Axiom
Posted on | May 30, 2008 |
As convenience increases, quality decreases. Don’t think this is a universal truth? Well, consider a few examples:
You get the picture; something becomes more convenient at the expense of quality. Like it or not, it’s a universal truth. An axiom.
And so it goes with making audio recordings. It seems like a great idea to have your song, ep, or album tracked, mixed, and mastered in one place for a “package rate”. Hell, it’s convenient. But like every convenience in the world, it comes at a price.
I think a good analogy is getting your oil checked and car washed at the gas station. The oil is more expensive and the discount car wash isn’t nearly as good as a hand-washed and waxed car detailing service. But, hey, it’s convenient.
And don’t think that because I’m a mastering engineer (who, coincidentally, owns a mastering studio) I’m bashing on recording studios for offering mastering. It would be just as absurd if I offered tracking and mixing in my mastering studio. And that’s why i don’t do it.
But the difference is that people understand tracking and mixing, but mastering is a mystery. What is that mastering engineer doing, and is he as good as Bernie Grundman?
So — since it’s a mystery — it doesn’t seem strange that a recording studio would offer mastering.
Sometimes conveniences are worth the trade-off, and sometimes they’re not. You just need to decide whether your music is something that deserves the attention of dedicated, specialized professionals at each stage of the process…or whether one size fits all.
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From Ohm to Om reflects the opinions of mastering engineer Paul Abbott, owner of San Diego's ZenMastering.
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