Digital recordings sound harsh to many people because no matter how loud the signal gets, digital gives you absolutely flat, accurate reproduction. Analog tape, on the other hand, "saturates" as the signal increases in level, which is similar to compression, and the high frequencies saturate first. The fact that the highs saturate first means that, as the signal becomes louder, the highs naturally soften up a bit, resulting in a less harsh, more pleasing sound. There is no denying that this is distortion, but it is distorting the signal in a way that is pleasing to the ear.

The goal of mastering is to make the music sound good on a variety of systems and delivery media and to unify the program from beginning to end through careful quality control. Mastering a project from one studio and one set of sessions is straightforward because the masters will be on one format and the sound will be consistent from one piece to the next. Assembling compilations, on the other hand, makes interesting demands on the mastering engineer.

The mastering engineer's challenge is to achieve a consistent, unified sound throughout the compilation. This is the primary focus as the engineer masters each piece and makes improvements to the mixes by using EQ and compression, changing the stereo image, and adding reverb if needed.

Hdqtrz Digital Mastering Studios is committed to providing the client with the best sounding finished product ever.

We look forward to serving you.