Online mastering

POP MASTERING AT PEAK STUDIOS

Pop = popular! Therefore, when it comes to online mastering of popular music and corresponding audio files, specal attention must be paid to the current song design in terms of frequency response, loudness or overall sound. Tell us your reference tracks, and together, we will realize your project according to your vision, delivering your desired online mastering*. With special online mastering tools, we identify and master your songs perfectly for all streaming providers.

Pop music is simple, yet very diverse in its genres.

HISTORY OF POP MUSIC

Originating in the 50s, pop music thrives on clear sounds and catchy melodies, usually with 4, less frequently 3, chords. Chord progressions, harmonies and song structure are often similar. Pop music appeals to a wide audience, so it's important to produce a sound that appeals to a broad audience, making it crucial to produce a sound that resonates with the masses. In pop music in particular, the creative possibilities are very diverse.

* Of course, only as long as the source material allows it.

Due to our high level of expertise in Rock Online Mastering, we have provided detailed information on an extra page. Here you can get to rock mastering.

The metal online mastering chain in the studio should be designed to allow the creation of a loud and transient-rich metal song. Especially in heavy metal music, a high degree of compression and loudness is required. Paired with transient-rich drums and a solid wall of guitars, this ensures the ideal metal sound.

Are subgenres of Metal mastered differently?

In essence, similar techniques are applied across all genres within metal. A certain level of compression and pronounced guitars are necessary in all subcategories. However, the sound varies significantly from band to band and between subgenres. Therefore, it's essential to set the necessary parameters during the mixdown before metal mastering and work with compression staging. Alternatively, it's possible to divide the metal track into subgroups and create a so-called metal stem mastering. Here you could, for example, divide the track into the following subgroups:

• Drums
• Gitarren
• Vocals
• Key
• EFX

Due to our high level of expertise in EDM online mastering, we have provided detailed information on an extra page. Here you go to EDM mastering.

Online Mastering of Beats and Rap Vocals

Hip-hop has long been a part of modern pop music. Whether it's German hip-hop, old school or new school, they are all played on the radio.

Origin and History of Hip-Hop

The roots off hip-hop can be traced back to black funk and soul music, originating in the black ghettos of the USA. Characteristic of this style of music are rap (spoken word), sampling and scratching.

Hip-hop is not only a music genre, but also a culture characterized by rap, DJing, breakdancing, graffiti and beatboxing.

There are now their own hip-hop charts and numerous hip-hop events in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The legendary Hip Hop Kemp takes place every year in the Czech Republic. With our years of experience in vocal processing, we enable the right sound for challenging vocal recordings in hip-hop online mastering.

Trap

Trap is a subgenre of hip-hop that emerged in the 90s in the southern United States. Trap hip-hop originated from the thematic focus on drug trafficking in hip-hop music. Trap hip-hop is characterized by slow, deep bass and fast hi-hats in the beat. One of the pioneers of trap music is rapper T.I. with his album "Trap Muzik," released in 2003. Since 2015, trap music has increasingly become part of German hip-hop. Artists like Mo-Trip, Rin, Capital Bra, or Gzuz make extensive use of trap hip-hop and its vocal sound. The artist "Gozpel" also released a trap-heavy album titled "Symphatoz," distributed by Universal Music and mastered by Peak Studios.

Processing Options for Hip-Hop and Rap

Hip-hop relies heavily on a pronounced bass range and impactful drums. Therefore, good Hip hop and rap mixing is a prerequisite for subsequent mastering. With our years of experience with artists from around the world, we can perfectly execute your projects or master for your hip-hop production. Whether it's 90s old-school hip-hop, dirty south, crunk, trap, or new school, with online mixing and mastering from Peak Studios, we achieve the perfect sound for your hip-hop production.

In our blog section you'll find tips on the topic of recording vocals to ensure your next hip-hop track production sounds great.

The biggest challenges with mastering hip-hop, trap and rap

Clearly, the kick/bass area. Often, artists don't have individual tracks for the beats, or the entire song has already been heavily compressed, making it challenging to bring the vocals into harmony with the instrumental. Also, due to challenging acoustic requirements in recording rap vocals or clean reproduction of low frequencies in the beat, the potential for issues or errors is quite high.

In our mastering studios, we have acoustically measured and planned rooms with excellent low-frequency reproduction. This allows us to extract the maximum from the presented track.

Dubstep, a music genre that originated mainly in England, is commonly associated with names like Skrillex, Knife Party, Nero, Caspa, and more. For those unfamiliar with Dubstep who want to get an impression, listening to the track 'Night Shine' by Excision and The Frim is recommended. Alternatively, one can explore Dubstep mixes on platforms like SoundCloud or Beatport.

WHAT IS DUBSTEP?

In the around 140 BPM (beats per minute)fast Dubstep beats, elements from various music genres can be found, including Drum and Bass, Jungle, Dub, Reggae, Electro, and Hip-Hop. Subgenres include Chillstep, Brostep, Darkstep, Melodic Dubstep, and more.

The minimalist music genre thrives on deep, powerful, and dominant basslines combined with vocal shouts/phrases and strategically placed highlights such as arp sounds or brief melodic breaks. The most distinctive hallmark of this genre is the so-called Wobble Basses. These consist of the interplay of various oscillators, such as a sawtooth waveform for dominance(harmonics) and a sine wave for the necessary pressure.

DUBSTEP MIXING TIPS

To do this, a low-pass filter is activated, which is responsible for setting the cutoff frequency between low and high frequencies – this is done with the so-called Cutoff knob. By using an LFO low frequency oscillator generate the wobble oscillations. The drums in Dubstep are played in a 4/4 time half-step, meaning the drums run at a speed of 140 BPM in a song with a fast tempo of 70 BPM.

What we recommend when delivering Dubstep songs to master , is an output level of -6db (fs). Like with a house or an essential mix. If you're unsure about the sound, we recommend our Mix analysis.

ONLINE E-MASTERING FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC

At the mastering classical music it is important to first distinguish how the desired end result should sound. There are stylistic differences in each era.

Classical Mastering – Pop or Classical?

The difference between the 'classical' and 'pop' variants lies both in the limited dynamic range of the pop version and in the more bass-emphasized frequency range. Depending on the intended use, it should be discussed first which goal should be achieved with your project so that we can bring out the best in your piece or recordings in the online master.

Classical Music Editing Options

Classical music thrives on dynamics, for which the players have practiced for years, as well as on the honest and harmonious sound of the instruments among each other. We ensure that 'piano' remains 'piano' and 'mezzoforte' truly only remains 'mezzoforte,' faithfully representing the dynamic range.

CLASSIC MASTERING AT PEAK STUDIOS

Whether your musical piece involves scoring for a brass trio, string quartet, or a big band, our expert team at Peak Studios is the right choice for classical mastering. With our years of experience, we can flawlessly execute your projects! If you're uncertain about microphone placement, panorama distribution, or room acoustics, we're here to help! Whether you prefer the classical version for enjoyment in your living room or you intend to use your piece for a film project and opt for the 'pop version,' we are here to support you in implementation and answer all your questions about audio production.

German pop music has always been present in German history. Whether it's old-fashioned "Schlager" or modern "Schlager", it doesn't really matter. "Schlager" is played everywhere!

HISTORY OF "SCHLAGER"

Schlager is derived from the german term 'einschlagen' (engl. strike, smash) and is often compared to a lightning strike due to its resounding success. Characteristic features of "Schlager" include simple rhythms and melodic sequences that ensure quick recognition, as well as humorous or sentimental lyrics. Thus, "Schlager" is a catchy, folksy song.

For a long time, this successful music genre was underestimated in Germany, but now, in the days of Helene Fischer, Andreas Gabalier, and many other newcomers, it is successfully returning to the charts.

It is now common to incorporate rhythms and synthesizers from the electropop and EDM genres to reach a broad audience. Whether your Schlager production is a gentle love ballad or an upbeat track that encourages dancing and singing along, we always find the right sound for you to provide your listeners with the best possible audio experience.

"Schlager"-Mastering at Peak Studios

With years of experience in mastering and the right equipment, our team is the right contact when it comes to optimizing your music project.

Our "Schlager" Online Mastering is in line with the current German Schlager productions. Accurate and clear sound, as well as good intelligibility, are the characteristics here. We are happy to capture the desired loudness of current Schlager productions for your Schlager song so that your song can seamlessly find its place in both the genre playlists of major streaming services and on the radio. In Schlager music, the broad and full side signals are very distinctive for the stylistic and crucial for the success of your work. Here, too, we ensure the ideal Schlager sound with analog M/S (Mid-Side) compression and detailed equalizing.