You want it to be heard and appreciated by both current and future fans.
The mixing and 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 precious work into the hands of someone else.
That’s where we come in.
Paccagnella Studios will work with you; turning your vision into a finished, polished recording that you feel proud of and that your fans will enjoy for the rest of your lives.
Ready for more?
So, what do you get?
(Spoiler Alert – You get an amazing mix for one thing!)
Let’s start with the obvious, shall we?
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 fellow musicians, we respect that 100%.
But there’s just one problem: those sounds were created in a “vacuum”.
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 mix (including drum and bass tones).
This is where our experience and re-amping services come into play.
At no additional cost, we will work with you to find tones that best fit your 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, we always work with what best fits the final mix.
Bass Re-amping
The same rule applies for bass re-amping: whilst we can always explore the tones you have, it comes down to getting the best result in the final mix with all of the elements working together.
What about bass tones created in a tracking studio?
We can look at tones created in a tracking studio but they aren’t always usable. We recommend to always keep a bass DI available for re-amping.
Drum Humanization
If the drums are sent to us as MIDI, then we will spend time humanizing them (so they sound more natural and less programmed).
When adding samples to a real drum performance, we will adjust all sample velocity to match the drummer’s play-style.
Mixing
This is the bulk of the work.
This can include, but is not limited to:
EQ, Compression, Parallel Compression, Limiting, Normalization, Saturation, Automation, Delay, Reverb, Creating Busses and Sends, Balancing Levels, Making the mix Sound Excellent, Etc.
“Mastering is the final step of audio post-production.
The 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 equalization, compression, limiting and stereo enhancement.
There are several considerations in this process: unifying the sound of a record, maintaining consistency across an album, and preparing for distribution.”
When mastering your specific genre of music, there are a few key techniques that we use to ensure that the clarity of the mix is upheld, while creating a full-bodied and competitively levelled master.
Now for the not-so-obvious…
Feedback
We can give you input and feedback on technical questions about mix prep, best practices for engineering and editing your songs, instrument choices, string choices, microphone/preamp choices, or anything else that can impact the result of the final product.
The better the source audio, the better the final product will be.
we’ll be here to help wherever we can to make sure everything is the highest quality possible before you send it to us.
We want to do whatever we can to make sure the final product is excellent.
Revisions
Included for free are 3 rounds of revisions.
Our goal is to make this a smooth and simple a process for you.
Here's what's NOT included
A few things not included in the standard fee.
But don’t worry, these services can be provided for an additional cost.
Editing
This includes guitar editing, bass editing, drum editing, vocal editing, pitch correction, etc.
Additional Production
This includes post-production, FX, synth, atmospheric soundscapes, extensive instrumental effects (delays, reverbs, etc.).
Please contact us if you require any of the additional services explained in the "What You Don't Get" section.
The Process and Timescale
What’s the process look like and how long will this all take?
Every step of the process explained
STEP 1 | Proposal
This is where you are now.
We’ve sent you this lovely proposal, and now you’re reading it with your own eyes. It’s a beautiful thing.
This gives you a detailed overview of what is included, what isnot included, what to expect, the timeline, the investment, the next steps and the terms & conditions.
If no next steps have been taken after a reasonable amount of time, the proposal will expire and will no longer be valid.
STEP 2 | Deposit
Once you’ve looked over everything, spoken to your bandmates and agreed that 456 Recordings is your best option, we will send you an invoice for the 40% deposit.
STEP 3 | Schedule
Once the deposit has been paid, we’ll discuss dates that work for both of our schedules.
Keep in mind that no dates guaranteed on the 456 Recordings calendar until a deposit has been paid. There are no exceptions to this rule.
This rule allows us to give you more options for scheduling. If we didn’t have it, then our calendar would be booked solid for the next 12 months, and 50% of the bands would fall off the face of the earth with no explanation.
STEP 4 | Files
Sometime between sending us your deposit and your first scheduled day of mixing, you’ll need to send us your session files.
We had a strict guide for how to organize and label files, so be sure to connect us to your tracking engineer so we can ensure everything goes smoothly.
STEP 5 | Final Payment
The remaining balance is due on the first scheduled day of mixing.
If you need a few extra days to get the payment together, we allow up to 1 week for payment.
STEP 6 | TEST MIX/Master
Before mixing all of the songs in your project, I will mix and master one song, as a test. This allows you both to get on the same page for all of the “big picture” parts of the mix. This includes drum tones, guitar tones, bass tones, and overall mix levels.
The revisions you make here are not counted towards your three revision limit. Spend as much time as you need to get the mix where you want it before moving on.
STEP 7 | Full Mix
Once the test mix has been approved, Brian will spend the bulk of his time mixing and mastering all of the tracks based on the final test mix.
There should be no nasty surprises once you get the full mix. From here, there are typically only small revisions to make.
STEP 8 | Revisions
The revision process typically goes like this:
1 | Brian sends the “Full Mix,” which is all of the mixing and mastered songs in one long track.
2 | You spend a week (or so) gathering a lengthy list of minor revisions (“turn up the lead at xx:xx. Turn down the vocals at xx:xx” etc).
3 | Brian adds the revision request to his to-do list and completes them during his next available revision calendar slot.
4 | Rinse and repeat for revision round 2 and 3.
By revision round 3, the 99% of artists have a mix they’re ready to receive final masters for. If you’re part of the 1% who need additional revisions, they can be completed for a flat hourly fee.
Note: Additional rounds of revisions are, obviously, always FREE if they are needed to correct an error of our own making!
STEP 9 | Final Master delivery!
You did it! The mixes and masters are done, and we’ll deliver them straight to your inbox.
Timescale
The entire project is usually completed within 1 to 2 months of the first scheduled date of mixing.
The largest contributing factor of total time is the revision process. The faster you get the revisions to us, the quicker the entire process goes.
Projects with more songs tend to take longer than smaller projects, however, the revision process is still the biggest factor of all.
Meet Felipe Paccagnella
14 years professional experience
Felipe Paccagnella is a well-rounded musician based in Columbia, MD. Aside from his second album that includes original compositions and hymns on a Brazilian Jazz style, Felipe is featured as a producer, musician and composer in over 15 different albums all over the world and has worked as a professional musician for the past 14 years.
When it comes to music, Felipe is passionate about teaching, performing, composing, recording, mixing, mastering, arranging and producing, but his main passion is sharing his love for Christ through everything he does.
"I'm here to make you sound good. That's it"
Your Investment
The numbers you’ve been waiting to see, in clear black and white.
All numbers are in US Dollars.
Arranging
$500 per song for 4 songs
$2,000
Editing
$75 per song for 4 songs
$300
Mixing
$250 per song for 4 songs
$1,000
Mastering
$50 per song for 4 songs
$200
Total $3,500
Paccagnella Studios
Terms and Conditions
(Please read these carefully)
We like to keep things simple.
Instead of a bunch of legal jargon, our terms are in plain English.
1 | Deposit
The deposit is non-refundable and non-transferrable.
If you send a deposit for and schedule time for a full length,
and only send us two songs, the deposit will not be refunded.
If your band breaks up, the deposit will be forfeit.
2 | Scheduling
The remaining balance is due on the first scheduled day of mixing.
If you need to reschedule, please let us know as early into the process as possible. We try to be as accommodating as possible when it comes to unexpected delays.
There is no rescheduling fee, but we reserve the right to cancel your project and forfeit your deposit if the project is delayed by more than 12 months.
3 | Hidden Fees
There are none.
The only way you could incur additional costs is if you requested additional services that are not included in the "What You Get" section.
Let's Get Started!
Your next steps explained.
If everything looks good to you,
here's what to do next:
Step 1 | Sign below by typing your name and hitting 'Sign Proposal.'
Step 2 | We'll send you an invoice for the deposit.
Step 3 | