Basic quotes for mastering

• 1 single or EP (7″/12″/CD) up to 4 tracks:
  EUR 170 (CHF 180)
• 1 EP or mini-album (12″/CD) by 1 artist, up to 8 tracks:
  EUR 230 (CHF 240)
• 1 album/compilation (LP/CD) by 1 artist, up to 12 tracks with low complexity:
  EUR 285 (CHF 300)
• 1 album/compilation (LP/2LP/CD) by 1 artist, up to 16 tracks with low complexity:
  EUR 345 (CHF 360)
• 1 album/compilation (LP/2LP/CD) by various artists, up to 20 tracks, or with complex source material:
  EUR 460 (CHF 480) or more

Service included:

• 1 mastered preview track, 1st version
• 1 mastered preview track, alternate 2nd version if requested
• 1 fully mastered audio image preview, with cue sheet for test CD-R burning by client
• If requested, 1 alternate 2nd version audio image preview with cue sheet, provided the client can reasonably describe the desired changes
• Final DDP image for delivery to the pressing plant incl. ISRC and EAN if provided by client

Extra options for mastering

• Express “overnight” or “overtheweekend” jobs:
  + 50 % of basic price
• CD-Text inclusion (album artist, album title, track titles, track artists, composers):
  + EUR 23 (CHF 24)
• Gapless master with track transitions and fades, made from individually delivered files, if precisely documented in advance:
  + 25 % of basic price
• Separate audio image master files for each vinyl LP side, if required by pressing plant:
  + EUR 23 (CHF 24) per LP
• Separate master version for vinyl, e.g. due to incompatible phasing or extra-wide stereo mix issues:
  + 25 % of basic price
• Additional individual promo audio files converted from final DDP, with tags and m3u playlist:
  + EUR 23 (CHF 24) for 1 file format set
  + EUR 35 (CHF 36) for 2 file format sets (e.g. a FLAC folder + an MP3 folder)
  Lossless audio file formats available: AIFF, WAVE, SDII, ALAC, FLAC
  Lossy audio file formats available: AAC/M4A, MP3, OGG

Digital audio restoration

• Denoising, dehumming, declicking, phase correction from misaligned tape heads;
• Digital restoration of missing audio signal, e.g. analog tape drop-outs;
• Digital removal of undesired background noises, feedback, microphone pops etc.:
  EUR 23 (CHF 24) per 15 minutes work time

Mobile digital recording and mixing

• Engineering at a recording location of choice, with microphones and cables provided by client, recording up to 16 audio tracks simultaneously;
• Mixing session at my studio:
  EUR 69 (CHF 72) per work hour, or
  EUR 460 (CHF 480) per work day (8 work hours)

The “small” print a.k.a. Terms & Conditions for mastering

• Standard album mastering may take a couple of work days to complete, depending on my schedule. Please communicate any deadlines in advance with the order.
• The job should be clearly documented in advance, with the finalized track sequence, preferred gap lengths between tracks, ISRC for each track, EAN, any extra requests or notes, preferrably also with links to some reference sound-alike examples.
• Source audio files should be delivered as individual sequentially numbered track files in one Zip archive package via Dropbox (I will provide the upload link, membership is not required), or on data CD-R or DVD-R via registered snail-mail.
• Digitalization of physical audio media is possible at EUR 23 (CHF 24) per 15 minutes work time. Accepted formats:
  • DAT cassette 44.1 or 48 kHz
  • 1/4″ reel-to-reel 2-track analog master tape, 19 cm/s or 38 cm/s (7.5 ips or 15 ips), standard cine spindle or NAB or AEG DIN hub
  • Standard analog compact cassette, incl. Dolby B or C noise reduction
• For gapless tracklists with transitions and fades between all tracks, a single and already mixed file is preferable, either with a cue sheet, or documented with precise track start timings in hundredths of seconds. (Some extra service pricing may apply, depending on complexity.)
• Ideal source audio file format is 24-bit/44.1 kHz stereo, AIFF, WAVE, FLAC or ALAC. Mono audio can be delivered as true mono 1-channel files. High resolution audio (48/88.2/96/192 kHz) is also fine.
• Delivering lossless 16-bit audio files is not recommended but acceptable if no better source files are available. (Please never try to “upgrade” 16-bit audio to 24-bit, it will not have any positive effect whatsoever!)
• Delivering lossy audio files like MP3, AAC/M4A or OGG is strongly discouraged. WMA audio files are not acceptable at all.
• Unexpected, unannounced and unavoidable pre-processing of the source files will be charged extra. That may include removal of excessive noise, hum, clicks, etc.
• Simple format conversion from FLAC/ALAC to AIFF/WAVE, sample rate conversion or simple pseudostereo-to-true-mono conversion are free of charge.
• Any mistakes on my part will be always corrected on my behalf free of charge.
• I reserve the right to reject the delivered audio files if I would consider them not suitable for mastering yet. For example, as every so often: “Better first fix it in the mix!” :)
• Unavoidable extra work arising from not meeting the conditions above will be charged separately:
  EUR 23 (CHF 24) per 15 minutes work time
• I do not participate in the “Loudness War”. My masters will play quite loud if musically suitable, but they will not be brickwall-limited to their “dynamic death”.
• If possible, releases made from my masters should always have at least the following credit:
  Mastered by Lukáš Machata (loukash.com)
  And my slogan on back cover or on labels, incl. the quotation marks:
  “A Loudness Peace Master”
• Any unavoidable expenses like phone call rates, postage, packaging, physical audio media, transportation etc. will be always charged separately.

Payment

• 50 % in advance upon delivering the source files and documentation
• 50 % within 7 days after receiving the final invoice

Payment options:

• Bank transfer in CHF or EUR (SEPA compatible)
• TransferWise in CHF or EUR
• PayPal in CHF + 5 % handling fee
• Cash in CHF or EUR

All prices listed above are final. I am not a VAT payer.

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updated 2021-11-21