Post by: bblackwood on March 21, 2008, 10:14:02 AM
Which led me to the website: http://nenadaudio.com/Equipment.html
Where I saw a studio that looks remarkably like one of Metropolis's rooms:
Inspires confidence, no?
Post by: turtletone on March 21, 2008, 10:49:30 AM
Post by: MoreSpaceEcho on March 21, 2008, 11:02:07 AM
i like that "pq codes" are $22, but an actual cd with the codes on it is $85.
Post by: mbruce333 on March 21, 2008, 11:28:02 AM
Either that or he just notice a cool pic in an old SOS article about a few successful online mastering studio...
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar06/articles/onlinemasteri ng.htm
Post by: bblackwood on March 21, 2008, 11:33:53 AM
hehe
Post by: cass anawaty on March 21, 2008, 11:42:18 AM
| MoreSpaceEcho wrote on Fri, 21 March 2008 15:02 |
at least he picked an impressive desk o' gear for himself. i like that "pq codes" are $22, but an actual cd with the codes on it is $85. |
Maybe I'll try that.
Free CD Mastering! "PQ codes" $1000.00
Post by: Barry Hufker on March 21, 2008, 11:49:28 AM
| mbruce333 wrote on Fri, 21 March 2008 10:28 |
The guy is clearly obsessed with detail and quality. It seems he's gone a long way to duplicate a well known, highly successful mastering room. You gotta admire that kind of attention to detail! Either that or he just notice a cool pic in an old SOS article about a few successful online mastering studio... http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar06/articles/onlinemasteri ng.htm |
So then maybe he's *not* legit?
Post by: mbruce333 on March 21, 2008, 11:56:14 AM
Post by: TotalSonic on March 21, 2008, 12:11:37 PM
Best regards,
Steve Berson
Post by: bblackwood on March 21, 2008, 12:15:26 PM
| TotalSonic wrote on Fri, 21 March 2008 11:11 |
Wow - Metropolis' desk is seriously impressive with true A/B paths with matching Weiss, MLA-2, Sontec and what looks like Pultecs and Maselec De-essers! Are those monitors PMC's? |
Indeed, very impressive. Those aren't Pultecs, but Summit EQF-100s, I think...
Post by: jdg on March 21, 2008, 12:43:50 PM
Post by: zmix on March 21, 2008, 12:48:36 PM
Each side appears to have:
Prism MLA-2 limiter
Prism ?? (de-esser or converter)?
Summit EQ
Summit EQ
Weiss EQ
Sontec EQ
Center:
Genex recorder
custon meter
Manley Vari-
Post by: TotalSonic on March 21, 2008, 12:53:13 PM
| zmix wrote on Fri, 21 March 2008 12:48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This is certainly Metropolis... Each side appears to have: Prism MLA-2 limiter Prism ?? (de-esser or converter)? Summit EQ Summit EQ Weiss EQ Sontec EQ Center: Genex recorder custon meter Manley Vari- Post by: turtletone on March 21, 2008, 01:05:35 PM Post by: Peter Beckmann on March 21, 2008, 01:21:20 PM I've cut a few 12" there. Aren't you glad we don't need an A and a B path now, with like TWO of everything......! We've managed to halve the equipment budget, [tho we have to become IT experts along the way] I never really liked the PMCs in there to be honest, but the array of eq and dynamics. Mmmmmm... Peter Post by: Thomas W. Bethel on March 21, 2008, 01:44:19 PM Post by: mastermind on March 21, 2008, 09:37:55 PM
Well, considering it's not even a picture of his room, and he fails to specifically mention what gear he has, I'm thinking his signal chain is more "Behringer" than "Sontec"....  t Post by: turtletone on March 21, 2008, 10:21:50 PM Post by: zmix on March 21, 2008, 10:45:08 PM AVALON:  CREST:  MACKIE:  STEINBERG:  STUDER:  WAVES:  YAMAHA:  Post by: Larrchild on March 21, 2008, 11:36:55 PM But it's all just useless hardware without my new book: "Mastering Kung-Fu", secret hints and kinks of big-time mastering engineers. Settings like the "Snake","Leopard" and "Scorpion", will make your mastering opponents cower like little schoolchildren. This man is, clearly a reader of my book. And look at his setup, darned-fine if I do say so. Maybe a little light on the Avalon, and that better be silver-teflon wire inside, as per chapter 5, but all in all, this is the exact gear I recommend for the best sound. 1. Get this stuff 2. Read my book. 3. Sit back and watch the money-faucets start to flow! Post by: jfrigo on March 22, 2008, 01:17:22 AM
BTW, awesome post Chuck. LOL! Post by: zmix on March 22, 2008, 01:18:18 AM With all your mastering Kung-Fu skills and power, when will you stop...? What is your ultimate goal as a mastering engineer?  .......
