Market Research (Mastering)
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Posted on Sep 16, 2010 04:56 am
masterthemix
Member Since: May 24, 2010
In the competitive world of online mixing and mastering, any new company needs to do it's research properly. If you have a spare 2 minutes could you answer a few simple questions. Thank you.
1. Would you use an online mastering service?
2. Would you use an online mixing service?
3. How much would you want pay for online mastering?
4. How much would you want to pay for online mixing?
5. Is good communication between you and the engineer important?
6. What other online production service would be of interest? (drum mixing, vocal mixing, backing tracks etc)
7. After your songs are mixed or mastered, would submission of your songs to independent record labels be something you would be interested in.
Thank you for your time and your answers, much appreciated.
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Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Sep 16, 2010 10:50 am 1.) Nope
2.) NO!
5.) As an engineer/producer, I make it a priority to check with the band frequently to make sure the tone I'm shaping is conducive to what they hope to achieve. I've heard that producers are supposed to call all the shots (mic placement, tone wise), but I don't buy it. The band writes the song, and I try to paint a pretty picture between 20 and 20kHz using whatever communicates their message/emotion. My challenge is to make what THEY like sound good. I won't let them place the mic, but I will listen to their opinion of the captured audio--if after hearing an element of the song in context with the rest of the mix-- they say "That isn't what we want"
6.) Audio restoration, maybe?
7.) Which record labels and why? That's rhetorical; if you offered a "record label submission" service you should get in with the label and find out what genre of music they do and who their distributors are at the very least. It sounds like you're describing a role for yourself similar to an A&R free agent. If you feel like checking out some opinions I have about the music business that may be relevant to your startup, check out my article:
www.homerecordingconnecti...ory&id=1894
Sep 16, 2010 11:02 am 1. Certainly - But I hire engineers - Doesn't matter where they are.
2. Same thing - I usually have a specific engineer in mind.
3. Depends on the engineer.
4. Depends on the engineer.
5. Vitally important.
6. Eh...
7. Unsolicited submission? Nope.
Sep 16, 2010 11:04 am Thanks for your reply.
I realise you are a producer, this service was to be aimed at the amateur musician who records at home but can't achieve the quality they want while mixing or mastering.
Audio restoration may be an service I will look into.
The record labels are independent, who have contacted me asking for me to be an A&R agent for them. We made an agreement that I send the tracks I feel are worthy to them.
I read your article, I don't know if I agree with it entirely. Thanks for the input, it will be taken on board.
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Sep 16, 2010 11:36 am I am a home studio producer, an amateur musician, and I can achieve the quality I desire in my home (not to say that I've stopped learning). I've only invested 8k or so in my studio, and if you live in a bigger city, you'll notice that much better equipped, 20/hr studios are popping up everywhere. How are you going to make your online service even more desirable than the guy down the street?
Maybe I'm surrounded by similarly deaf idiots (like myself), but every musician I've brought in my studio has been satisfied with the quality of what we've achieved. The audience cares even less about how the music sounds. I still see room for improvement in my work and I will always strive for new levels of excellence, but I know that the improvements I make don't matter to most people listening to the music.
Think about it in a macro-economic sense: is the record industry more or less profitable than it was 15 years ago? Are there more or less studios today than there were 15 years ago? Do you really want to spit and fight over that diminished profit?
I take an unpopular stance; but my opinion is that you're thinking inside of a business model that has failed. And that does not make sense to me. I think the independent A&R guy thing makes more sense than the online mastering thing.
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Sep 17, 2010 04:51 pm I guess one more thing I want to add is that this could be viable if you already have a reputation and client base that will be using and recommending your online services. There are TONS of online mastering services popping up right now, and many of them are completely bogus. Some guy with T-Racks or Ozone runs the mix through and spits it back for $20, or worse, they overcharge for the same treatment.
I think a portion MassiveMaster's client base comes from contacts online, but he was working with a history in the industry to begin with. If you have a pristine room to master in, why not offer an online service to complement a "in person" service. In my opinion, it's important for the engineer/producer to hear the mix from your incredible monitoring chain in a near perfect room. I'm a little confused why some amateur engineers/producers (like myself) take advantage of these "send it and forget" mastering situations. If you're changing my music, I need to hear what the heck you're doing so I can tell you when you're changing something important to the artists vision or perhaps to preserve an artifact that's tastefully present.
If you're monitoring chain isn't incredible and if your room isn't perfect, then you should be offering bargain basement prices and advertise to the lowest common denominator. Even though MassiveMaster does a lot of online work, his mastering facility is ridiculous. He built his studio on top of a basalt shelf leftover from the eye of a volcano, he cut down the most acoustically pleasing trees in the Amazon forest to comprise the paneling in his control room, and he has so many broadband traps that 20 grown male psychopaths could bounce around like over caffeinated kids in a moonwalk without hurting themselves. I kind of Tall Tale'd that to an extent, I think.
Sep 18, 2010 02:29 am I don't remember mentioning the basalt when you were here... But you're probably right about the bass traps.
Sep 21, 2010 08:48 pm 1. As opposed to what, even "physical" mastering places have website syou can submit your work. So yes, Being online would not discourage me.
2.hmmm.....with my genre of music, mixing is part of the composition and arrangement, and much more than just a post production process. I wouldn't mind you mastering my cd so it translates but as far as mixing, I don't want nobody going back in and changing my attack and release times, or my reverb automation ect.
3.depends on their cleint list, the engineers at hand, what kind of rooms and back ends they have ect.
4.they would have to pay me to give them my song. HAHA jk.
5.I can think of nothing more important. Anyone mastering a CD has a default creative role on the final product. Its imparitive that the engineer knows what sound i'm looking for.
6.do what other studios do, workshops.
7. I'd be more interested in that than anything but I have a lawyer that sends music in for me. Are you just gonna mail it off or do you have relationships with these companies?
Quincysanhttp://www.unitedmusicians.infoContributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Sep 23, 2010 07:16 pm Check out this article: there's no reason for you not to spend the money to make your facility a top notch competitor as an in person service with an online segment...I'm not sure if you're still out there but this could be important for you.
money.cnn.com/2010/09/23/...ndex.htm?hpt=T2
Whether it's a good or bad way to kick our economy into gear is up for debate, but this could help with the funding you need to expand beyond online fast food mastering services.
