You have worked hard on your music

You want it to be heard and appreciated by both current and future fans.

The last thing you want is to hate the sound of your own songs for the next decade. I've been there myself, and it's a terrible feeling

The recording, mixing or mastering process of your music can either make it or break it, so make the most of it.

"Once you release those songs,

they are out there...forever"

Let's create something that makes you proud

You've written songs you believe in. You have a vision for the sound.

Now it's time to put your baby into the hands of someone else.

   That's where I come in.

Arena Recording Studio and Chris will work with you, turning your vision into a finished, polished recording that you feel proud of and that your fans can enjoy for the rest of your lives.

So, what do you get?

(spoiler alert-you get a damn good recording and mix for one thing!)

GUITAR RE-AMPING

First things first; if you are using a guitar, you may well have spent a great deal of time coming up with your own tones.

As a fellow musician, I respect that 100%

But there's just one problem: those tones were created in a less than perfect environment eg: rehearsals or bedrooms.

This means that whilst your tones may sound AMAZING by themselves (or in a rough mix) they were created without any context of the other elements that might be in the final recording/mix (including drum and bass tones)

This is where my experience and my re-amping service comes into play.

At no additional cost, I will work with you to find tones that best fit your recording or final mix. This may be as simple as tweaking your initial sound, or it may be a case of creating new tones entirely.

Either way, I always work with what best fits the recording or mix.

BASS RE-AMPING

The same rule applies for bass re-amping, whilst I can always explore tones you have, it comes down to getting the best result in the final mix.

What about tones recorded in another studio?

We can look at tone recorded in a tracking studio but they aren't always usable. I prefer to always keep a bass DI available for re-amping

PRO TIP: always use new strings when recording bass!

Old strings can have a massive negative on your final bass tone ( far more than with guitar)

New strings will help music shine

DRUM SAMPLING

When recording and mixing most bands, drum samples typically play a large role in the final sound. I love to use natural drums wherever possible, but most home recorded projects or drums are entirely dependant on external factors that are out of my control.

Creating usable drum tones requires an audio engineer or studio that knows the rooms and what mics to use.

The drums kit itself needs to be a decent quality and it needs to have new heads that have been broken in and tuned properly.

The drummers need to be consistant hitters. In most cases I will blend drum samples with the original Arena Studio drum performance to keep things as natural as possible..

DRUM HUMANIZATION

If the drums are sent to me as MIDI, then I will spend time humanizing them so they sound more natural rather than programmed

When adding drum samples to a real drum prformance, I will adjust the sample velocity to match the drummers playing style.

MIXING

This is the bulk of the work.

This can include but not limited to:

EQ, Compression, Parallel Compression, Normalization, Saturation, Automation, Delay, Reverb, Creating Busses and Sends, balancing Levels, Making Shit Sound Great, ETC.

MASTERING

The mastering process is absolutely crucial to "my sound" and its included in the price of mixing. I've never added an additional charge for mastering, as I tend to make the mixing process "all inclusive"

Mastering seems to be the elusive dark art that no one understands.

Here's the simple explanation.

Mastering is the final step in audio post production.

he purpose of mastering is to balance sonic elements of a stereo mix and optimize playback across all systems and  media formats. Traditionally, mastering is done using tools like Eq, Compression, Limiting and Stereo Enhancement.

There are several consideration in this process unifying the sound of a record, maintaining consistancy across the album/ep and preparing for distribution.

When mastering your specific genre of music, there are a few key techniques that I use to ensure that the clarity of the mix is upheld while creating a full professional competitively levelled master.

Now for the not - so - obvious

FEEDBACK

I can give you input and feedback on technical questions about mix prep, best practices for engineering and editing your songs, instrument choices, string choices mic/preamp choices  or anything else that can impact on the result of the final product.

The better the source audio the better the final product will be

I'll help throughout the tracking, mixing and mastering process

winner winner chicken dinner

I want to do whatever I can to make sure the final product is excellent!

REVISIONS

Included for FREE  are 3 rounds of revisions. Because I set aside time on my calender to do revisions, you can take as much time as needed to gather each batch of revisions without needing to stick to a specific schedule.

My goal is to make this a smooth and simple process for you

Here's what's NOT included

A few things not included in the standard fee

EDITING

This includes guitar editing, bass editing, drum editing, vocal editing and pitch correction.

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION

This includes post production, FX, synth, atmospheric soundscapes, extensive instrumental effects, delays, reverbs etc

But don't worry as these services can be provided.

All thats required now, is a 50% deposit.

How does it work?

You send me the multitrack audio files of your song (or songs) in WAV or AIFF format, by uploading or mailing it to me, or via WeTransfer. Including a Spotify playlist of reference material can give me an idea of what your end results are.

I then send you back the mixed stereo master, worked up to the chosen level of your choice from the options below. We can discuss the mix using zoom or skype, so you can be a part of the whole process.

Once you’ve approved the mix, as well as the final mix, where possible/relevant, you’ll also get instrumental and acapella versions, or stems.

I keep the mix session backed up for a year, so you can always revisit.

Mix options

My mixes are performed in different levels, so you can decide the level of detail you want to take your song to, from basic, to professional release mix and master, and how much you want to spend. 

Bronze mix

I apply basic processing to achieve a balance, giving a general overview of how I think your track should sound. It’ll have all the balance, eq and panning of a full mix, but not the dynamics and automations of a finished record.

I can give you a report, of my thoughts on the quality and potential of your track. 

Silver Mix

This is a full dynamic mix of how the final track should be sound. Instrumentation balances are automated, eq's are automated, as are fx and dynamics. All these elements help to take your music to a full professional release quality.

Gold Mix & Master

This is the ultimate. Its everyting above in the bronze and silver and now includes all editing, tuning, reamping and mastering.

Bronze Mix: £90
Silver Mix: £200
Gold Mix & Master: £325

eMastering

Software eMixed material: £40/track
Software, not previously eMixed material: £60/track