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Mastering is what we do

Making your music better since 1999

ABOUT

Chris Goosman started Baseline Audio Labs with one goal: to make great music sound even better!

He has been in the mastering business for over 20 years and understands both the artistic side of making records sound great as well as the technical details to help projects go smoothly through to the end of the replication process, no matter the format. With experience from the days of analog, cutting vinyl masters, making cassette masters, prepping CD replication masters, to the latest trends in streaming, He understands what it takes to make your song, record, or other audio project sound it's best.


 

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WORK SAMPLES

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At their core, Gozu is a badass American rock band. They’ve got heavy riffs in tow and bang out tunes loud enough to piss off the neighbors.

This is Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat from the 2018 album Equlibrium on Metal Blade Records

Gozu - Heavy Rock
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Bison Machine ply their trade in the dank vinyl-smelling basements of Detroit, Michigan, the birthplace of a rock tradition for brashness and all-in physicality to music that the group lovingly upholds.
 

This is Seas of Titan from the 2019 album of the same title on Small Stone Records

Bison Machine - Heavy Rock
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Legendary Detroit punk rock band led by the incomparable Tesco Vee. 

This is Death Rig 9000 from the 2014 album Savage Sagas on Self Destructo Records

The Meatmen - Punk Rock

REQUEST A QUOTE

Ready to book? Have more questions?  

Fill out the contact form & we’ll get you rolling

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TESTIMONIALS

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I've worked with Chris for over 20 years, there's a reason for that: He has a great set of ears, always delivers top-notch work, and knows what it takes to make the best sounding record no matter if it's CD, streaming, or vinyl. Mr. Goosman is also one of the coolest and most intelligent people that I have ever met.

Scott Hamilton, Small Stone Records

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Chris is our go-to mastering engineer. Also a great guy!

Ben Lorenz, Willis Sound Studios co-founder

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It made our basement project sound like a real record. Chris got it right the first try.

Rob Simmons, Sister Act

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Awesome to work with! He really added the finishing touch on my album project.

Jason Conley

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Chris has mastered the first two DECIBEL records and achieved a clarity and precision in the sound that really compliments the band. We are delighted with the outcome and the helpful, considerate approach that Chris brings to his work. 

DECIBEL, Liverpool, UK

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The masters you sent sound amazing! You always take anything we send you
to the next level entirely.


Brites, Seattle, Washington

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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  • What is mastering?

    • Mastering is really two parts. First, it's the final creative step in the process of recording. It's also the first step in replication, duplication, or distribution. It's where we make every effort to make your music sound it's best on whatever format its being distributed on and taking the limitations of those formats into account. It's so that your music sounds good on Spotify, a cassette, a CD, a vinyl LP, etc.

  • How long will it take for you to master our songs?

    • Once you have accepted your quote and booked a date, we will generally have your masters ready on that date.​​

  • Do you accept credit cards?

    • Yes! We accept cash, check, credit cards, and PayPal​

  • What does it cost to master a record?

    • This isn't a straightforward question as there are many variables that go into a project. It often depends on what the material is like coming in, what the length is, how many songs, what deliverables you need (CD, DDP, lacquers for vinyl, streaming masters, etc.) The easiest thing is to request a quote!​

  • Can I get a test master? Do you do mastering "shoot outs"?

    • Because of the volume of work we do and the turnaround times our clients expect it's ​hard to do "free" work like this. If you're interested in knowing if your mix is ready to master, we're happy to consult on that, especially returning clients.

  • How far in advance do I need to book?

    • Every week is different, but generally speaking, we are booked 4-6 weeks in advance. We can sometimes fit things in if there are deadlines to be met and we will keep delivery promises but check with us first if you have particular hard deadlines.​ Mastering is not a process that you want to rush. We have to have time to listen critically and reflect on what we are hearing.

  • How should I prepare my mix prior to mastering?

    • Generally speaking, mix down to 24-bit WAV or AIFF files at the same sample rate that your session is in. Remove any limiters or "pre-mastering" from the master bus. Make sure that the peak level is -3dBFS or better (-6dB). Please contact us if you have questions about this and we can talk to you or your engineer.

  • What kind of equipment do you use for mastering?​​

    • I use a combination of off the shelf processing and some custom modified equipment. Most of the time it's an all-digital chain for repeatability, but other times it's analog or hybrid to do what's needed for the music. I can source from analog tape (1/4" or 1/2" 2-track) or digital files, and in extreme cases can bounce digital files out to tape.

  • What is an ISRC code? What is metadata? Will the song titles appear in my car CD player?

    • ISRC is akin to the serial number of the song. It's often used to help with royalty payments and is part of the metadata. We are ISRC managers and can supply them for you if needed. Metadata, in general, is the embedded information in a digital file, such as artist name,​ song title, album title, ISRC, composer, publisher, etc. This too is used for payments, cataloging, etc. and is an important part of your music assets.
      CD-TEXT is a subset of metadata and is used by some CD players to display artist, title, and album information in players that support CD-TEXT. We still embed that information when using a DDP or PM-CD for CD replication. 

  • Do I need to master for Spotify?

    • In a word, yes. Spotify (and other streaming platforms such as Tidal, YouTube, Amazon Music, etc.) will do some modification to the level of your files if they are either too quiet or too loud, so while one master may be good for CD, it may be penalized by a streaming service for being too loud. Generally, we make a special master for uploading to your digital aggregators.

  • Should I have my engineer limit or compress my mix (pre-master) before sending to you?

    • Generally, no. Please see "How should I prepare my mix" above.​

  • What if I'm not happy with my masters?

    • This rarely happens, but if you are unhappy with what you're hearing please let us know as soon as you can. We will do whatever we can to make you happy with them or ​figure out what might be happening. The important thing is to communicate with us.

info@baselineaudio.com

Tel: 1-734-418-2811

Fax: 1-734-426-1142

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