What Exactly Is Mastering? ALAN DOUCHES of WEST WEST SIDE Explains

ALAN DOUCHES of WEST WEST SIDE Explains What is Music Mastering.

by Frank Godla  July 18, 2016 2:00 pm 10

Mastering has always been one of those things we all know is needed to complete a record, but don’t truly understand ourselves. So I recently caught up with esteemed mastering engineer, Alan Douches of West West Side, to shed some light on the subject with a list of questions in hand. With thousands of impressive mastering credits under his name, Alan is considered to be one of the biggest mastering professionals in the world today, and we couldn’t be happier to have him on Gear Gods.

When bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Death, Converge, Baroness, Cannibal Corpse, Misfits, Six Feet Under, Leprous and Motorhead are only a fraction of artists you’ve worked with, you know this is the right guy for the job! Read More Here

 

West West Side Music 2 albums make MYSPACE top 50

2 albums mastered at WWSM made the MYSPACE top 50 of 09! Congrats to CONVERGE & BARONESS! More here:http://www.myspace.com/music/yearinmusic

wwsm: We’re starting work on the new album by CARNIFEX for Victory Records! Go hear them NOW at http://www.myspace.com/carnifexmetal

wwsm: Alan Douches currently mastering the new DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN album at WWS! Visit http://www.myspace.com/dillingerescapeplan for details.wwsm: Alan Douches currently

What is Mastering and Why Should I get my Music mastered

What is Mastering and what does it actually do?
On a technical side, mastering will prepare a final master format for replication or duplication. A verified error-checked master can be provided that will ensure the highest possible quality will be reproduced. On an artistic side, the mastering engineer can analyze the audio and makes decisions as to the overall tone, level and dynamic range of the music as a whole, and provides a uniform balance for the entire sequence. By using processes like compression, limiting, equalization and other signal processing etc., we can help make your record sound the best it can. With EQ we can clear up frequencies to make your record sound clearer and/or bigger. By using compression we can help “glue” the mix together and give your record a sonic fullness that you may be looking for. This is all performed in an accurate control room with high resolution monitors and amplifiers. Using Digital editing we are able to cut out unwanted parts, making songs flow smoother while cleaning up beginnings and endings of songs and creating a more enjoyable sequence (we are also able to “de-noise” projects with a high noise level, talk to us before hand and we can make certain we’ll have all the right additional audio that may be helpful). There are also special effects we can add to your record. Let us know if you have any ideas initially. We would never add effects without consulting you first (Often these are production ideas that come about after the mix was completed, or that the mix engineer felt he could not adequately provide). Overall, the process should make your CD more listen-able on a wide range of playback systems, and bring it to it’s fullest potential.

Why should I get my music mastered?
One main reason many people desire a mastering process is for perspective… so your mixes and album stand up today, and, years down the line. Having a fresh set of trained ears go through a record has long been an essential part of the recording process. Many people spend a great deal of time agonizing over the details of their album. Mastering brings in the fresh perspective that many people involved in the recording process dont have. We also enjoy getting involved during your recording process, to ensure your mastering can be it’s best. Call us if your having concerns about your recordings. Remember, overall, the process should make your CD more listen-able on a wide range of playback systems. All this must be done with great quality gear in an accurate control room.

Alan Douches To Speak at Launch Music Conference 2010

Alan Douches West West Side Music mastering, New York Mastering Engineer

Alan Douches
(West West Side Music)
Douches has been in the music mastering business for 17 years, acquiring a reputation as one of the best in the industry. Douches credits including mastering work for a diverse range of musicians, including everyone from FLEETWOOD MAC to RUN DMC to FALL OUT BOY to ALKALINE TRIO to MASTODON and countless other household and near-household names.

For more info http://www.launchmusicconference.com/panels/index.htm

www.westwestsidemusic.com

Alan Douches re: Freelance Whales – THANK YOU!!!!

Alan Douches re: Freelance Whales – THANK YOU!!!!

Alan,

Over the summer, you mastered “Weathervanes” by Freelance Whales for me.  I wanted to write to let you know that since the album was released things have really picked up for the band.  We had a song placed on the season finale of “Bored To Death” on HBO, the band was featured as a band to watch on Stereogum, was an artist of the week on NPR’s “World Cafe,” and had an incredibly successful run at CMJ.  The band has just returned from a 6 week North American tour opening for Fanfarlo and are about to sign a deal with Frenchkiss Records and Mom+Pop Records.

Both labels are nuts about the record and are planning on re-releasing it as is, and from a sonic perspective I think you had a huge role to play in that.  I’ll be the first to admit that my mixes were not perfect and had some issues, and I think the mastering job you did is a big reason why there hasn’t been much discussion of remixing.  I’ve even had some old-timers tell me the loved how analog it sounds – so I’m so glad you chose to have the mixes hit tape.  This is my first production to be released nationally so naturally I am thrilled.  I knew all along that there was serious potential with this band, and I am just happy that I picked the right guy for the mastering job.

Thanks again,

Jeremy Skalrsky

—
MajorWho Media
Engineer, Producer, and All Things Miscellaneous

jeremy.sklarsky@gmail.com

http://www.westwestsidemusic.com

Connect With West West Side Music Alan Douches on Facebook and Myspace

Connect with West West Side Music Mastering, Alan Douches On Facebook and Myspace

West West Side Music mastering new York
>>In music mastering, it has always been our goal to bring the best objective and subjective points-of-view together, and create with the production team, the very best possible final master. Now, more than ever, bands have amazing control over their sound, and communication with us is key to helping achieve successful final goals. For sessions that need to be done unattended, we make high use of our FTP site where you can follow the progress of your session. Alan Douches (West West Side Music’s chief engineer) has assembled a unique collection of “State of the Art” equipment to facilitate the mastering process. If you have specific concerns, please give us a call. SERVICES * Audio Mastering * Surround Mastering * Blu-ray Authoring * DVD Authoring * Enhanced CDs * Audio Restoration * Live Recording * Analog Mixing * Surround Mixing * Transfers * Audio Post Production
connect on facebook west west side music open group
connect on myspace west west side music

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Steve Watson’s “Emmy” award for his audio post production skills

Audio Post Production

Now that Staff engineer Steve Watson has an “Emmy” award for his audio post production skills, we figured we give many of his (and our) old time friends in film and TV an affordable option to having their sound be as good as their picture. Many “Audio-Post” rooms (especially in NYC) have barely enough “real” audio gear to record a proper voice-over, not to say anything about actually mixing gear. Just because you have a “Digi-002” doesn’t mean you’re an engineer! We’re all in agreement, that art should not be dictated by technology – but sometimes there’s a lot at stake and experience is not just desired, but necessary.

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Call us directly at 845-563-3094 or email us… wwsm@mac.com

Blue-ray Authoring at West Westside Music N.Y.

WWSM New York

Blu-ray Authoring

Just as DVD meant a five to ten time increase in storage capacity compared to CD, Blu-ray Disc will increase DVD capacity by five to ten times. This is due, among other reasons, to the usage of a blue instead of a red laser and improved lens specifications, allowing for a much smaller focus laser beam which enables the recording of much smaller and higher density pits on the disc. Although the authoring process is realitively similar to DVD authoring, pressing costs for BluRay Discs are still quite high, but we have been persuing several replicators to find economical ways to help our clients release their products in full HD resolution.
With the emerging trend of HDTVs becoming more common, and consumers getting used to High Definition quality and expecting the same from their pre-recorded media, the logical next step is the distribution of packaged media in HD format. Blu-ray Disc is the ideal format to suit this need.

Due to its huge capacity, the Blu-ray Disc format not only allows for a movie to be stored in the absolute best High Definition quality on a disc, but it also offers room for additional extras such as making of and special features. Blu-ray Disc even offers the room to store these extras in HD quality as well. There’s no need to pack an additional disc to store these bonus materials, thereby eliminating costs for content providers and simplifying the end-user experience.

What’s more, the capacity and the enhanced interactive and network features of the Blu-ray Disc for Movie and audio Distribution format also offers new and unprecedented features. For example, additional video material may be stored on the disc in a “locked” way, only accessible to users who have been authorized to do so after an online payment procedure. Additionally, users might be able to make direct purchases of merchandise related to the disc’s content, such as sequel discs or theater tickets. The interactive features of Blu-ray Disc go way beyond those offered by DVD-Video, adding additional value to a title release on Blu-ray Disc.

Stay tuned…

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Call us directly at 845-563-3094 or email us… wwsm@mac.com www.westwestsidemusic.com

Alan Douches Top 100 Music Mastering Engineers

New York Based

WEST WEST SIDE MUSIC

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Alan Douches Now number 2  Mastering Engineer Worldwide by album credits.com Top 100 Mastering Engineers

West West Side Music has been Mastering for the recording industry for 17 years. Our audio mastering services cater to Major labels with fast paced production demands, and Indie Labels and Artists with budget considerations. A list of Record Co.’s & Independent Clients can be made available upon request (check our CREDITS page for a sampling of artists that we’ve worked with). Our Live Recording, DVD Authoring and Surround Mixing services are considerably affordable for even the smallest of labels and indie bands.

In mastering, it has always been our goal to bring the best objective and subjective points-of-view together, and create with the production team, the very best possible final master. Now, more than ever, bands have amazing control over their sound, and communication with us is key to helping achieve successful final goals. For sessions that need to be done unattended, we make high use of our FTP site where you can follow the progress of your session. Alan Douches (West West Side Music’s chief engineer) has assembled a unique collection of “State of the Art” equipment to facilitate the mastering process. If you have specific concerns, please give us a call.

Please take a look at our FAQ’s page it has a lot of our most commonly asked questions. Also check out our Audio Mastering page. It contains info about us and what we do. Our Pricing page will give you a good idea of what a mastering session could cost. And don’t forget to check out our Analog Mixing page. New info will be coming there soon…

Call us directly at 845-563-3094 or email us… wwsm@mac.com www.westwestsidemusic.com

Site translations coming soon – Espanol – French – German

Credits at allmusic

albumcredits.com

albumcredits top 100