Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Gregg Janman]

I have finally found a client who actually lives in the same city as me, and he would like to attend the mastering session next Monday. Of course, I was happy to oblige.

I am just wondering if you guys have any tips or pitfalls to be aware of, to ensure that everything goes smoothly! As well as being the artist, he is also the label owner and talked about putting a lot more work my way in our meeting in Akihabara yesterday. He has been impressed with my work so far.

Fingers crossed all goes well.

[lowland]

In no particular order:

Keep the atmosphere light
Show an interest in the client's music and story
Get their opinion as often as is necessary, but no more so
Provide regular refreshments, including lunch where appropriate
Make the mastering nuts and bolts happen as unobtrusively as possible

Did I mention to keep the atmosphere light?

Enjoy the session, Gregg, I hope good things come of it.

[Gregg Janman]

Thanks Nigel,

Just the kind of tips I was looking for!

I'll make sure I have refreshments in. I think it'll be pretty chilled. I met him and the label's artist/designer yesterday, and they were both very nice.

[Thomas W. Bethel]

lowland wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 09:07

In no particular order: Keep the atmosphere light Show an interest in the client's music and story Get their opinion as often as is necessary, but no more so Provide regular refreshments, including lunch where appropriate Make the mastering nuts and bolts happen as unobtrusively as possible Did I mention to keep the atmosphere light? Enjoy the session, Gregg, I hope good things come of it.

This is GREAT advice.

The only thing I would add is somewhere at the beginning of the session you should talk a bit about how payment is to be handled at the end of the sessions and restate your rates so there is no surprises later on.

It is a good idea IMHO to take a break every so often and walk around the room or go out for some fresh air to clear your head.

What genre is the mastering???

Best of luck!

[Gregg Janman]

Thanks Tom, that is also excellent advice!

I do need to talk to to them more about payment, as it wasn't totally clear yesterday. It doesn't help that his English is about as poor as my Japanese, but the designer will also come along, and her English is much better, so I'm thinking of writing everything down and hacking that out fairly near the beginning of the session.

The label deals with mainly Techno music artists, although I think on Monday we'll be doing at least one track with rap vocals. I'm very comfortable with most electronic music mastering, as I'm an electronic musician myself, so it's somewhat of a speciality.

Looking forward to it!

[urm eric]

Gregg Janman wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 08:15

Thanks Nigel, Just the kind of tips I was looking for!

At some point during the session, dial in what you want from the Pullet and then let them switch it out of by-pass. A broad smile transcends all language barriers.

At a later time in your career, get a big friendly dog, or two, or four.

Good luck, you'll enjoy having immediate confirmation of your changes and learn a lot from immediate less enthusiastic responses.

Cheers,


Eric

[cass anawaty]

Run the session, and have confidence in your choices.

[Ed Littman]

defrag/reboot the comp before the session.
I have all my attended clients fill out a brief form for their info & sign that they agree to a small disclaimer about my payment policy.
IMO,it shows confidence & professionalism.
If you did not have to fill out some paper work at your 1st DR. visit wouldn't it look suspect?

Ed

[compasspnt]

Be sure the toilets are clean.

[Waltz Mastering]

Don't second guess your gut instinct... listen low. listen high. A/B before/after equally... good luck.

[bigaudioblowhard]

I'd ask them to bring samples of stuff they like, or listen to etc., so they can get a feel for how things sound in your room

seems they're already familiar with your work,  so probably not necessary, but before starting, have "the little chat" about volume if you feel it is necessary, with any of your own samples ready to demo

bab.

[jdg]

let them sit in the "captains" chair a few times.

[lowland]

jdg wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 19:56

let them sit in the "captains" chair a few times.

That's a good one, John - never fails!

I've heard it said of Bob Ludwig that on an attended session clients feel they're very important to him and that they have his complete attention. If on finishing the session your customer goes away with the impression that 1. he's been well looked after and 2. the best job that can be done has been done, you can't ask for much more IMO.

[bleen]

jdg wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 11:56

let them sit in the "captains" chair a few times.

You never let me do that...  

[jdg]

bleen wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 14:05

jdg wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 11:56 let them sit in the "captains" chair a few times. You never let me do that...

dont eat beans

[bleen]

jdg wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 17:47

bleen wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 14:05 jdg wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 11:56 let them sit in the "captains" chair a few times. You never let me do that...   dont eat beans

If you had an Aeron it wouldn't matter...

[Andrew Hamilton]

Hi Gregg, you probably have heard or thought of these ideas, before.  However, review is often helpful:

Be sure to A/B reference material at the monitor gain position you're working at (or at least attenuated in calibration to that level).

Don't forget to watch how much time is spent talking.  Try not to debate politics or philosophize Nietzsche or proselytize sinners or anything nut-ball like that, while on the clock.  


The client is not always right.  Don't be persuaded to deviate from your work-flow until you have thought it through.  A good idea from a lay-person may be inspired - or, quite possibly, it may only be reasonable on the surface.  What Cass said is quite right.  You are the ME - it's your room.   Don't let the tail wag the dog.  They want your advice.  Don't take theirs with anything but a grain of salt.  

If it sounds good, it is.  

Only hard-bypassed bands don't interact.

Green tea, o kudasai.

Do bathe.  Seems unnecessary, but you might wish you had done so...   Especially if Nasui (or Quincy Jones) comes over during the session.

Having a friend come over to rescue you at around the time you think your session will be over, in case it's a setup, is probably wise - especially if it's the first time you meet with dude.  If you can phone your friend with an innocent-sounding statement, such as, "Red Licorice," you can agree ahead of time that that means, "SOS!," or similar.  With all that nice equipment, if you don't have security guards, or at least a secretary, you could be a sitting duck for robbery.  

Viva la unattended session.


Good luck,
    Andrew



(P. S.,  I listened to the other songs in the Peppermint Waves collection.  My favorites are still the first three tracks.  Somehow, compositionally, I was less entertained by the others.  The mastering was fine, however.  Most of the value of a song is the performace.  Second is the composition.  Third, the mix.  Last, and least, the mastering.  So, enjoy the low pressure mystery tour, Gregg J.!  

[Gregg Janman]

Thanks for all the great tips people!

Yeah the "Pullet" In/Out never fails to bring a smile to my face either.  

I have worried about doing attended sessions before, because of the "robbery" thing, so that advice is well worth taking on board Andrew.

Thanks for the kind comments re: the "Peppermint Sine Waves" compilation too!

Will report back on how it went after the session.

Thanks once again,

Gregg

[Thomas W. Bethel]

Andrew Hamilton wrote on Sat, 27 November 2010 03:05

Hi Gregg, you probably have heard or thought of these ideas, before.  However, review is often helpful: Don't forget to watch how much time is spent talking.  Try not to debate politics or philosophize Nietzsche or proselytize sinners or anything nut-ball like that, while on the clock.   The client is not always right.  Don't be persuaded to deviate from your work-flow until you have thought it through.  A good idea from a lay-person may be inspired - or, quite possibly, it may only be reasonable on the surface.  What Cass said is quite right.  You are the ME - it's your room.   Don't let the tail wag the dog.  They want your advice.  Don't take theirs with anything but a grain of salt.   If it sounds good, it is.   Having a friend come over to rescue you at around the time you think your session will be over, in case it's a setup, is probably wise - especially if it's the first time you meet with dude.  If you can phone your friend with an innocent-sounding statement, such as, "Red Licorice," you can agree ahead of time that that means, "SOS!," or similar.  With all that nice equipment, if you don't have security guards, or at least a secretary, you could be a sitting duck for robbery.   Viva la unattended session. Good luck,     Andrew

Also all good suggestions.

Don't forget that the client is in an unfamiliar room listening to his or her materials on a system that is foreign to them so it is a very good idea to play some things the client has brought with them as examples early on in the session so the client can get an idea of what his or her reference materials sound like on your system.

The client will probably ask a lot of questions so do your best to answer them in a timely manner. Don't get sidetracked into a discussion of mixing or performance - there is not much you can do at the mastering stage to fix either one. Also as Andrew has suggested stay away from long discussions especially about politics or religion. The client is in your studio to do work. If the client wants to have a long personal discussion save it for a dinner break. Some clients feel the need to describe in the minutest details their feelings about the music, how they did the recording, what they want from their efforts and will go on an on and then complain that you over charged them or you charged them for time that was not used in mastering their materials. You have to develop your own way of dealing with this. I usually just change the subject back to the mastering we are doing but you will have to use your own judgment on how best to do this on a case by case basis.

Let the client make suggestions - it is after all their money and they do have the final say - but also mention what consequences their decisions may have on the music. ("gee my salesman at GC told me to boost the frequencies of 100 Hz and 10000 Hz by 10 dB if I want to make my stuff commercial""can you do that???")

As to security. I usually have an intern in attendance at any attended session where it is the client's first time mastering with us just for some extra "protection" I also have a panic button connected to our alarm system that I can activate when I am sitting at my mastering desk. I have NEVER had a problem but with the increases in the number of people out of work or looking for an easy way to score some equipment for sale it is always a good idea to be extra careful. I also try and stay away from people who suggest doing mastering sessions late a night since that seems to be a more risky time for thefts.

Again best of luck and do let us know how it went.

[fuse]

When the singer(s) wants to attend the mastering you might think twice of doing that. A lot of the singers tends to want the volume of the vocals way to high because they like to hear themself so much. (Sounds like a sneer, but isn't)

[Jerry Tubb]

fuse wrote on Sat, 27 November 2010 07:12

When the singer(s) wants to attend the mastering you might think twice of doing that. A lot of the singers tends to want the volume of the vocals way to high because they like to hear themself so much. (Sounds like a sneer, but isn't)

Hahaha! that's and old joke around here; an attended session with the whole band present except for one guy, who finally shows up near the end of the session and asks "wow! can you turn me up?"... everybody else rolls their eyes : - )

Good luck Gregg, it's really not that big of a deal, just stay on the path of what's been working for you.

If the client wants to veer off and nano-tweak something insignificant for a few minutes, indulge him, it's his nickel.

