mixing your music.

We’d love to help make your music sound distinct! Contact me today and we can answer any questions you might have about our services.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Freshcobar
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree*
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree* feat. Rebecca Jade (2)
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree* feat. Rebecca Jade (2)
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree* feat. Rebecca Jade (2)
  • Kastra & Freshcobar
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree*
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree*
  • Freshcobar & Golden Girl (2)
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree*
  • Freshcobar & Golden Girl (2)
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree*
  • Freshcobar
  • Erick Diaz & Freshcobar
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree*
  • Freshcobar & Eggwax
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree*
  • Erick Diaz, Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree*
  • Erick Diaz, Freshcobar, Lavelle Dupree*
  • Freshcobar, Lavelle Dupree*
  • Freshcobar
  • Dirty Werk (2)
  • Bass Machina
  • Kastra Feat. Kid Phil
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various

5 Reviews

Endorse Distinct Mastering
  1. Review by Leela D
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    check_circleVerified (Client)

    Track is awesome! So easy to work with and a pro! Look forward to working with you again! 😊

  2. Review by Mike B.
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    Freddie at Distinct Mastering was a cool dude to work with. I heard some of his mastering from other projects and decided to give him a try. Not only did my projects sound better, he gave me some tips and tricks through his informative Youtube videos. All around the professionalism was superior to anyone I have worked with. He is quick to respond and very patient with any questions I may had.

  3. Review by Bernard Gonzalez
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    by Bernard Gonzalez

    Distinct Mastering brought our project to life! Very easy company to work with. Quick turn around time and had tons of suggestions to make our mix sound the best it could. Thank you so much! We'll be back next project.

  4. Review by Joe Rinaldi
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    by Joe Rinaldi

    Ive worked with Freddie for a long time, and his work has always been spectacular. I normally dont make his work harder than it has to be, but this latest effort covered for one of my mistakes and helped me avoid having to (ugh) re take a podcast. life saver!

  5. Review by Bo Scott
    starstarstarstarstar
    by Bo Scott

    Absolutely THE BEST. Ever heard the saying "you get what you pay for?" Very true here. So happy I found Distinct mastering. I ditched my old services and now Distinct is my go to. They really make sure I am happy with the finished product which you don't always find with mastering services.

Interview with Distinct Mastering

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. A: Got an opportunity to remix a song for reggae act Stick Figure, it is not being released but it was a lot of fun. The track was unique and I had to work in double time on the metronome in the DAW so that was a new approach but the track came out great and I submitted to them for review. Their management was great to work with and although not all opportunities work out it was a fun project.

  3. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  4. A: Mainly mastering for clients and custom productions for myself and my clients.

  5. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  6. A: Yes of course. Depends what you're looking for.

  7. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  8. A: My studio was custom built and consulted by Mike Krewitsky from Professional Sound and Music which used to be a pro audio shop in San Diego. He consulted and built studios like Studio West and The Art Institute of San Diego. Our studio is wired in Mogami cable and has Auralex acoustics through-out the facility. The room is perfectly tuned and we get great sounding recordings and masters at our studio. I run Dynaudio Core59 monitors and two UAD ApolloX Series units.

  9. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  10. A: Both. They both have their pros and cons.

  11. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  12. A: To make your master sound distinct.

  13. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  14. A: Being in the studio and the rewarding feeling when clients are in awe about their tune.

  15. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  16. A: "Can you make me sound like....xyz?" - - - "That depends on the quality of the production/recording but we can give it a shot"

  17. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  18. A: That mastering a track can make the artist a better musician. Mastering can make things sonically better but we do not have control as much control in stereo mastering as the mix engineer. Stem mastering gives me a bit more control but you still want to craft a solid mix before sending stems to me.

  19. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  20. A: I will send you a full sheet of questions to ask yourself before filling out my notes questionnaire. It will get you thinking and give me insight to your project as whole rather than just going right into mastering.

  21. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  22. A: Hire based on quality of work and professionalism. Credits are one thing but in this business there are more people behind the scenes than in front of it.

  23. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  24. A: A computer to be able to make music, a midi keyboard (88 fully weighted keys of course), Pultec EQ, API Pre Amp, SSL G Buss Compressor.

  25. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  26. A: 20 years and do all of the following: Touring DJ > Producer > President of Booking Agency > Ghost Producer > Mastering Engineer.

  27. Q: How would you describe your style?

  28. A: Distinct.

  29. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  30. A: To many to mention.

  31. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  32. A: Focus on the details.

  33. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  34. A: Mainly house music and electronic but I've had all types of genres through the doors of my studio including hip hop, rock, reggae, folk, acoustic music, full bands and more.

  35. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  36. A: My ears.

  37. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  38. A: 20 + years of experience working in the music industry and a distinct sound.

  39. Q: What's your typical work process?

  40. A: For mastering I like to understand the project, is it a single, EP or album. I like to collect notes from the client along with any reference mixes or previous masters. Once I have an understanding of what you want to sound like I will take a listen and give you some feedback. If I think the recording or the mix down can be better to achieve the desired sound I will let you know. If the mix sounds good I will proceed with mastering the track and send to you for review.

  41. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  42. A: Rebecca Jade (who I have the pleasure of working with), Christian "Beat" Hirt, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Bob James, Jay Dee, Pete Rock DJ Premier and many many more...

  43. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  44. A: Mastering is the most common thing I do for outside clients. I can master many different genres of music. Other than mastering I have clients that I ghost produce for and occasionally I will mix or assist clients with their productions.

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Distinct Mastering SoundBetter Reel

I was the Mastering Engineer in this production

Terms Of Service

24 hour turnaround
Unlimited revisions within 7 days
Mastering for Multiple Formats and Platforms
ISRC Embedding

GenresSounds Like
  • Freshcobar
  • Freshcobar & Lavelle Dupree
  • Lavelle Dupree
Gear Highlights
  • UAD X Series converters
  • UAD plug ins
  • Acoustically tuned and treated room / Analog Hardware (Universal Audio LA-2A / Universal Audio 1176 / Empirical Lab Distressor / SSL G Buss Compressor / Pulteq EPQ1A / Blackbox HG2)
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