Examples

alternative
hip hop
r&b
hip hop 2

Welcome to my idea...my name is Culture, and this is my approach to digital mastering. in these days and times,we see how involved the music industry is. it is necessary, if you're serious about competing , to make sure that your music sounds like you're serious. for those that listen to music and enjoy it, may not know what the technical terms are, but they can tell when something sounds "like a real record". and for industry professionals, forget it. they can tell who took the time to take the extra steps to show that they really undersdtand what it takes to succeed in this profession. unfortunately, the mega dollars that it takes to acheive these goals are not readily available to most of us. we know where we want to go, we just can't afford everything for the trip. fortunately, the digital revolution has closed that monstruous gap that seperates major labels and the do-it-yourselfers, those courageous souls who believe it is possible to make it on their own terms. i, like you, am one of those people.to be clear, mastering is the last step in the production process. it is necessary to make sure that the project sounds like it is cohesive and planned. the process is to ensure that your music translates across multiple playback systems to the best of its abili. an excellent master starts with a great mix. but it still possible to come out with professional results from mixes that are less than stellar. i've developed an approach to digital mastering that has very solid analog echoes, but done entirely in the digital domain. this is advantageous for a couple of reasons; it is costly to have pristine analog signal paths to and from out board gear. there is always the threat of improper A/D/A conversion and the jitter that comes along with it. to acheive these things accurately is costly. the advantage of processing an all digital chain is that these problems are eradicated, because all digital processors are jitter immune. this means that the result is is of a higher quality, as long as the processors are high quality. this still is costly to some degree; the processors i've accumulated over the years are worth about $12,000. but thats the cost of one mastering grade analog compressor! in other words, i have a studio's worth of gear tied up in that sum. the hardware equivalent would easily be north of $100,000. this why my prices are so reasonable. i pass everything i've saved on to you. this is my mission statement; everyone deserves to sound like the professional that they know they are. and i may not be Bernie Grundman (the guy who mastered "Thriller" and "The Chronic"), but i'm still just as proud to be the guy that mastered your record.

alternative

KEY

Brooklyn, NY

This is an excellent example of how much can actually be tamed and brought to life thru mastering. This is an excelllent song, with good composition and a good mix, with area of concern in the bass region and the low mids. With all of that clear, we have a clear present master with a well articulated bass region.

DIFFICULT (BEFORE)

DIFFICULT BX SOLO.mp3

before

after

hip hop

Shelliano

Philadelphia, PA

This is a straight forward mix and master. this particular song has a different approach taken to it, where the emphasis is clean, but present. Most of the power in the bottom end is below 60hz, so make sure your sub is on. Sheliano is one of the premiere lyricists in Philly.

00. WELCOME B4 1-10.mp3

00. welcome 1-10.mp3

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after

r&b

Serene

New York, New York

This is a song that i co-wrote and produced. this is a full mix, and it was recorded and mixed at my studio. I also mastered it. It is always important to remember that what goes in is very crucial, right from the start. That and a high quality mp3 maker, and you have a solid production ready to represent your artistic vision.

slow down b4.mp3

SLOW DOWN 1-10 2.mp3

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after

hip hop 2

REKE RAW

Philadelphia, PA

This is a great example of my two track technique. In other words, the trak came to me as a stereo file, and i mixed it with the vocals to get to this point. I also mastered it, and this is the result. If you have traks from a producer, but can't get them all tracked out, i can do a lot to make it sound right.

DO IT FOR U (BEFORE)

00. do it for u 1-17 2.mp3

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after

c Pictures by intangibleARTS

services

Mixing

Full Track: $150Two Track: $99Instrumentals: $79Soundtracks to films: Please email.All mixng is done in Pro Tools primarily or in the DAW of the session, unless it is deemed necessarey to import into Pro Tools for other reasons. Mixes can be done in Logic as well.I recommend printing all sounds before you send them, so that everything is contained ion the session. It is not a given because i have Logic, that i have all of the same sounds that you do. I recommend that all files be .wav or.aif, and the sample rate does noit matter. And please record your sesssion in 24 bit, unless you're working at 32 bits. Please remember to send everything ion one zip file, to avoid any confusion, as well as a print of the ruff mix as a reference for me to go by, and to make sure all of the sounds are there before I start the process of mixing.
blackline

Mastering

1 Song: $6010 songs: $25016 songs: $350Instrumentals: $40 per trackI also master audio for DVD, such as weddings, bar mitzvah's , etc. Many people can't stand when they turn on a dvd and the sound jumps to different levels. I can level it off and give it a nice clean finish, in qualiity audio that will sound great on home theatre system.Mixtapes, which are vocals and beats already released: $100 per 12 tracks. Mixtapes that are like albums will be treated as albums, unless you want the mixtape master, which is a processing system that i worked out to take advantage of the fact that the beat has already been processsed. This may not translate well with your raw beat from Soundclick. But if you prefer it, i'll do it. it will get all of the tracks louder and at the same level. plus i can add more body and low end.Please send all files as .wav or .aif. I really do not like to go with mp3s, because they are a lossy format, which means that they have missing infformation when you compress the audio. That's why your track starts off as 30mb and eventuaklly ends being 8mb. But i will take them as long as you understand this going in. If you feel you need to compress the audio to send it (which i say is unecessary because there are many large file delivery services on the web such as sendspace.com), I'd much rather have an mp4.All files are delivered in high quality audio formats and to convert your project into mp3, using my high quality mp3 converter wiill cost an extra $15. Physical copies can be made, but you will be responsible to pay for the media (CD, flash drive, etc.) as well as the SHIPPING and A HANDLING FEE OF$10.

about

Culture Livingston

Culture is a recording, mix and mastering engineer from Philadelphia, PA. he has also an artist and producer. He has recently added to his list of professional credits as a writer, the new E-book (soon to be available in print) "Keep 'Em Guessin'; A Guide To Gettin Great Digital Audio That Sounds Like You Spent Thousands". He also has written reviews for dvd releases, as well as editorials for commercial campaigns for Coke Zero, Heineken and Samsung Mobile.In the field of entertainment, he has worked with a variety of artists and executives in differing capacities, such as DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince), Chauncy Childs (Axis Music-Jill Scott, Erykah Badu), Carvin Higgins (writer, Musiq Soulchild), Doc (producer, Esthero, Res), Santigold, Freeway, Carlito Rodriguez (former Editor-In-Chief, Source Magazine), Troy Carter (manager, Eve) Nate Morris (Boys II Men), Sugar Tongue Slim (artist/writer, Ciara), Stephen Hacker (manager, Alchemist, Drew Money), Shelliano (BET Rap Battle Champion/Konvict Music), KRS One, Tame One (Artifacts), Ramellzee (Rock Steady Crew), DJ Too Tuff (Tuff Crew), DJ Miz (DMC World DJ Champion), Cosmo Baker (DJ, remixer), Jeru The Damaja, The Roots and The Fugees. He has also worked with a large number of local talent in and around the Philadelphia and New York City areas.He is the owner of a private facility, Serene Sound Mixing and Mastering (named after his daughter, Serene, of whom he is a single parent to. he is also the owner/admin of a hip hop/opinion based blog named 'bboy cult' (www.bboycult.com) as well Digital Audio School, a meeting place to share and discuss all things audio, with the emphasis on the digital format.

contact

Contact Me

Culture 267-344-7387serenesoundmnm_gmail.comreal_hot_beats_yahoo.comfacebook.com/cultlivinglinkedin.com/bboyculttwitter.com/bboycult

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