Mastering that amplifies the vision
certified studio
Mastering is not a numbers game, it is about feeling and emotion in the music. With a history both in live drumming, dance music production and modular synthesis Bernhard Range has a special appreciation for all things sound. Mastering at Schaltgeraete Studios means your song will be treated with the tender love and care only a human can deliver.
775 verified mastering credits on Muso, 842 credits in total, and a place in the top 1 percent of streamed mastering engineers there. Records mastered in this room have been streamed more than 109 million times. Every one of them was made by hand by a named engineer on an analogue chain.
The space
Soffit mounted ATC 110 main monitors in an acoustic room in room design containing 3 tons of wooden dampening material.
Clientele
Book here
Stereo mastering for a finished mix you are happy with. Stem mastering when a vocal or a kick still fights the mix and needs its own hand before the mastering chain.
Turnaround within 7 days. Express within 48 hours for €30 extra per track, excl. VAT, subject to availability.
Revisions included.
Hear the sonic changes
Mastering is tasteful decision making: the low end gets tightened, harsh upper mids reshaped, the dynamic range gets reduced without sounding reduced. Topped off with an extra portion of analog sparkle and dimension.
Why stem mastering matters
Stem mastering specializes in giving every element of your track the space it desperately needs and the role it rightfully deserves before the mastering chain.
How online mastering works
Three steps from your mix to release-ready master.
Book and send
- Choose stereo or stem mastering
- Receive upload link after checkout
- Tell us about your vision in the upload form
- If you have a reference track, send it. It usually saves a revision round.
Mastering
- We listen to your premaster and the reference
- Surgical phase: resolving issues, cleaning up masking and frequency buildup issues
- Embellishing phase: Adding depth, size with analog gear
- Limiting
Delivery
- You receive the master to download
- Let us know if you are happy with the master
- If something needs to be changed, no problem. Revisions included
- Receive files for Vinyl, CD or mp3
What to send: 32 or 24 bit WAV or AIFF at your mix sample rate, no limiter or clipper on the master bus, a few dB of headroom left. Details in the file preparation guide.
Human mastering or AI mastering?
Both set level and tone. An algorithm measures loudness, spectral balance and peaks. It will hit a target reliably every time. What it cannot do is decide what a record is supposed to sound like, because that is a judgement about the music and not about the numbers. From my findings AI masters struggle with sibilance and in general taste. It might be able to give you a powerful drum sound but at the cost of a weird sounding vocal. In most cases AI masters are totally unusable for vinyl release.
Artist Herr Lukas und die Dilettanten came to us after having tested 6 AI services on his music. We have finished 14 songs with stem-mastering to his full satisfaction.
What you get
Every master is delivered ready for the format it is going to live on.
Streaming and download
24 bit WAV at your delivery sample rate, plus MP3 references. Ready for Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and Beatport.
CD
DDP image with track sequencing, gaps and meta data, ready to send to the pressing plant.
Vinyl
A separate master, prepared so the needle does not jump out of its groove.
Masters can be delivered as certified Apple Digital Masters, encoded and checked against Apple's own specification.
Frequently asked questions
What does mastering actually do?
Mastering is the last stage of music production. It sets loudness and tone, addresses problems the mixing stage could not hear, and balances dynamics so a track holds together on every playback system and stands up next to other records on a playlist.
A good master sounds dynamic and alive even though its dynamic range has been reduced to reach a target loudness. Keeping the music breathing while it gets loud enough to compete is the art of mastering.
What is the difference between stereo mastering and stem mastering?
Stereo mastering works on the finished two track mix. Stem mastering works on separate groups, typically drums, bass, vocals and the rest, before they reach the mastering chain.
Stem mastering costs more. It is the right choice when one element still fights the mix, usually a vocal or a kick, or when you have hit a wall in mixing and the song would benefit from a fresh pair of ears.
How much does online mastering cost?
Stereo mastering starts at €100 per track, excl. VAT. Stem mastering starts at €190 per track, excl. VAT. Express turnaround, vinyl cuts, DDP images and Apple Digital Master delivery are available as add ons.
How long does mastering take?
The first version comes back within 7 days. Express within 48 hours is available for €30 extra per track, excl. VAT, subject to availability.
What files do I need to send?
32 or 24 bit WAV or AIFF at the sample rate you mixed at, with no limiter or clipper on the master bus and a few dB of headroom left. A reference track is optional but usually saves a revision round.
How many revisions are included?
For stereo mastering it is two, for stem mastering it's three revision rounds.
Do you master for vinyl?
Yes. Vinyl needs a separate master with its own considerations to side length, sequencing and inner groove behaviour. See vinyl mastering.
Can I get an Apple Digital Master?
Yes. We deliver the high resolution master that Apple builds its streaming version from. Add the Apple Digital Master option to your cart, €20 per track, excl. VAT.
Is this AI mastering?
No. An algorithm can hit a loudness target, but it cannot decide what a record is supposed to sound like. Every master here is made by hand by Bernhard Range on an analogue chain, in a room built for listening. One artist came to us after testing six AI services on his music — read what happened.
Who will master my music?
Bernhard Range, mastering engineer at Schaltgeraete Studios in Werder an der Havel near Berlin. He holds 775 verified mastering credits on Muso and ranks in the top 1 percent of streamed mastering engineers there.
The signal chain
Every piece in the chain is here for a reason. One for its colour, one for how cleanly it emphasizes or decreases trnaisents. Nothing is in the rack because it is expensive or because it is expected.
Conversion runs through Merging Technologies Hapi or Prism Orpheus and Dangerous Music AD+, clocked by a Grimm Audio CC1. Dynamics come from Thermionic Culture The Phoenix, Vertigo Sound VSC-2, Elysia Nvelope. Equalisation from Maselec MEA-2, Tube-Tech HLT2AM and Bettermaker Mastering Equalizer. Saturation from the Culture Vulture.
The chain is mostly analogue, with digital tools where they genuinely do something analogue cannot: surgical correction, limiting, restoration.
