Premium Audio Mastering

Why use Alien Implant for Mastering?

  • Over 20 years of experience in audio engineering
  • Astounding results you probably never dreamed were possible
  • Loud tracks with clear, full, dynamic, beautiful, natural sound (yes, you can have your cake and eat it too)

Accolades

Alternative Song of the Year out of 27 official nominees. Click on the image for more information about the Hollywood Music for Media Awards. For more on Vital, please visit the Vital website.

TV Placements (more to come)

Vital “Conversate” – Real World San Diego | Ep. 11 | Tick, Tick, Cabo-oom!

Vital “Airport” – Real World San Diego | Ep. 12 | An End To The Endless Summer

Customer Feedback


James McKinney


Monika Gaba

“I’ve had many records mastered, and I’ve always dreaded the process. Alien Implant is the best and only mastering engineer I work with at this point. His attention to detail, incredible knowledge of everything audio, and unique process have delivered to me the best results of my career. He is one of the few who encourages delivery of a mix as stems, allowing him to balance pre and post mastering to your hearts desire. The sound he gets is unparalleled!”
— Derek Olds (rock/urban recording artist, producer, and engineer)

“Wow…just…fuckin’ WOW! If it can make me teary-eyed at 11AM then that’s a good job.”
— Asmodeus X (electronic music)

“Approved! Man, this sounds really good, perfect. I really appreciate the work you did. I can’t wait to get this thing replicated.”
— Dave Webster (comedian and hip-hip recording artist)

“Thanks so much! I am really glad that you were the one I worked with on this project. You didn’t let me settle or rush, and you really added a lot to it.”
— Kevin Wong (adult contemporary recording artist and pianist)

“We love it. Nice and clear and not harsh. Thank you.”
— Porcelaintoy (electronica, trip-hop, downtempo)

Additional Happy Clients

Options

Amazing Sound More Amazing Sound Most Amazing Sound
source: stereo file (vox and music combined) source: minimal stems (vox and music provided separately) source: lots of stems (vox, kicks/subs, bass and as many other stems as I can get from you)
result: 1 master file result: typically improved overall sound, vocals pop better, 3 master files (comp, instrumental, a cappella) result: previous benefits plus superior kick and bass definition, improved life and dynamics overall, 3 master files (comp, instrumental, a cappella)
All options provide stunning results, but the more stems you furnish, the more control I have and the better the outcome will be. Think of me as your summing engineer as well as your mastering engineer. When deciding what to stem, remember my motto: “When in doubt, stem it out!” It’s not uncommon for some of my clients to provide 15 or more mix stems that I will in turn sum together, tweaking them when necessary for ultimate control over the final master. If your mix engineer does not know what stemming is, it may be wise to go for the middle option and simply ask them for the vocals separate from the music.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SEND SOURCE FILES WITH COMPRESSORS, LIMITERS OR SATURATORS ON THE MAIN OUTPUT/BUS (OFTEN CALLED THE 2-BUS) OF YOUR MIX OR STEM BOUNCES. ANY ATTEMPT TO PRE-MASTER SUPPLIED FILES WILL MAKE THE MASTERING JOB MORE DIFFICULT (IMPOSSIBLE IF THE LEVELS ARE CLIPPED) AND MOST LIKELY LIMIT WHAT I CAN DO FOR THE MIX. I’ll be happy to take pre-mastered comped files as a reference for comparison only (I love having these, actually), but the source files for final mastering must not be pre-mastered themselves.

Price

$300 per track (please read the Q&A for more information)

Q&A

[Q] Isn’t that expensive? [A] It is a relative question, to be honest. Alien Implant meets or exceeds the quality and care of major label mastering engineers who charge ten times as much. I typically spend 4 to 5 hours on each song during mastering, which equates to a very reasonable hourly rate when you get right down to it. Sure there are cheaper options out there, and I encourage you to take advantage of them if cost is the primary driver in your decision-making process. But if superior quality is your ultimate goal and you wish to compete directly with major labels (or you happen to be a major label or artist), then it should not be shocking to admit that the mastering phase of your project is just as critical as the mix phase (sometime more so). I’ve had several clients tell me in the end that all they really anticipated from mastering was some polish on what they originally considered a good demo, but after hearing the master felt they had a solid final product that could go head to head with the most respected songs in their respective genres across the globe. The bottom line is that they were in fact ready to take on the biggest acts in the industry, and finding the right mastering engineer was the only missing link.

[Q] You talk a big game Alien Implant, so where is your proof? Let’s hear some examples! [A] A fair question, to be sure. I will eventually get some examples up here, but in the interim, if you have a serious inquiry, send me a note of introduction using the email form in the upper-right section of this page. I’ll make sure you get some before and after samples of past projects. If you are still feeling skiddish, remember that you can always hire me for one song as a test. With a 50% deposit, you only risk $150. If you don’t like the result, you don’t have to pay me the $150 balance. If you love it, you simply pay the balance and make a deposit on additional tracks.

[Q] What about revisions? [A] I have no rigid approach to change requests. Mastering at this level is highly dependent on strong trust and communication. My goal is for everyone involved to feel excited and proud of the end result. I will make whatever effort is necessary within reason to achieve that goal.