Mastering Rates:
I strive to provide high-quality mastering services at affordable rates based on a sliding-scale. The reason why I don't have set-in-stone "per-song" or hourly rates for mastering is because I believe in deciding upon a price which is fair for both myself and the client's wallet.
A major label will obviously have a larger budget for mastering than a new D.I.Y. band just starting out and professional mastering services should be accessible for everyone! Likewise, every project has a different set of requirements and I don't think a flat rate is appropriate in that context. Never hesitate to reach out about working together, even if you think you can't afford mastering services. Punk ethos.
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Mixing and Recording Rates:
I do have set rates for engineering and mixing work. For tracking/recording, you can see a breakdown of rates to work with me (or Kurt Ballou) at God City here on our website. I am willing to travel for recording projects and work out of other studios as well if you'd like to make a record elsewhere.
My rate for mixing (and tracking) is $200/day. To help you calculate a total price, here is a rough breakdown of how many days I would typically book out for mixing a project based on length. Obviously these estimates are dependent on the scope of the work required for the project.
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Keep in mind that these timeframes also include ample time for revisions. For all mixing and mastering jobs, I include two free sets of revisions as that is the usual maximum number my clients require and typically what we will end up having time for. Additional sets of revisions are available at an additional cost depending on the scope of what adjustments are necessary.
All of this being said, I always try to keep my prices fair and flexible, especially when a client is self-funding their project, so please email me regarding your budget and we can probably work something out. If the scope of the project is more than I expect and requires additional work such as editing, tuning, importing and consolidating your sessions, spectral repair, clean-up, etc., this will obviously require extra time and likely incur extra charges.
Deposit:
For all mixing and mastering projects, a non-refundable deposit of 30% is required to confirm dates. If you cancel with enough notice so another project can be found to fill those dates, your deposit will be returned pro-rated based on the number of dates filled. It is important to note that deposits are connected to specific dates, not projects – postponing means you will likely lose your deposit.
To book God City Studio in Salem, MA for recording or attended mixing, a non-refundable deposit of 50% is required to confirm dates. Recording or attended mixing at God City is always a flat rate of $450/day rather than my $200/day unattended mixing rate.
Final mixes or masters will be delivered as soon as remaining balance for the project is settled in full.
If alternate mixes or masters (stems, vocal up, instrumentals, etc.) are required, please state that at the time of booking so that sufficient time can be scheduled for that purpose. I usually mix records in one session (not separate session files for each song) with outboard hardware so once your record is complete and delivered, it is complete. This workflow also applies to mastering projects. The dates we schedule are the dates the work will be done. If you contact me asking for revisions a month or two later, the entire record will have to be recalled and treated as a new project.
I don't do free or discounted "test masters" or "test mixes" as the process of doing a "test" of anything is counterproductive to my workflow. If you want a "test master" or "test mix", the rate will be the same as booking a regular project.
Contact:
Please email me at me@zachweeks.com to further discuss availibility and details about your project and we can take it from there!
An important side note regarding mastering and mixing the same project:
In the interest of being fully transparent, I typically don't love to master my own mixes just because I think it is very important to have a fresh perspective and a second set of ears on a mix -- this is why I usually say I offer "mixing OR mastering" services.
That being said, not all clients have the means to hire a solid mastering engineer who I would recommend working with. In these cases, I am happy to provide mastering services in addition to mixing at a discounted rate. What I usually do in these situations is just space out the time between finishing the final mix and mastering by a week or two to "reset" my ears and approach mastering the project with a cleaner slate.
Some mastering engineers I really like working with include: Magnus Lindberg, Chicago Mastering Service, James Plotkin, Jon Markson, and Alan Douches.
FAQ: why are your mastering rates cheap?
I firmly believe that professional mastering services should be accessible to everyone and not misconstrued as an extravagant expense just to get "golden ears" on your record. I never cut corners and treat all projects with the same level of T.L.C. and respect regardless of scope or budget. Additionally, my overhead is pretty low so I can keep my mastering prices low for that reason.
Most of the other mastering engineers I work with are also very fairly priced and I cannot recommend their work enough!
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