LogicDeLuxe's audio and video services

MIXING

What you can expect:

Work is done with proven digital audio workstation, years of experience and trained hearing.
A variety of DSPs available to spice up your mix for the professional sound.
Your mix keeps its vitality in order to present your performance with reasonable presence and punch.
Individual working on your tracks. No assembly line work, no one-click-tools.
Your recordings are tested on a variety of different playback systems, in order to ensure universal usability. I take all the necessary time and breaks in order to be on your work with a fresh pair of ears. Don't worry about the price, because I only calculate on a per order basis and never per hour. Expect the work done in a few weeks, unless you're insisting on faster results.
Delivery on Taiyo Yuden quality CDR or DVD+R (until out of stock)
Perfectly phasefree subsonic filter wasting no energy from the mix. Thus you can feel the bass the right way in contrast to many sterile sounding CDs.
During working on your project, I'll pass samples to you for judging. I'm open for suggestions, as communication is essential for a good result, and a satisfied customer is essential for me.

What I need from you:

Your tracks for a start. Appropriate media are DVDs, SD cards, USB memory sticks or hard drives containing your work as WAV, AIF, FLAC or APE preferably with a resolution of 44100 Hz or better, mono or stereo, 24 bit integer or 32 bit float. Other media or formats available on request.
Possibly notes about additional editing. If you have any wishes, please ask what I can do, and for what extra costs (if any).
Note if some content should go to the matrix encoded surround channels. But be warned: Such a mix is not mono-compatible, which is essential for broadcasting, ie. radio stations usually will refuse to play such a mix.
An email address for sending samples.
In the event that you wish your mix mastered, also check out my mastering section where applicable.

My current offer on mixing an album or audio play: at hood.de.
My current offer on mixing a single: at hood.de.

MASTERING

What you can expect:

Work is done with proven digital audio workstation, years of experience and trained hearing.
Your master keeps its vitality in order to present your performance with reasonable presence and punch.
Individual working on your tracks. No assembly line work, no one-click-tools.
Your recordings are tested on a variety of different playback systems, in order to ensure universal usability. I take all the necessary time and breaks in order to be on your work with a fresh ear. Don't worry about the price, because I only calculate on a per order basis and never per hour. Expect the work done in a few weeks, unless you're insisting on faster results.
Premaster CD can have CD text, EAN and/or ISRCs
Delivery on Taiyo Yuden quality brand CDR (until out of stock)
Perfectly phasefree subsonic filter wasting no energy from the mix. Thus you can feel the bass the right way in contrast to many sterile sounding CDs.
No need to decide about how loud your master needs to be. With this offer, you'll get three versions which differ in their dynamics. Take your time and listen to them carefully before you decide on which one should go to the copy plant.
In the even that you send your content on writable media with sufficient free space, I will include copies of the CD images, so you may easily burn further copies.
If this is not the case, you don't need to worry about damaging your premaster CD, because I offer sending another copy of the version you decide to a copy plant of your choice for little extra costs.
I also will remaster your tracks for a bargain, if you need different versions for compilations. I will archive your work for such events. Of course, I won't do this, if you insist not to. And I don't give any warranties that my archived copy still works any time, even though I only use the most reliable media for this purpose.
I scan all CDR for errors before shipping. Only CDR which didn't reveal any C2 errors will be used.

What I need from you:

Your mix or up to 4 stems for a start. Appropriate media are DVDs, SD cards, USB memory sticks or hard drives containing your work as WAV, AIF, FLAC or APE preferably with a resolution of 44100 Hz or better, stereo, 24 bit integer or 32 bit float. Other formats available on request.
Notes about fade in, fade out and/or crossfading if desired.
Your EAN (or similar bar code) and ISRCs if available.
The exact wording of the CD text content to be used (album title, album artist, track title(s), track artist(s)), if CD text is to be used.
Notes about track indices time codes if applicable.
Possibly notes about additional editing. If you have any wishes, please ask what I can do, and for what extra costs (if any).
An email address for sending samples.
In case you're mixing on your own, please consider my tips section the way to a good product.

My current offer for a mastering with 3 dynamically different premaster CDs: at hood.de.

By ordering here, you'll support high quality sound. This master will be done within the DR specifications, which allows you to label your record with the DR logo stating the DR value you will receive together with your premaster CD. That way, you can inform your potential customers about the dynamic quality of the record.

THE WAY TO A GOOD PRODUCT

Because the mixing and/or mastering shall be doable without unnecessary obstacles, so nothing gets in the way of the best quality.

Adjust your levels carefully. Peaking several dB low is certainly better than a clipped signal. You'll be always save if your highest peaks are a few dB bellow 0, because some plug-ins may produce intermediate peaks which can clip, and this may be not obvious in the sum immediately.
At live concerts, place your speakers in a way that your microphones can be placed in a blind spot, so that feedback can be minimized. Resonating residual feedback due to reverb and/or monitors can be reduced with a carefully tweaked parametric EQ.
Only filter out subsonics if they interfere with effect processing, because otherwise I can do superior filtering during mastering compared to what would be possible in real time.
Keep an effect-free version of rhythmic tracks along with your intended version. In case you notice that you've overdone an effect or if it turns out to be adjusted poorly, you can still redo it from the dry track which is usually better than trying to fix it during the mixing or mastering. If you're not sure, I will take a listen to dry stems without extra costs and may mix them in if beneficial.
In case you use MIDI tracks, it won't hurt to put a copy on your sent in media as well. After all, it takes almost no extra space, and there is a chance that it could be useful.
If possible, pick a floating point target for your mixing project. That will give you the least quantization noise throughout.
You are encouraged to send your mix in the form of stems: One for rhythms/beats, one for melodic instruments, and one for vocals/rap. If available, further stems for background vocals, sfx/scratching etc.. With those, I have more control over fixing possible issues. You won't pay anything extra for this.
In certain hip hop styles, it is commonplace to receive beats from distant artists. This is a frequent place for problems. To avoid them, please ask the beat artist not to use a compressor on the stereo sum, level carefully so the signal is not clipping, even without using a limiter. Also ask for a lossless format like WAV, AIF, FLAC or APE. MP3, Ogg Vorbis etc. are not real a suitable format for this kind of things. Issues might be just revealed during editing.
Don't apply fades during mixing, because they can interfere with dynamic editing during the mastering. Instead, just place notes on where you wish to have the fades in the end.
If in doubt that a certain effect is for the better, do an ABX test. If still in doubt, don't use the effect. Less sometimes is more.
Compressors are mighty tools, but used poorly can do quite a lot damage to your work, which is hard to impossible to fix afterwards. Therefore only use compression if you're sure you need it.
Don't apply compression on the stereo sum. If it is needed at all, it is best done during mastering.
And last but not least, carefully watch the following video in order to understand what harm bad compression can do.

LogicDeLuxe is a Turn Me Up!™ supporter

To preserve the excitement, emotion and dynamics of the original performances your record should be mastered intentionally quieter than some. For full enjoyment simply Turn Me Up! (www.TurnMeUp.org)

FREE TOOLS

The Dynamic-Range-Meter 1.4a: download mirror.
This tools is intended to guide you by keeping a reasonable amount of dynamics during mixing. It also can measure a CD master file. It was originally released by the Pleasurize Music Foundation.