Mastering

What began for us as a desire to master our own tracks to the best of our ability became a 20 year process of discovery and refinement. The aim? Simply put, to maximise sound levels whilst maintaining the highest degree of audio fidelity. This ensures that mixes are optimised and ready for all playback systems, formats and streaming platforms.

Experience has taught us that while the accessibility and flexibility of software audio tools are great for mixing, when it comes to making a stereo mix really shine, analogue mastering is still able to offer that elusive sonic X- factor. Kinema Audio’s mastering service offers affordable access to an array of wonderful analogue equipment.

And although these hardware tools are vital to our process, they mean nothing without the years of experience and the cultured ears behind them.

We offer a free example service enabling you to hear the quality of our work before you pay a penny. Simply upload a full quality premaster and we will create a demo master and send it back to you.

Contact sam@kinemaaudio.com to send your premaster track.

Here is a little more about what we use in the analogue domain and why:

EQ:

The ‘super EQ’ is comprised of four carefully curated hardware units whose complimentary qualities offer a beautiful tonal balance.

D.A.V. ‘Broadhurst Gardens No.3’ Mastering EQ

The classic Decca records sound – just incredible for bringing out the musical clarity of the audio material.

TK ‘TK-liser 2’ bax m/s EQ

Swedish transparency with the essential M/S matrix to balance Centre with Sides.

Drawmer ‘1974’ stereo parametric EQ

Wonderful 1970s style unit specialising in enhancing and tightening up the Low end. Offers surgical work out of the box too.

Gyraf ‘Gyratec XIV’ Valve EQ

Regarded by many as the finest sounding EQ ever. The word magic is often over used – but this Danish 3u beast truly delivers sonic gold dust to the right program material.

Dynamics

Thermionic Culture ‘The Phoenix’ Vari Mu valve compressor
Warm and Lush – even without compressing, the premium valve circuitry can enlarge a mix like only vari-mu compression can.

API ‘2500+’ bus compressor

Unmistakable American punch and control. The opamps and transformers offer a control and push that are perfect before limiting.

Elysia ‘Xpressor’ compressor

Used for hardware limiting – transparently catching any loose transients before returning to the Prism AD converter.

Conversion and Monitoring:

Prism Sound ‘Orpheus’

The Orpheus gives us the connectivity, clarity and transparency you expect from Mastering Grade Conversion.

PMC twotwo 6/ two two sub/ Avantone Mixcubes
Our PMC system, placed in our BBC designed treated room- offers forensically detailed monitoring- allowing us to work fast and with complete confidence.

PRICING

£45 single track
£60 2 tracks
£70 3 tracks
£20 per track for 4 tracks and above