Having a Big name master your songs lend credibility to the work?

[Nwahs]

I've seen that for the $ you can have some high end professionals master your songs. People that have worked on Grammy winning albums. Other than the obvious experience if you can be there with them, does this lead to more credibility for your work? Let me define credibility. Because I'm sure all of us feel are work is credible already. I mean when I provide my CD and promo packaging for a big gigs and my CD was produced by Mr Fantastic instead of in my basement I'm sure this must influence bookings. Also if your CD is listed on the pro's website, this can't hurt promotion either. Just wondered if anyone has done this.

[TonyB]

Well it goes back to the old saying "You can't polish a turd."

I'm not trying to be a smart a$$, but they can only do so much.

Now assuming you gave them a good mix (one in which they didn't have to keep returning....which they will do if it's not mixable or masterable), they can definitely take it to a better level. And yes, those dudes can lend some credibility to your material.

However, some of those big name folks won't touch your material if it needs an overhaul; they'll send it back. Bottom line: You'll need to do your homework and give them a quality product. If you do this. then by all means put that credible name on your CD.

[paul999]

I really feel that you should be sure you are getting what you are paying for. Are you guaranteed a spot on the website? Is MR. fantastic going to actually work on it or an intern? I think most places you play are more interested in who pays to work with you not who you pay to work with.

Buy the way having your CD mastered by someone is a far cry from having it produced by them. If you shell out the cash for a big producer then you have something to brag about but if you look at their list of clients you don't recognize you will also learn that they can produce bands that do nothing as well.

[Bigduggieface]

I'll add to the excellent previous comments by providing an anecdote.

About a year ago I produced and engineered an album for an electronic/psychedelic duo. The album is very dynamic with lots of soft, spacey pads as well as the occasional hard-hitting drum loops and copious amounts of bowel-trembling sub-bass frequencies.

The duo was very well funded, and they are good musicians with decent songs. We managed to churn out some reasonably professional sounding mixes (IMO).

When the subject of mastering came up, the duo suggested getting the project mastered by a particular Grammy Award winning mastering engineer on the East coast (who shall go nameless on this forum). We reasoned that he was sure to do a good job, and his name on the CD couldn't hurt. The fee was just under $3,000. I said "go for it"!

I have mastered a few CDs in my day, and I think I have a decent grasp on the process (not to toot my own horn). When I sent the final 24-bit mixdowns to the mastering house, I decided to also master the project myself to compare my mastering job with a Grammy Award winning mastering engineer's $3,000 mastering job (I have traditionally charged 1/4 of this amount for my mastering 'skills & equipment').

Once I got the final masters back from the mastering house, I compared them with mine. There was very little difference. I was schizophrenic about the experience. On one hand it validated my mastering skills in my own mind, but on the other I realized that paying $3,000 for getting an album mastered by an 'award winning mastering engineer' is a waste of resources for a struggling independent artist.

As paul999 mentioned, engineers are important, but it's the artists and a few choice producers who get the spotlight. The lay listening audience may recognize producers like Quincy Jones, Dr. Dre, and Phil Spector. However, ask the average music lover or music critic to name 3 famous engineers (let alone MASTERING engineers), and I'd bet they can't even name one.

The moral of the story is this. Genuinely marketable music must stand on its own merit. Buying a 'name' will not necessarily fool anyone into thinking that your music is any more credible. If you can find a good mastering engineer who will charge you $1,000 or less, take the $2,000 that you've saved and use it towards marketing your new CD, or spend $2,000 more on the tracking/mixing stages. 20 years ago I would have spent the money on a pro mastering job, but today the technology is allowing quality mastering tools to be available to many more engineers at a more affordable price.