Mastering here is the last pass rather than a rescue. On a record that was mixed in this room it is a short conversation with the mix; on a record that arrives finished it is a fresh set of ears and a considered decision about how loud it needs to be, which is rarely as loud as it is asked to be.
Streaming platforms normalise playback, so pushing level past the point where the record still breathes buys nothing and costs the dynamics. Vinyl asks the opposite question entirely, and gets its own master rather than a copy of the digital one.
Sequencing, spacing and metadata come with it — the parts of finishing a record that are invisible until they are wrong.
- Masters for streaming, at the level the format actually rewards
- Separate vinyl masters
- Sequencing, spacing and fades
- Singles, EPs and albums