Post by: Larrchild on March 22, 2008, 01:55:12 AM Good Question, Chuck! And I'm glad you asked because my next book is "How to Find Hidden Government Mastering Contracts" You may not know this, but the US Government has lots of tapes of FBI stings, Murders, Dope Deals and other mundane, but lucrative work to keep even the most down and out mastering engineer buying those Pear speaker interconnects and cable for their new room in a few short months! Post by: mbruce333 on March 22, 2008, 02:21:50 PM Post by: zmix on March 22, 2008, 04:06:35 PM
It's pronounced "Tuh' Annoy" Post by: bkuijt on March 24, 2008, 06:08:57 PM
Well... he's on to you... now his studio looks like this...  By the way, the Metropolis picture shows a left and a center speaker. Could it be that the desk is a surround setup? bests, Bastiaan Post by: bblackwood on March 24, 2008, 06:19:06 PM
Which he absolutely did NOT steal from Jean Michel Jarre : http://www.jarrography.free.fr/details_equipement_audio.php? id_equip=114 Found that in less than 10 minutes! Post by: TotalSonic on March 24, 2008, 06:29:14 PM
That makes a lot more sense as the demand for a/b paths on a console is definitely less than for surround capabilities in a place like Metropolis. Guess I've got vinyl on the brain a lot more than I have for surround. Best regards, Steve Berson Post by: TotalSonic on March 24, 2008, 06:30:51 PM
Man, this guy has no shame. Best regards, Steve Berson Post by: bblackwood on March 24, 2008, 06:38:04 PM
You mean NENAD GRACANIN? Boom! Post by: minister on March 24, 2008, 06:59:29 PM Look REALLY like an ad from Digidesign? What with all the Focusrite Reds and 888|24's.....It sure does to me. Look at the backdrop. Whose studio has walls like that? and LIT like that? Where did Jen Michael get that image? Post by: johnR on March 24, 2008, 07:11:57 PM "Expansion Have you ever wondered why mastered music sounds so full? We add the same behavior to your material by adding new harmonic content to the fundamental frequencies of your mix making it fuller and giving it more life." You learn something new every day. Post by: bblackwood on March 24, 2008, 08:45:59 PM
Good point, minister, I wonder if NENAD GRACANIN considered that before NENAD GRACANIN stole this image much like NENAD GRACANIN stole the image from Metropolis mastering for his website? Post by: minister on March 24, 2008, 09:00:19 PM Isn't it possible that he was "under construction" and went from having : Prism MLA-2 limiter Prism converter Summit EQ Summit EQ Weiss EQ Sontec EQ Center: Genex recorder custon meter Manley Vari- Post by: bblackwood on March 24, 2008, 09:02:38 PM
Yes, I am suggesting that Nenad Gracanin of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION might be falsely using photos of facilities that do not belong to Nenad Gracanin of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION in order to make potential customers believe that Nenad Gracanin of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION has said facilities. Post by: Malcolm Boyce on March 24, 2008, 09:03:44 PM
Be careful. You wouldn't want someone who's searching for NENADAUDIO Mastering to accidentally end up here instead of the actual website for NENADAUDIO Mastering. I mean really... that is some website for NENADAUDIO Mastering. Post by: masterhse on March 24, 2008, 09:19:46 PM
That takes a lot of nenads. (#3 on Google when searching for "NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING") Post by: zmix on March 24, 2008, 09:24:47 PM
You have to love the internet, where muddled thinking and pure BS are never discarded, but endlessly re-cycled....by people like NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION http://www.xarcmastering.com/services/ Here at XARC, Harmonic Enhancement and warmth improvement is a key part of our mastering process. We often dramatically improve material still further at this stage, by adding new harmonic content to the fundamental frequencies. The result: fuller music that truly comes "alive." http://www.nationalmastersound.com/ "Harmonic Enhancement and Improving Warmth A key part of our mastering process: Material is often dramatically improved at this stage by adding new harmonic content to the fundamental frequencies. The result: fuller music that truly comes alive." Post by: TotalSonic on March 24, 2008, 09:25:08 PM
How many Nenads would a Gracanin nenad - if a Nenad Gracanin could Gracanin a Nenad? Best regards, Steve Berson Post by: mbruce333 on March 24, 2008, 11:24:18 PM Some peoples kids.... 
Post by: Larrchild on March 25, 2008, 12:00:37 AM I got yer "Harmonic Enhancement" Post by: bblackwood on March 25, 2008, 12:02:18 AM
FIFY... Post by: Bob Boyd on March 25, 2008, 01:59:47 AM
Post by: Jerry Tubb on March 25, 2008, 02:18:42 AM
No he's gots Nads! Or is it NoNads? Post by: Thomas W. Bethel on March 25, 2008, 06:35:47 AM All ITB in his bedroom? with a couple of Rat Shack speakers for monitors? I don't think he would want to put that picture up on the web if he wanted to get any clients. Didn't someone on this forum get his pictures ripped off a couple of years ago? What ever happened to the person that was doing the ripping? Did he ever stop using them? Inquiring minds want to know. Post by: tom eaton on March 25, 2008, 07:37:54 AM Gotta go, snipers! Post by: masterhse on March 25, 2008, 08:36:30 AM
I think that there was a South Park episode about kneenads. Kyle's knees explode on a basketball court. Post by: mbruce333 on March 25, 2008, 11:27:13 AM Is that better Brad? 
Post by: turtletone on March 25, 2008, 11:32:37 AM Post by: bblackwood on March 25, 2008, 11:52:58 AM
What? Are you now insinuating that NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION would go so far as to simple copy images from this page: http://www.adt-audio.com/UsProducts/V700/V700ModMastGear.htm l and paste them together? Do you really think NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION would do that? Post by: turtletone on March 25, 2008, 12:02:27 PM Post by: Viitalahde on March 25, 2008, 12:21:09 PM How do you rotate images to fit in the console? Does anyone have a cracked Photoshop? NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION Guess what's going to be #1 hit in Google for NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION ??? Post by: TotalSonic on March 25, 2008, 04:32:23 PM
Got to say I've really been wanting to hear the ADT Niveau filter - http://www.adt-audio.com/UsProducts/V700/VFRINDEX/VFW794_0.h tml - & Dynamic EQ modules - http://www.adt-audio.com/UsProducts/V700/VFRINDEX/VFU781_0.h tml- as there really isn't much of anyone else out there making these features available in the analog realm (except maybe for Elysia with them including Niveau filters on their Alpha comps) and I could definitely see where they could be handy. oh - and btw - NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION Best regards, Steve Berson Post by: MASSIVE Mastering on March 25, 2008, 05:46:49 PM
I've seen that ("purple-ized") shot on one of those "$10 per track" places also... I'll see if I can dig that up... Post by: MASSIVE Mastering on March 27, 2008, 11:16:41 AM So, I'll admit, as most of you know my personal views on situations like this, I sent a short e-mail to the alleged "perp" a few days ago. Nothing big. Today, I received a rather angry, name-calling reply and the photo that's currently up at http://nenadaudio.com/Equipment.html - aptly names "me_in_my_studio.jpg" as opposed to the photos of other studios aptly named "NenadAudio.jpg" (FireFox users who can "view image" will have to judge whether the head is PhotoShopped on the body there). From the note, he just finished his mastering studio and has no photos yet. I suppose the next time I start working on my room, I can use pictures of Gateway until I get around to taking some new photos. No mention of SSL on the gear list either...
Post by: jdg on March 27, 2008, 11:22:03 AM Post by: zmix on March 27, 2008, 11:36:46 AM G series SSL with VCA automation... Tannoy monitors, Studer 827, no pro tools or any LCD monitors...DAT machine. I would guess 1992 or earlier. That monitor on the right side of the console meter bridge above the patchbay is for an ATARI 1040st. It is the SM124 monochrome monitor, and it looks like he's running Dr. T's KCS sequencing software, or possible C-lab creator or notator. Beneath it on the console arm rest is the same grey plastic trackball I used to have in 1990... 
Post by: bblackwood on March 27, 2008, 11:39:11 AM Chuck, do you know where NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION got this photot? Post by: TotalSonic on March 27, 2008, 12:44:33 PM Best regards, Steve Berson Post by: turtletone on March 27, 2008, 01:39:24 PM Post by: cass anawaty on March 27, 2008, 02:24:34 PM Hey Scrip, Don't have my photos up yet, so I'm using yours. The one w/ Al Schmidt in it--is that cool? Post by: Bob Boyd on March 27, 2008, 02:44:44 PM
Here's a closeup: Post by: Viitalahde on March 27, 2008, 02:51:49 PM  Post by: minister on March 27, 2008, 03:56:12 PM Post by: bblackwood on March 27, 2008, 04:07:55 PM http://www.the-warez.net/WaReZ/non-windows-warez/136-divx-pr o-6-7-for-mac-post3161.html#post3161 Post by: TotalSonic on March 27, 2008, 04:10:05 PM
Actually that would be a fun topic for a thread "If you could steal any mastering room's pics and claim that as your own - which studio would you steal from?"  Got to think on this one! I'd probably end up making a collage from a bunch of studios. Oh - and btw - while we're on the topic - NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION Best regards, Steve Berson Post by: zmix on March 27, 2008, 04:35:18 PM Post by: crna59 on March 27, 2008, 04:39:14 PM Regards, Post by: brett on March 27, 2008, 05:02:07 PM Post by: Gold on March 27, 2008, 05:25:15 PM
I will never watermark my web content. It's my dream to have my web content stolen. After all I spent close to 1 hr coming up with it. I'm very proud of it. I'm not so keen on preventing dumb people from doing dumb things. Post by: TotalSonic on March 27, 2008, 07:11:47 PM
That's cool & whaddaya know? Looks like I just added a VMS-66 to TSM's gear list....got your photo to prove it... ....kidding, just kidding. Though I'm seriously thinking of adding in The Exchanges' VMS-80 with the Tim P. amps and Pauler Acoustics' VMS-82 so I can do the ultimate in fictional lacquer and DMM cutting all at the same fictional facility. oh - and just in case anyone forgot - NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION Best regards, Steve Berson Post by: zmix on March 27, 2008, 11:17:07 PM NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION puts Viagra in his eyes so he can look hard. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION can speak Braille. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION once visited the Virgin Islands∑.. they are now just known as Islands. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION sperm can penetrate 13 condoms, the birth control pill, a brick wall, and the 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line in order to impregnate a woman. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION doesnt have to cut his grass he dares his grass to grow. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION once was training with a wolverine when one of his testicles was chopped off,its now known as jupitar. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION can divide by 0. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION always has sex on the first date. Always. There is no such thing as tornados. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION just hates trailer parks. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION once defeated the sun in a staring contest. Prostitutes pay NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION. The chief export of NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION is pain. As a teen NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION impregnated every nun in a convent tucked away in the hills of Tuscany. Nine months later the nuns gave birth to the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated and untied team in professional football history. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION uses ribbed condoms inside out, so he gets the pleasure. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION doesn‚t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION only masturbates to pictures of NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION. Post by: MASSIVE Mastering on March 28, 2008, 02:01:19 AM
Here you go: BTW: For the uninitiated, back in... I don't remember, June or July, 2005 (?) I had my (old) room in RWAV in EQ - In the same issue was this photo (minus the cute "motivational poster" I added at a later date). Post by: MASSIVE Mastering on March 28, 2008, 02:08:51 AM BTW -- Courtesy of http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/motivator.php
You almost made me spit cola all over my MacBook there... Post by: johnR on March 28, 2008, 09:41:57 AM Post by: bslobodian on March 28, 2008, 10:51:27 AM Lost: NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION is probably LOST. American Idol: NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION would probably win an all AMERICAN IDOL of mastering. Dancing with the stars: NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION could very well end up re-mastering on air content of Dancing with the stars and sell it on Blu-ray. NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION doesn't know yet if the credit will go to NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION. Bernard Slobodian smallmasteringstudio.com (no pics yet, what should I do ?) Post by: T. Mueller on March 28, 2008, 11:13:02 AM Post by: Viitalahde on March 28, 2008, 11:39:58 AM
You can take mine from the website, but I recommend you to manipulate a Manley logo to every piece of equipment. If you have hair, I suggest you to put that on the photo too. Post by: T. Mueller on March 28, 2008, 02:13:45 PM Oh, Brad--the check is being sent to "your tech" (in case we're not using his name) for the Custom BP EQ today. Thanks again for your help. And in case you don't know, my guess is that NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION doesn't have a Custom BP. : ) Does anyone know if NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION has one? Post by: Viitalahde on March 28, 2008, 03:12:40 PM NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION Why the hell is this so funny? Post by: Patrik T on March 28, 2008, 06:30:57 PM
This is like watching a bunch of teenagers bully a retard. I'm not defending that guy in any manner, but think about what kind of message you guys might send out regarding certain aspects of your own "nature". There are indeed better ways to promote serious business than this, don't you think? BR Patrik Post by: jdg on March 28, 2008, 06:59:12 PM Post by: bblackwood on March 28, 2008, 07:30:56 PM
I should hope one would see that we're sick and tired of lying, cheating, and stealing amongst internet abusers who cheapen what we do through their actions. If this guy were legitimate and we were piling on because we could, or because we didn't like him, or whatever, that would be a different story. But this is a case where we're doing the only thing we can to defend both what we do while making sure potential clients aren't scammed by this thief. How you can equate that to something like 'watching a bunch of teenagers bully a retard' is beyond me, but you're welcome to your opinion, of course. Post by: Larrchild on March 28, 2008, 07:42:06 PM But it was perfected here for audio. It's all we have. The Wild West of the 'net has no sheriffs. No BBB. Malice aside, changing stolen pictures sort of sealed his fate, lol. We can't ignore the humor in pathological misguidedness. Post by: TotalSonic on March 28, 2008, 08:11:39 PM
I've participated in this thread a good bit more than most, and it's been fun to make an example of yet one more internet based fraud - but I can understand Patrik's view in that the point has been made, and that the thread has pretty much run its course, so that maybe the time is now to move on and spend our time here actually discussing things that can make our own mastering better. of course then again - NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION sorry - couldn't resist getting that in one last time...  Best regards, Steve Berson Post by: mbruce333 on March 28, 2008, 10:37:19 PM
LOL I was thinking the same thing! Personally, I'm Ok with this guy getting a little grief for passing shit of that's not his... Post by: zmix on March 28, 2008, 11:05:33 PM
NENAD GRACANIN's been BUSTED for displaying gear he DOESN'T OWN under the EQUIPMENT tab of his web shite... which is damn unethical.... ....and even after getting BUSTED for it he's simply substituted different photos showing more gear that isn't his..... At the moment he's sporting a photo from 1989 claiming it is HIS CURRENT STUDIO... It lowers the trustworthiness of the entire industry. Post by: jfrigo on March 29, 2008, 09:12:43 PM One time you can give him the benefit of the doubt or at least a second chance; several in a row is a pattern of behavior that can't be ignored. Post by: masterhse on March 29, 2008, 11:12:29 PM Personally I would hire an experienced ME with a Finalizer or stock plug-ins over a hack with the best gear. Post by: Thomas W. Bethel on March 30, 2008, 09:38:34 AM
But we still get calls asking what kind of gear we have. They have decreased but we still get the occasional call which goes like this... "hi I would like to get some mastering done, I have it ready but before I bring it over I was wondering what equipment you use to master with" I list the equipment we have...."Oh I guess that is OK but my recording engineer says that if you don't have Pro Tools you aren't a professional studio" to which I say well what does your engineer use for his recording and mastering..."he uses Pro Tools he has a Digi 001 setup running on his Mac" Well we use Samplitude or Wavelab for our DAW and find it works better for mastering than ProTools..."well I guess I will look around for someone more professional" OK talk to you later...how about letting us have a go at the mastering and see if we can do what you want done with what we have..."OK maybe but my engineer is pretty set on finding someone with ProTools to do the mastering" [He never called me back and I have to assume he found someone with the PROTOOLS he wanted] or this... "hi I would like to get some mastering done what are your rates" so I tell him what my rates are..."well I was thinking like $10 a song like I see on the web" well if that what you want to pay then I suggest you contact the person on the web..."but I understand from <insert name of satisfied client> that you do really good work and helped him a lot" What would you like me to do. Our rates are our rates and if you want something mastered here those are the rates..."well couldn't we talk about the rates more? I don't have any money since we are having our CD release party at <insert name of local club> and they are charging me a lot for the use of the room and the beverages and food" Well I guess you have to decide which is more important a blow out CD release party or getting you stuff professionally mastered..."but I want to do them both, how about $15 a song I have 15 songs so that would be $225 and I think I could afford that if you will wait for a couple of weeks after the mastering is done to get paid" I would love to help you but we charge what we charge and we are not a bank so we don't extent credit maybe you should have budgeted this expense before you decided to release the CD...buy the way when do you need this by?..."well the CD release party is in two weeks and we need to get the mastering done today or tomorrow" I wish I could help but I really can't do anything for you maybe the next time...I wish I could help you. Next time as you are mixing give me a call and we can listen to the mixes and see if there are any problems with them, we don't charge for this service and I think it would save you a lot of time later on in the mastering process... [He has not called back or been in touch since this go around but rumor has it he did not have product at his CD release party and had to give people cards to fill out and he later sent the CDs when they arrived] The above two examples are almost word for word from two phone calls received within the last two months. Post by: masterhse on March 30, 2008, 02:37:02 PM I don't really get complaints for the gear that I am using, I just don't particularly want my reputation based on that alone. It doesn't take any skill to purchase a given piece of gear, it takes skill in using it. I realize that people who haven't heard your work need something to judge it against. The level of gear that you use may be an indicator of a level of professionalism (or a measure of having extra income to spend on gear) but it isn't the full picture. This is one reason why I do demos, to show what I can actually achieve for the client. In many cases I will only use part of the gear listed, so why would that gear be of any importance to a project, because I own it? Who cares ... Another method for judging the skill level of an ME is before and after samples. They can be so easily doctored that they mean little in my opinion. This is another reason why I do demos, so the client can compare what they sent against the demo master knowing that the original wasn't altered to make the master look good. Work here though has really picked-up over the last couple of months and I don't know how much longer I can afford to take time away from paying work to do demos. I'm not really clear on how you can objectively demonstrate your services to a prospective client without demos. In my experience so few are willing to pay for a single as an example of one's work. I would really be interested in what others are doing in this area who may not be a "big name" yet. Obviously word of mouth is best, but attracting new clients who haven't heard of you can be very difficult without a little pro bono work. Obviously misrepresenting your gear would not be a good choice. Post by: Ed Littman on March 30, 2008, 03:07:40 PM
a bit of the main topic.. I contacted an LA producer on myspace. He said he does a ton of work & uses 2 mastering engineers. He invited me to do a whole project for free & was open to checking out a new ME. My response was, that I'd be glad to give him a sample of my work with one of his mixes.A few days later he took me up on my offer. The file he sent was uber loud but well recorded.He wanted it warmer & a bit louder. That was pretty hard to do but i did it. When i sent a 1.5 minute clip he responded by saying "I thought this was a freebee".I said, if my work sounds good it also has some value, my rate isn't a big deal but that's your call. no response yet. I don't know if this will gain more work but i sure don't want to get involved with some one who doesn't want to pay for something that has value.Another words, he'll use it if it's for free but if he has to pay a nominal fee he'll pass. maybe I'm naive I just don't think this way. Ed Post by: masterhse on March 30, 2008, 03:37:50 PM I just wanted to be clear about the demos I provide. They are not a complete song, or may alternate between the mastered and un-mastered versions. As a result they cannot be used as a final product. Even this has value but something the client isn't usually willing to pay for. I guess it's just a loss leader or some sort of "sweat advertising". Post by: Thomas W. Bethel on March 31, 2008, 08:43:58 AM I think we all would like a level playing field and to be judged on our skills and not how much money we have spent on equipment or what equipment we are using. Putting up a fake picture is just plain WRONG but there are other forms of fakery that abound. There are people with fancy websites purporting to be a professional mastering operation and doing mastering for $5.00 per song. From a business standpoint a person could not do this for very long and survive unless this was a hobby and he or she was doing it for fun and beer money. Yet people send their material to these operations thinking they are getting mastering done and when they get screwed it blackens the whole mastering profession. There are studios in this area that tell out right lies about how good they are and what acts they have worked with. One site says that their engineers have worked with some really big names but it also fails to say that these engineers were NOT working for this recording studio when they worked for these acts nor do they mention what it was that their engineers were doing for the big name acts when they did work for them.(guitar tech, gofer, personal assistant or roadie) If I listed every big star I had done when I was working for a local concert sound company or at my former job I could fill up a couple of pages and list everyone from Brian Adams to Yo Yo Ma. But I did not master these peoples albums and only worked with them because of my job at the time. I think it is down right lying and gives potential customers the completely wrong idea of the chops of these "engineers" We also have a few studios around here that list every local band in this area as clients but again if you dig a bit deeper and actually ASK the local bands they have either never heard of this engineer/company or he was at some gig sometime and introduced himself and maybe gave them a business card. I don't really think that constitutes having the band as a "client". My favorite scam is that a recording studio will tell their clients NOT to go to a mastering studio because they can do it all here and the client will become confused by listening to their material in another context or that the mastering engineer will NOT understand their needs. What they are really saying is don't go anywhere else because we have you and we want as much of your money as we can get. I had one local studio call me up and suggest that we go out of business because they were taking all of our clients. Today we are still in business and they are long gone. There is a sucker born every minute and two to take his money... Post by: masterhse on March 31, 2008, 09:13:02 AM Anyone that would purchase a service based on price alone is usually getting what they paid for. Post by: MASSIVE Mastering on March 31, 2008, 04:14:37 PM
I knew a guy - A real piece 'o work - Brought him up here once or twice (I remember one time in particular he had a photo of The Plant's mastering room on his website, among several others, my gear list, some of Bob's articles, etc., etc., his "latest" room is the old room at DiscMakers). My attorney made a few bucks off me during that whole thing (he'd be out on the forums and his website with my gear list - letter for letter, item for item). But I digress... He used to download people's tunes and hack them to bits - er, I mean "master" them - and then upload them to his server and put their names on his client list. Honest, he had some Tom Baker stuff up there (can't remember the bands) where he'd rip a disc or what not, wreck it, and put it up on his list. A few tracks from some fairly well-known but "past their prime" artists, on and on. And I suppose gear lists aren't what really matter - But with some places, that's how they "draw them in" -- We need some sort of "Good Housekeeping Seal" that covers whether someone is generally "legit" or not... Post by: Viitalahde on March 31, 2008, 05:11:02 PM I have to agree in that those who seek for the service based on the price alone probably deserve it. Post by: cass anawaty on March 31, 2008, 08:15:22 PM I explained that simply wouldn't work--I had to have wavs or aiffs--something uncompressed. Got an email saying (paraphrased) "Never mind. The files are too large and take too long, so I found someone who can master the files I sent you". Musta' been one talented SOB. Bottom line from a new guy--this is nickle and dime stuff, and even I don't want it. It ain't worth the grief that ensues. Nadsack (or whatever his name is) can have it, but stealing someone's photos is BS. Post by: minister on March 31, 2008, 09:51:31 PM
You know I am wondering given this discussion of the earliest recordings from the 1860's, if I shouldn't just start sending my mixes as Word Documents to Mastering....... Post by: cass anawaty on April 01, 2008, 11:19:27 AM
Nah--I heard that recording. Wasn't nearly loud enough. Post by: minister on April 01, 2008, 05:39:39 PM Post by: bslobodian on April 01, 2008, 08:50:53 PM Bernard Post by: Fig on April 02, 2008, 02:39:25 PM
This line and all it implies is absolutely hilarious! I have always thought that digitizing music was too similar to word processing and spreadsheets which is one of the reasons I prefer to "record to tape" as opposed to "encode to harddrive". It stems from my loathing of computers - a device that can do a million things half as good as the real thing it is emulating. Just wait until multitrack recording and mastering programs are available for your cell phone! You can use the onboard mic, and speaker, too! Oh-boy - bright furture here we come!! Fig Post by: bslobodian on April 03, 2008, 08:37:34 AM
Ya. Don't forget that Ry Cooder "mastered" an album with iTunes... Bernard Post by: masterhse on April 03, 2008, 09:59:19 AM
I hope that Steve Jobs never sees this thread, you may have given him another idea, "iStudio". Post by: mxeryus on April 03, 2008, 11:27:23 AM
Because NENAD GRACANIN of NENADAUDIO ONLINE AUDIO MASTERING & RESTORATION thinks a 1985 Atari ST is considered vintage ? Post by: Fig on April 03, 2008, 01:37:33 PM
Oddly, this is closer to the truth than you think. Add the camera option from cell phones and you can shoot a music video, too. After "parting" with digidesign, and acquiring Logic - Apple has become a larger and larger presence in "pro" audio than anyone could have predicted. You should see their booth a NAMM. Its actually kinda frightening to a luddite like me. $0.02, Fig Post by: zmix on April 03, 2008, 01:48:13 PM
It's all marketing smoke and mirrors... NAMM is where they generate sales to dealers (not professional users)... you should have seen their booth at the AES...except that there wasn't one... we matter not to app-hole. Post by: Fig on April 03, 2008, 01:52:56 PM They don' need no stinkin' AES stuffed shirts... they got MacWorld, man!
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