About Us
CODA Mastering is a Brighton based professional mastering facility. It was born out of a love and passion for great sounding music. It is run by Mark Dobson, an audio and electronics engineer who has 15 years of experience working with audio in all shapes, forms and genres. Mark has degrees from Brighton University in Audio Electronics and Music Production. When not mastering Mark produces and releases music under his ‘Ambassadeurs’ alias.
We use only the best mastering grade hardware and all analog signal path in our studio. This allows us to create masters that can go far beyond the limits of digital processing in terms of warmth and clarity. Each piece of equipment in the studio has been carefully selected and tested to ensure your music is only touched by the best gear available.
Services and pricing
Analog Mastering for CD/Digital/Vinyl release:
Per Track - £50 - A discount of 20% will be applied to albums of 8 tracks or more. For EPs of 4 tracks or more a discount of £10%.
Alternate passes (Instrumentals/radio edits) - £10 per alternate version
MFiT (Mastered For iTunes) - £15 per track
Seperate master for Vinyl - £15 per track
Stem Mastering:
5 stems or less per track - £150
Each additional stem - £10
Additional versions (Radio edits/instrumentals) - £10
Vinyl Archival / Restoration:
Per 12” Album - £400
Per 7” / 12” Single - £100
DDP Creation and Editing:
Per DDP - £30
Price above relates only to ‘Standard’ DDP files with track gaps (2 Seconds as standard). For any non standard DDP which requires special fades etc please get in touch for a price.
Track Mixing:
All mixing projects require a consultation and are POA
Clients
Labels : Universal Records, Island Records, Warner Bros Records, Republic Records, BMG, Virgin, Capitol Records, Sony, Ultra Music, [PIAS], TrapDoor, Warner Music, Fools Gold Records, Aesop, PMR Records, Fat! Records, EGA, Injazero Records, Marathon Artists, Donky Pitch, NoShame Records, MoFo Hi-Fi, Bad Party, Jalapeno Records, Lost Tribe Records, Tuff Wax, Horizon Records, XVI, MIOHMI Records, Fierce Panda Records, Plastic Cup Records, Future Classic, Moves Recordings, iCottage Records, Kitsune, The Bank, Capitol Music Group, Sunday Best, Sophomore Slump, Numerology Records, One Half Records, Grand Jury Music, Dawn Chorus, Pretty Wavvy Music, Unravelling Records, Sola Terra Records, Opulent Audio, The Cutting Factory, Toolroom Records, Mr Bongo, Trusted Rhythm Records, House Anxiety, Bella Union, AMS Publishing, First & Last, EGA Music, , Kartel, LAGASTA, Metropolis, …
Artists:Disclosure, Rizzle Kicks, Sia, John Newman, Soul Clap, Angel Haze, Jessie J, Enrique Iglesias, Cash and David, Mura Masa, Ganz, Lone, Jack Garratt, SG Lewis, Armand Van Helden, Petite Meller, The Avener, Jagwar Ma, Peaking Lights, Jungle, Ne-Yo, Laura Mvula, TCTS, LOLO, Splurge Boyz, Elli Ingram, Baaba Maal, Elderbook, Nick Brewer, Tritonal, ELOQ, Jamie Iisac, Bearcubs, Pusha T, OWS, Flylo, Zed Bias, Nina Nesbitt, Ghetts, GTP, A-A-S, Aquilo, The Range, George the Poet, Alunageorge, WIFE, Mike Mago, Super Stylers, Dornik, Tough Love, Ginuwine, Leon Lour, Tophat, WyteLabl, Frisco, Rudekid, Lakker, LiTek, Jeff Nang, ALASKALASKA, Joe Goddard, Sundown, Kalyde, Ray Foxx, Henrik Schwarz, Pond, Sh?m, Taim, Madi Lane, Klyne, Girli, Alex Ferreira, AOTOA, Fraems, Lindo Man, Tsaik, Cybass, Hominidae, Pamina, Speelburg, Mylko, Cause & Affect, Sam Jordan, Eagles For Hands, Cubicolor, Klaves, Saux, Jaevon, Segujja, Samantha Harvey, Circle Sky, J D Twitch, Curious Issac, Nineteen96, Sterling Fox, Ghost Mutt, Klyne, Motez, Curses, Rene Arsenault, Kerri Chandler, Kaoz 623, Dense & Pika, Aquilo, Optimo, Jerry Folk, Villette, Christian Loeffler, Lockah, KNOXA, Boney, Joel Edwards, Mount Bank, Dayo, Joe Peterson, C. Justice, KRNE, Prides, Keeno, Full Crate, Rixton, Sundae, Matoma, Stromae, Mar, Transformer, Max Sanna, Steve Pitron, Blonde, Vespertown, Patients, Skogsra, Silk 86, Jake Heart, LDR, Sieren, Maxx Baer, Myth, Tev Woods, Steven Sober, k u n, Jay Prince, Noi, Andrea Lo, Zuper, Lyla, Wulves, Howie Lee, Skye Chai, Dave Luxe, AOBeats, Paris Blohm, Yumi & The Weather, A Lily, Marin, Mabel Matiz, Michael Mayer, Skendo X AM, Afro B, Naira Marley, Louis Olivier, Robot Koch, Heinali, Ezro, Obylx. Hoodboi, B O K E H, BvlDvd, Roman Scott, 13XL, Ross Lucien,OMYO, Sad Funeral, Cate Ferris, B4Bonah, Medikal, Ali3nhead, Flevans, Smoove, Otto Reign, Kelpe, Jack Hawitt, James Berkley, Jtwig, Mazoulew, Joshua, Murder He Wrote, Aidan James, Aidan Martin, Babeheaven, Soundsmiths, City Park, BANKS, Haich, Alice Jemima, Proffit, Too Many T’s, Livvy Nichol, Ah! Kosmos, Bad Boy Chilla Crew, Bukky Sky, Dash Hammerstein, HEIGHTS, Dog In The Snow, Indigo Eyes, Dozens, Lilly Knot, WOOM, She’s In Parties, The Ruiner, Carpetgarden, Run Come Down, Ping Pong Warrior …
Selected Discography
The Studio
PMC IB1s-AIII Main Monitors
Focal Trio6Be Monitors
Genelec 8040A Monitors
Avantone Mixcubes
Lynx Hilo Converters
Cransong HEDD 192 Converters
Maselec MTC-1X Mastering Transfer Console
Maselec MEA-2 Precision Stereo Equalizer
Manley Massive Passive Stereo Tube Equalizer
Neve Portico II MBP Master Bus Processor
Dangerous Music BAX Baxandall Equalizer
Dangerous Music Stereo VCA Compressor
API 2500 Stereo VCA Compressor
Sennheiser HD600 Headphones
AUDEZE LCD-X Headphones
Pre-Mastering Advice
In order for us to get the most out of your recordings there are a number of things you can do to optimise the material that you submit. During mastering we are at the mercy of the material that we recieve and therefore the more you can do at source, the more we can do for you. If you have any questions about the below feel free to contact us and we can discuss or explain how best to submit your mixes.
Remove any Master Bus Compression, Limiting, and Equalization
Many times mixing engineers pre-master their tracks to get a better sound. While the pre-master may sound better, adding processors to the master bus makes it difficult if not impossible for the mastering engineer to make a great master. In rare instances engineers may use a special processor or plug-in on the master bus for effect. If so, make sure to notify your mastering engineer when you send in the project.
Eliminate Noise on the Mix
Mastering will make your song louder and bring out imperfections that may not be as noticeable on the mix. If you can just hear it in the mix, you will definitely hear it in the master. Remember to remove any pops, clicks, background noise, and anything else that is bothersome. Mastering engineers can remove some noise; however you’ll get a much better master if you fix it in the mix.
Keep Your Mix Clean and Dynamic
Reduce frequency buildups that are not the main focus of the song. Frequency buildups can make a mix sound unclear or 'muddy". Using low-pass filters for instruments or vocals that have little low frequency content helps reduce these buildups. Leave your mix dynamic. Overuse of compression can take the life out of a song. This makes it difficult for the mastering engineer to create a great sounding master. It's best to leave mixes as dynamic as possible. Doing so gives the mastering engineer space to sculpt the dynamics to create the best possible master.
Submit the Highest Resolution File You Have
You will want to make sure to submit your files in the same resolution they were mixed at. Generally speaking you will want to submit a 24bit .WAV or .AIF file. These files are lossless (non-compressed or converted) and will give the mastering engineer the best options when mastering. Most any file can be mastered, but the final quality will suffer when using lossy formats such as MP3’s.
Submit Reference Songs and Notes
A good mastering engineer knows what commercial levels are and will be able to match your musical genre to these levels. However within each genre there are often differences in equalization and compression. Likewise many artists want a specific sound with their master. For this reason it’s very helpful if you let the mastering engineer know any song references that have a similar sound you want. Also adding notes is helpful so the engineer knows exactly what you want. This can help reduce revisions and give you the exact sound you want.
Do Not add Fades, Cross Fades, or Spaces
Your mastering engineer will add song fades. Leave this up to him and you’ll get a better final master. If you have special requirements for spacing between tracks make sure to let your engineer know. Redbook standard gap is 2 seconds.
Remove any Dithering
As with fades, dithering will be added by the mastering engineer. If you’ve pre-mastered your track with dithering, or other plug-ins designed to “enhance” the sound you will want to remove them. Dithering is best left to the mastering engineer to choose the correct settings for each song.
Reference Your Mix
Listen to songs that you want your mix to sound like. It’s important to do this both during the mixing process and especially toward the end of the mix. Compare levels, compression, equalization, effect etc. This can give you a good idea of what you might want to fix, change, or modify. Also, listen to your mix on different playback systems such as your home stereo, car stereo, headphones, and even ear-buds. This will help you make adjustments so your song sounds it's best to all your listeners.
Above All Make Sure Your Mix Sounds Like You Want
This is possibly the most important tip. So often after mastering a song the artist will decide they are not happy with the way they mixed the track, or want a track replacement. The re-mix will then require re-mastering. Artists should remember that mastering is not a magic fix all and you’re not going to get a great final master if you don’t have a great mix. As mentioned before mastering will bring out both the best and worst in your mix so it’s important to iron out everything possible before submission.
