preparation

The mastering process is usually: we listen to the mixes together, I take notes of first impressions & we discuss how to approach it. Then I use whatever tools are necessary eg. EQ, compression, spatial enhancement etc - to optimise the mixes & make them sit together as an album, from a consumer's perspective. Comparing levels & tone & energy & dynamics, both to other tracks on the release as well as trusted external references is part of the process, so we truly know where something sits. I will switch to other monitors to hear how it sounds on many different systems. If possible I try to keep sessions to 4 hours or less at a time, as the listening is fresher this way - so an album is typically two half days. All the way through I take & refine the notes. Near the end of this process I assemble a track order (if its a CD) & lock in the metadata. 

I can make a reference CD for you to take away and check at home. Or more often these days I supply listening drafts as iTunes Plus quality AAC files.  This is because most people know their own stereo much better than the precise listening environment in a mastering room. Secondly any mastered product must sound good on any "real" playback system and it could be reassuring to try various systems before feeling completely satisfied. I never consider the project finished until you've heard it properly & can verify its all OK - and this means last minute changes are fine too. After getting the all clear, I can make a log sheet and a final master in DDP format to pass on to replication. For digital only releases any file format can be supplied, including  "Mastered for iTunes" validation if needed. 

An often asked question is what format to supply the music on. For digital files a data DVD or CD, portable hard drive or USB drive works well. Any sample rate up to 192kHz will work and 24bit is much better than 16bit. Always supply a full quality format like aiff or wav files, not lossy formats like mp3. Please don't use compression or limiting on your master fader while mixing as that can't be undone in mastering. It's also possible to bring in whatever medium (e.g yes to quarter inch analogue tape) or playback device (eg. laptop or workstation) you have and we can play it in in real time, analogue or digital. Usually mastering is done on full stereo mixes, but it can be useful to work off a small number of stems instead, eg. vocal & instrument, or rhythm & melody & vocals & backing vocals. Whatever the format, it's good to remember that mastering is not mixing and needs a very different headspace. 

I encourage people to book ahead a couple of weeks, but for shorter projects it can be OK to fit in time at short notice. If you're working on music and need some technical answers, it could be a good idea to get in contact before finalising the mix. Many potential problems are best avoided at this stage and mastering time is best spent enhancing the music, rather than doing mix surgery. If in doubt, it might make sense to spend up to an hour with me for free while I check the mixes and write notes about any improvements. 

If you're interested in technical questions like dither, compression, etc you could look at Bob Katz’ articles at his Digital Domain website. Bob is one of the mastering greats, thoroughly knows his stuff and communicates well.