When mastering, my main goals are (1) Making the mix balanced/sound better (2) Making the mix louder/sound louder (3) Making sure the mix translates well between different speakers/environments. My job is to sweeten and polish off the mix using very subtle moves. It’s not about how loud you make it but how you make it loud.
Below is an explanation of the key components of my mastering process:
Step 1: Listen to the mix to hear the dynamic range and where the frequency build-ups are and so get a feel for what needs to be done
Step 2: Fix any clicks and pops and other artefacts and phase and balance issues
Step 3: Use subtractive EQ to fix any identified issues within the mix – for this I mainly use Fab Filter Pro-Q3
Step 4: Add saturation and additional harmonics to the mix – for this I mainly use Fab Filter Saturn 2
Step 5: Use additive EQ to finely tune the dynamics and balance of the mix – for this I mainly use Fab Filter Pro-MB and Fab Filter Pro-Q3
Step 6: Add compression to glue the mix together – for this I mainly use IK Multimedia TR5 Bus Compressor and Waves API-2500 Compressor
Step 7: Address the stereo width of the mix - for this I mainly use Fab Filter Pro-Q3 in mid-side mode and IK Multimedia TR5 Quad Image
Step 8: Address the low end of the mix – for this I mainly use Ozone 9 Low End Focus
Step 9: Limiting – for this I mainly use Fab Filter Pro-L
In addition, analogue emulations that I may use as required to further sweeten and polish off the mix are as follows:
KazrogTrue Iron
Matthew Lane DrMS
IK Multimedia TR5 Master EQ-432
Nomad Factory Magnetic II
IK Multimedia TR5 Tape Machine 80
Thanks for taking the time to read about my mastering service.
Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
10 Reviews
Endorse MINHAS Mastering
Impressive mastering. I like how Abdul gets my tracks to be wider but in a very balanced way.
I have sat in on many mastering sessions and had lots of songs mastered but Abdul’s masters have always been above and beyond. He improves the mix beyond just making it brighter and louder as often occurs.
I cannot recommend Abdul enough. He is very personable and the results are great.
Abdul is a really nice and helpful guy. I really liked working with him. I thought mastering was just a loudness levelling thing but comparing his mastered tracks to my original mixes I can see that it is so much more. He helped tie my songs and the whole album together. I think that his contribution went well above and beyond standard mastering.
I would recommend 100% for making my track sound 100% ready for release.
Really good and fast service. On one occasion I requested far too many revisions only for me to revert back to his original mastered track - oops. However, he would not accept any form of payment until I was fully satisfied. You can’t ask for better than that.
Not only did Abdul master my EP for me but he also advised me regarding my mixes. These changes helped me to further improve my mixes prior to mastering and resulted in better masters than I could have imagined. Will be using him again on my next album.
Abdul helped get my mixes ready for release. They seemed much fuller and deeper and appeared much louder even when level matched with my mixes. He works very hard and very fast and has a great ear. Very happy to work with him.
Abdul has mastered a few tracks for me. What really impresses me is how clear and open he is about what he has or has not done. Not only has he provided me with some great mastered tracks but he has taught me much about the whole process.
Fantastic work, very quick, great communication and friendly guy!
- Mastering EngineerAverage price - $50 per song
Turnaround is typically 24 hours or less. If you need it sooner then just let me know. Also, unlimited revisions included. I will not be happy until you are happy.
Happy to fully master one of your tracks for free so that you can hear and compare my mastering skills to anyone else.