Then get back on course and keep moving forward, as the other tendency is for the client to start looking at his watch toward the end of the day.

Now that you've stirred everyone's curiosity, report back.

JT

[jackthebear]

Have fun.......don't over think things.......play your natural game as it were.....

Simplistic approach I know.......but doing so seems to produce the best results for me in all facets of my life.......

Once you get over the day I'm sure you will find you have nothing to really worry about and it will just get easier.......it's no wonder we marvel at how people make things look easy after they have been doing things for a long time........repetition is the mother of skill......and we grow once we step out of our comfort zone.......

I'm certain you will do very well......

[Gregg Janman]

Thanks guys,

Things went very well, and the client was happy, but it did feel very strange having someone peering over my shoulder, and having to explain what I was doing all the time. I am sure it was a good learning/teaching experience for me, but I think I'd prefer to fly solo in future.  

Gregg

[resolectric]

Gregg Janman wrote on Tue, 30 November 2010 11:45

...I am sure it was a good learning/teaching experience for me, ...

Maybe even more so for your client.

[mastermind]

If the whole band is there, make sure your musician jokes are distributed evenly amongst all the band members, so that any one band member won't feel picked on. Unless of course one member doesn't show up for the session (say - the drummer), then it's open season on drummer jokes....    

t

[Viitalahde]

My favourite attended session discussion:

I hand the ref CD to the client, and he asks how he should listen to it. I ask how he does his dishes, by hand or with a machine? The client gets a little confused and answers "Uhm.. By hand".

"Great! Put the CD in the player and listen while doing the dishes, that's how you do it."

[cass anawaty]

Gregg Janman wrote on Tue, 30 November 2010 11:45

I am sure it was a good learning/teaching experience for me, but I think I'd prefer to fly solo in future.   Gregg

That's me as well.  These days I pretty much insist on the attended part being the "approval", but of course I send them with a disc to check out in their own spaces.  At a minimum, I make sure I've flown in the files a week ahead so I can have a couple of listens in and a general idea of what I want to do.

[mastermind]

I think if the artist wants to attend, they attend... regardless of how it impacts workflow.

It is their music after all.....

t

[Jerry Tubb]

mastermind wrote on Tue, 30 November 2010 21:20

I think if the artist wants to attend, they attend... regardless of how it impacts workflow. It is their music after all..... t

Yep, helps develop great client relationships!

And they love hearing their music on the big speaks.

JT

[djwaudio]

I always like to have the artist in if it's handy, as it makes for an enjoyable day.  After a while of doing this, clients will sense you know what you're doing, and wont be over your shoulder so much.  

I like to A/B the straight mix to what I'm doing for them, see a big smile, then move along.

Then I reengage their ears for the spacing/fades.  I actually *like* to have the drummer in on this part of the process.  They usually have the best sense of rhythm in the house!

[Thomas W. Bethel]

Gregg Janman

So what happened???? or are you still mastering???

[dcollins]

Thomas W. Bethel wrote on Sun, 05 December 2010 14:12

Gregg Janman So what happened???? or are you still mastering???

The client may have taken off his shoes or changed a diaper.


DC

[Gregg Janman]

You guys are crazy, I posted about what happened a week ago, see my previous post on this page!!!

[compasspnt]

Gregg Janman wrote on Tue, 30 November 2010 06:45

Thanks guys, Things went very well, and the client was happy, but it did feel very strange having someone peering over my shoulder, and having to explain what I was doing all the time. I am sure it was a good learning/teaching experience for me, but I think I'd prefer to fly solo in future.   Gregg

I think everyone wants a blow-by-blow description.

[Thomas W. Bethel]

Gregg Janman wrote on Sun, 05 December 2010 18:56

You guys are crazy, I posted about what happened a week ago, see my previous post on this page!!!

After all the great replies you received to your question I guess I was expecting a few more words after you had time to digest what went on. If that is all you want to share then....C'est la vie

[Gregg Janman]

Well, of course I am extremely thankful for all the help, suggestions and support I got from the esteemed members of this forum. I am sorry if it came off like I wasn't.

But, to be honest, there really isn't that much more to tell!

A guy and a girl from the label came round, I made coffee, we talked about the work they wanted me to do, paymnet terms etc. After a while we went into the studio and I started mastering the first track. The girl stayed in the lounge sketching (she's an artist/designer), and the guy watched and asked questions/made comments while I mastered two tracks for him. Then we all went for lunch and they went back to the train station where we said goodbye.

He was happy with my work, and played all the tracks I have mastered so far out live in a club last night. I haven't heard back from him since then.

As far as I was concerned, I felt a lot more pressure to "perform" than I normally do, which made me feel a little uncomfortable. It was probably a good experience for me, as I let him know what I was doing, step by step, and why I was doing it. And as they say, the best way to really learn something is to teach it (I should know that, I have been teaching for the last 11 odd years).

I agree with a previous poster who said it's the right of the artists to be there for the mastering session. But, for me personally, it felt more uncomfortable. Hopefully it will be something I get to try again, and my attitude/thoughts will become more positive with experience.

Not really sure there is much else I can say on the subject? Except thanks once again for all your support and interest!

Gregg