To date, I've mastered over 4,000 songs (in just under 5 years), working with some of the leading record labels in the dance music industry and more... I will master your music with a personal touch, open dialogue and honest suggestions to how we can get the absolute best out of the final master, ready to unleash on the world.
My name is Haden, I run Height Sonics, mixing and mastering house in Bristol, UK. I've been working as a full time audio engineer for over 5 years and take extreme pride in working closely will ALL my clients, big or small.
My aim is always the same. To achieve the best end result I possibly can with the mastering process, working closely with you to ensure your vision is met at the finish line.
I have worked with labels such as: Universal Music Group, Metalheadz, 31, Flexout Audio, Overview Music & many more...
Using your mixed pre-master, I will complete a stereo WAV master to your taste, style and preference of loudness and dynamics.
Why hire me? Well, i'll put it to you simply. If you don't like the service and you don't use my mix or master, I will send you your money back.
I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.
Credits
Interview with Height Sonics
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I recently worked with a singer songwriter 'Ollie Norton' on a project where we re-recorded vocals at my studio, I engineered the instrumental with some co-production, mixed the vocals and the whole mix and then mastered the project. This particular process was extremely satisfying as it was a complete start to finish project. I saw his vision from the start and had to maintain that through all the aspects of the journey and in the end the song came out incredibly well (If I don't say so) - Track: Ollie Norton - Sweet Tooth
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Full time at Height Sonics
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Not yet (Mainly because I'm new here)
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital for being able to recall. Simple.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That I will listen to YOUR needs. This is NOT my project, I am just a vessel to get the best out of your music.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The amount of new and exciting music I hear everyday. I also LOVE the challenge that comes with that.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How to submit pre-masters or stems. I usually send them my pre-master submission guide PDF which explains everything.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I have a 'magic - Make things loud' dial that does all the work for me hahaha
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Do you have a reference in mind for the end result? Have you worked with an engineer before? Do you have any questions for me?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Ask as many questions as you can! You need to feel comfortable with the service or package you are purchasing.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Novation Summit, RME Babyface, Macbook Pro (Don't know if that counts), Tascam portable recorder, Verum 1 headphones
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I have a music production degree, after uni I worked some terrible office jobs but on the side continued with music and mastering for new artists and record labels. I then went on to gain a reputation for the quality of the work and things snowballed since then. I then got to a point where I was able to quit my office job and take on audio engineering and music full time back in 2020.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Transferable.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Anyone and everyone haha! I want all the challenges
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Check your phase meters if you don't want sounds to disappear in a mix.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I work on a mixture but I would say the majority of my work falls under dance music / EDM. Second to this is more Neo-soul / Hip Hop / Afro Beat.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is being able to effectively communicate with my clients, whether they are label owners, artists or producers. I believe I am able to meet the needs of my clients regardless of their prefered genre, style or background due to the breadth of the work I have been a part of during my career.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring an honest approach from the perspective of an artist and a professional engineer. This means I can deliver a mix or master that translates on multiple systems effectively, but, that also maintains that 'spark' that the artist is looking for.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Typically I start by listening through the pre-master with the screen turned off, to get a feel and idea of the current balance, colour and to potentially spot anything that I may need to address early on in the mastering process. Then I begin by adjusting the gain staging of the pre-master to start my processing. Usually it begins with me cleaning any unwanted rumble or low end energy off the chain below 20hz and below, then I move to my mid/side and phase balancing and then the usual processing for colour, control and loudness. The referencing stage is usually the longest, but I believe is also the most crucial.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I built the Height Sonics studio 3 years ago in Bristol. The space is professionally treated acoustically by GIK and their team of professional acousticians. I use EVE SC208 Active Monitor speakers with an RME fireface 802 interface. All cabled to a professional custom standard to ensure the highest of quality of monitoring. My hardware setup is simple but 95% of my masters are done digitally using extremely versatile analog modelled EQ's and dynamic processors. On top of this I use magnetic planar headphones (Verum 1's) to reference all of my work during the process. Plugin brands typically used on a master: AMEK, Acoustica, iZotope, Newfangled Audio, Chandler, SSL, Oxford.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I am a musician myself, writing, producing and engineering a range of music including: Hip Hop, Neo Soul, Electronic and Jungle / Drum & Bass. Due to this I like everything from Earth, Wind & Fire to Anderson. Paak to Massive Attack.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Single track stereo or stem mix / mastering
- Mastering EngineerAverage price - $70 per song
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $300 per song
- Recording StudioAverage price - $300 per day
- Dialogue EditingAverage price - $200 per minute
- Turn around time: 5-7 days (48 hour turnaround is possible for an extra fee)
- Files to be sent using: Google Drive, Dropbox or a file sharing service that doesn't expire
- 3 revisions per service
