For music creators mastering can be hard to navigate.
What can I expect? How do I choose?
Let’s go on a tour…
About me
Hello and welcome! My name is Jonar Verbart and I work as a mastering engineer based in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
My teachers, and their teachers believed it was important to learn from all the stages of music creation in order to take on the responsibility of mastering music. During my studies I have experienced many facets of working in audio. Whether it be studio recording, live audio, registrations or production, I have tried to heed their words. I have then specialized in the subject, graduating on the topic at the Utrecht University of the Arts in 2023. Among my experiences was an internship at Motor Music Studio’s in Belgium. There I learned the day-to-day goings on of an established studio environment and experienced working in teams in a classical context. I look back fondly on registrations of Collegium Vocale, Brussels Philharmonic and Mahler Chamber Orchestra. My own tastes in music vary widely and it brings me the most joy to support people in what they are setting out to achieve.
If you have worked in music you may be very familiar with the role of mastering in the process of making records. For newer artists, producers and mixing engineers it may be harder to grasp what it is all about. Even among the more experienced, the craft can be vague and seem murky. It makes it difficult to know what to expect and to choose the right person for the job. I therefore invite you to read the next section. My hope is that it will put mastering into context as well as provide you with my take on the subject in a compact way.
Mastering…
What is it?
People gravitate towards songs that live in that specific place where it sits just right for them in the landscape of music. In mastering we try to assess your mix in terms of your intentions as an artist and the broader realm of released music to ensure that it meets the listeners in that specific place. It’s quality assurance with a creative nature at heart.
Mastering is the process of finalizing audio. This can be very subtle or it can involve more apparent changes. The best masters are made from great mixes, so it’s best not to think of mastering as a reason not to tackle anything that could make your mix better. The bottom line is that mastering is an opportunity to catch anything that might detract from a listeners enjoyment. Subtle nudges in the right direction stack up to an improvement that can give your music the edge in a very crowded market where supply far exceeds demand. In an ever changing world of release formats, ways of listening and technical advancements we also make sure you get a master that will work across the board.
How is it done?
Every piece of music is different, so mastering is never the same. It all just ‘depends’. It’s my job to get a good sense of what your music is about before touching a single knob. I love working with different styles of music, because it helps me tune into what you are making, which may be entirely new, unique or obscure. I also love a good mass appeal pop record! For me, mastering begins with being confident that I grasp what you’re going for and us being on the same page. It will determine everything that happens after practically, so it’s the basis for the assurance in quality assurance.
The music will be processed based on what it needs. If it needs barely anything, it is of no benefit to go on a ghost hunt. For example, a pristine single perspective stereo jazz recording should probably remain pristine. An aggressive trap record might actually benefit from some roughness if the aggressive nature doesn’t quite come across. There are too many techniques to explain, but the core of mastering is still EQ, compression, saturation and limiting.
For the most part your mix will speak for itself and my intuition will usually serve me right as it gets tested with every master I do. However, your input is important to validate this and to provide cues that may not be obvious. A little information can go a long way.
I encourage you to express your thoughts about the songs or project in any way you like. Some people like to write down just a few associative words per song, while others like to describe the conception of the project in voice memo’s. Any input is valued and is best conveyed in the language that works for you.
Why is it important?
In reality a person always has a choice to listen to song A or B. Therefore it is important that your song can compete in the landscape of releases. Compete is not a dirty word, it just means that people won’t skip your track in favor of another. No matter how pop or obscure your music, if something stands in the way of your listeners connecting to it, they will connect to something else. Mastering is a step to help ensure that your music sounds the best it can and has the most chance of connecting to your audience.
Working on a project for a long time can cloud your judgement and solidifying choices can be difficult. It’s my pleasure to aid artists, producers and mixing engineers in these stages of your creative journey.