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Hello. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is KRAMER.
This website tells you everything there is to know about Mastering, Re-Mastering, and how I work, but here is my personal email address for you to make direct contact with me regarding any questions you might have:
If you're reading this, it's possible that you already know who I am and what I have done as a producer. If not, you can find more information about my previous work here:
Whether you are an experienced artist who started making recordings 30 years ago and knows exactly what you're doing, an energetic Indie label that miraculously survived the arrival of the download era, or an "un-signed" singer-songwriter just trying to finish your first release, I can help you with the final, most vital step of the artistic process: MASTERING.
I use the word "artistic" for good reason. Many mastering engineers strongly disagree with my use of that word, insisting that mastering is 100% technical in both approach and execution. They are just wrong.
CD & Vinyl mastering, re-mastering, archival sound restoration, digital release mastering, etc...these are all CREATIVE processes first and foremost.
Whether you're doing "physical" product (CD's or Vinyl LP's), or simply preparing your music for digital release...Whether you're releasing just one song digitally or a triple-LP vinyl release of thirty songs...Whether you have a 1/4" analog master tape at 30-ips, an old cassette loaded with hiss, or an old DAT tape from a live performance you recorded with two shitty microphones over 20 years ago, I have the hardware, the tools, and (most importantly) the EARS to do the job.
1.1 - WHY MASTERING BY KRAMER?
Because i'm an Artist/Musician/Producer with more than just the required technical ability and analog gear to make great Masters. I know more than just SOUND.
I know MUSIC, I know SONGS, I know where songs come from, and I know how to preserve and enhance what's most important in the recording of a song; namely, its original "spirit" and intent. Most Mastering engineers concern themselves solely with SOUND, without any of the artistic reverence i feel is required in order to make a recording blossom into the force of nature it can be.
Music is about FEELING, and great Mastering is all about getting the Listener to hear the creative spirit of the Artists behind it. That's why i like to call what i do "Creative Mastering".
My goal is to make the Listeners forget they're hearing a recording, and to get them to feel that they are listening to the very souls of the Artists themselves.
I achieve that by LISTENING to more than just the recording. I listen to the SONG, I seek out the heartbeat of its creator, and I make THAT the centerpiece of the completed Master. It adheres to the technical requirements of the Mastering process for Digital release and for Vinyl, but it is most closely reflective of the nature of the recording as the Artists and Producers intended it.
And, to that effect, I always encourage the Artist (AND the Producer) to communicate as much of those finite details to me as they desire, before the Mastering process begins. I want the Artist to tell me what they want, what they feel, and what they hope the Listeners will feel when they hear it.
Technical Mastering alone isn't enough. Creative Mastering respects the full spectrum of the artists work.
Your music has a SOUL, and the Creative Mastering of your mixes preserves it, clarifies it, and enhances it for a robust listening experience. Thusly, the song makes a B-line from the soul of the Artist, to the ears of the Listener. That's my goal.
Any talented Record Producer who knows what Music can really achieve - what Music really IS - also knows that the meaning of it all comes from the human soul that created it.
Mastering shouldn't "sanitize" your mixes. Mastering should "beautify" them. That's what I do.
No Mastering that is performed from a strictly technological approach is going to achieve what Creative Mastering can. The best Mastering may begin with a series of vital technical steps, but it shouldn't end there, and I believe that it too often does. I am 100% invested in sonically conveying the artists intent.
A great Master should be a happy marriage of the requisite technical steps alongside a purely emotional and artistic servicing of the Heart & Soul that created the Music.
THAT's Creative Mastering.
Thanks for LISTENING.
1.2 - RE-MASTERING
If you have an old release that you want to RE-RELEASE, then surely you would want it to sound WAY better than the original. Why would anyone buy it unless it was an improvement over the original? Only a Luddite would insist on hearing an older, inferior-quality recording if a newer, better-sounding one was available.
Think BEATLES RE-MASTERS. If you've heard those masterpieces of modern audio technology, you know what I'm talking about. They sound like entirely new recordings.
Even if you haven't had the pleasure of comparing those ultra-expensive new Beatles Re-Masters from the iTunes store to your older Beatles CD's from the early days of digital media, surely you have seen plenty of new Vinyl and CD releases that have the phrase "RE-MASTERED" in the credits. This is the Art of making old masters sound NEW by engineering improvements in the original audio tapes or digital masters.
In addition to Re-Mastering my own works as a producer for artists as diverse as GALAXIE 500, DANIEL JOHNSTON, SHOCKABILLY, DANIELSON FAMILIE, B.A.L.L., BONGWATER, and literally hundreds of others, I have also RE-MASTERED ancient recordings by artists as diverse as NERVOUS NORVUS and GG ALLIN from old acetates, and 1/4 tapes from bands too numerous to mention.
So, if you are planning a re-release, you should strongly consider RE-MASTERING... not simply to maximize audio clarity and quality, but also for OPTIMUM IMPACT IN THE MARKETPLACE. It's a well known fact that RE-MASTERED releases attract special attention from intelligent listeners, and if you are considering hiring me to master or RE-master your music, I am automatically assuming that your audience is intelligent, discerning, and highly demanding.
Independent Musicians, Independent Minds, Independent Listeners, Independent Buyers, Independent Labels. These are the people I seek to satisfy.