Polishing your music to a platinum shine

The finest artists in the music business depend on us to bring out the very best in their music. We have mastered Grammy and Oscar award winning projects in almost every genre including Hip Hop, Rock, R&B, Blues and even Comedy.
 
Located inside Ardent Studios in Memphis, we'll bring the magic out of your music and treat you like the star you are!

A Tradition of Audio Excellence Since 1970      

Frequently Asked Questions

What is mastering?

A recording engineer knows how to make a great song, but it takes a mastering engineer to make a song sound great - whether it's being played through a car stereo, a portable CD player or a top of the line stereo system. With mastering, we optimize your CD, making it sound punchy, warm and full, while raising the overall level and highlighting details.
  

Why should I trust you with my music?

Excellent question and we have 4 good answers! You should trust us because (1) we will treat you as a high priority client (2) your satisfaction is guaranteed (3) we have the classic studio gear that other facilities can only dream about and, most importantly, (4) we have a proven track record that is unmatched by any other mastering facility in the music business. Our clients have so far received over 78 certified Gold and Platinum Albums, 14 Grammy Awards and 2 Academy Awards. Browse our partial client list and you'll see that, when you use us, you're in great company.
  

Can I attend my mastering session?

Yes, you are invited to attend! No one is more familiar with your musical vision than you are , so we always welcome your input. Many other mastering studios charge extra for the client to attend their session, but we actually prefer it. We do ask that you limit the number of people attending to no more than two if at all possible.
  

What are my payment options?

We prefer Cash, Cashier's Check, or Money Orders. We will also accept checks drawn on a local bank with bank approval. In the event of payment by Credit Card, we accept only Visa or MasterCard and there will be an additional 2.9% surcharge. If there are any questions regarding your specific payment arrangements, please contact us.
  

Do you require payment in advance?

No. However, payment at the time of the session is required, in full. You will receive an invoice from us at that time outlining exact charges for your bookkeeping records. If there are any questions regarding specific payment arrangements, please contact us.
  

How do I make an appointment?

Please contact us via our Contact Form or by telephone (901.725.0855) during office hours and we will be happy to make specific arrangements and schedule an appointment.
  

Where exactly are you located?

We are located inside Ardent Recording Studios at 2000 Madison Ave in Memphis, Tennessee. Click here for an interactive map.
  

When are you open for sessions?

Our business hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00am until 5:00pm. We usually start mastering sessions at 10:00am or 1:00pm depending on the length and other factors.
  

Can I send you my mixes through the internet?

Yes. We recommend using either www.yousendit.com or www.rapidshare.com
  

What is the turnaround time for mastering projects?

We will schedule your session as quickly as our workload will allow and your mastered disk is available immediately afterwards.
  

What is the turnaround time for duplication projects?

The typical turnaround time for duplication projects is 10 business days. Custom orders can vary this time considerably.

How can I make sure my CD will be recognized when put in a media player?

There are primarily two methods to accomplish this:

#1: Carefully type in all the information into iTunes after inserting the OFFICIAL, FINAL, pressed CD. DO NOT DO THIS WITH A CDR because there is no guarantee it will be recognized after it is pressed, because some plant encoders may add or subtract a few frames in front of Index 0 of the first track, which MAY cause Gracenote to recognize this as a different CD. When you upload the data (https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZLabel.woa/wo/0.0.5.1.11). Make sure you spell EVERYTHING right and proof it.

#2: Apply through Gracenote to become a content provider (http://gracenote.com/contentpartner/index.html). They supply you with an official program that will read the CD, produce an image file from it that contains all the information, and when they receive this information from you from their application, you have priority, your information gets into the database and propagates around the world, in fact. And since you are the official owner of this content, you can make changes in spelling, whatever at any time if you accidently uploaded any wrong information, as long as you do it from the computer/application that has your content and image files on it. While option #1 is easiest, option #2 is the safest!