AUDIO MASTERING, RESTORATION, PRESERVATION and PRODUCTION
CONTACT @ CARDINALMASTERING.COM
welcome to cardinal mastering
car·di·nal - as in fundamental, crucial, essential, pivotal – not the bird*
Providing online and local audio mastering, preservation and restoration from southern New Hampshire, USA. CARDINAL is owned and operated by producer, songwriter, luthier, multi-instrumentalist, photographer and audio engineer Brian James.
CARDINAL was conceived in 2002 when I discovered, after a decade of recording and mixing, that this final stage was what I was best suited to and loved doing most of all. I’ve spent countless hours since, perfecting the craft, and have worked on many, many of hours of music. I solely operate a computer repair and support business which was started in the mid '90s, but I am hoping to close shop and retire from computer support in the near future and begin mastering full-time - for this I need your help, your attention, your trust and your music!
CM philosophy
The mastering engineer is, as I see it, the final member of the band. Many months may have been spent writing, playing, recording and mixing when the time comes to give everything one last going-over, one final chance for realization. Your time, energy and artistic vision deserve great respect and careful attention; mastering is an occasion for perfection, not only sonically but emotionally. At this end-point everything will benefit from the art and skill of someone who has focused on the finest details for many years, someone who has not been part of the production to that point (and can listen with fresh ears) who has the system and the space to hear fine details for correction or enhancement and above all understands that . . .
Choosing a mastering engineer is like choosing a hair-stylist or a babysitter - you need someone who can be trusted. It's important that the engineer understand and ENJOY the music that is provided, and while it’s certainly technical, it is also an art, like framing a painting. I enjoy and understand all sorts of music and though I may occasionally find myself working on a project that isn’t something I would usually listen to, throughout the process it will be, no matter, my favorite music in the world – this is MOST important.
music is felt and mastering is often a crucial part in maintaining and heightening the emotion and impact of music
WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN
Though I will gladly work on any project of any size or caliber, CARDINAL is best suited to independent artists, small labels and small to mid-range studios, both home and professional. It is a sort of boutique operation where nothing is rushed or overlooked. I use a hybrid of both analog and digital processing. Much of the software processors I use are nearly indiscernible from their hardware counterparts - software, in the past couple years, has finally begun to match the quality of analog hardware, though I still use both on almost every project. The main tools and equipment I use are listed at the bottom of the sounds page, along with samples of recent work.
I find there are generally two desires from artists and producers:
1. those who have realized their project entirely, are looking to maintain it largely as-is but who want to eke all the polish and depth possible from the tracks, who want an album that is sonically unified song-to-song with tracks that compete in level and tonality alongside music contemporary with their own and that will sound great no matter the system they're played on (this is the very definition of mastering & is what is usually expected / provided) and . . .
2. those who want most of the above but are seeking a stronger sense of what they’ve already set out to realize and view the process as
While the first covers the best part of the work I get, I am more than happy to take the production a step further, creating a more stylized sound for your album if that's what you desire. The differences won't be overly dramatic or heavy-handed; they will be subtle, though you'll certainly notice an embellishment that never disrupts your original style and intent with treatment that is somewhat beyond 'standard.'
the final chance to impart a varnish, a creative twist, a deepening and enhancement of the existing feeling / intention, giving the tracks or album a more definitive and interesting character
All tracks can be transferred remotely, over the internet, via the submissions page. I do not, at this time, offer in-person sessions, mainly as I do not like to feel pressured to rush through my masters, but will gladly have (and encourage) back-and-forth communication on the phone or via email when necessary. While some tracks will take less than a half-hour, others may take several hours & a few revisions, some I will revise on the following day - I do not like to settle until each track is ideal and each completed project is perfect as can be. I am always happy to send an initial master, talk about revisions with the artist and continue on with their input in mind - in this way I can offer a sort of attended session.
I aim to keep this service affordable and accessible to everyone. Please visit my services page for pricing and other details.
* much as I like them
© CARDINAL MASTERING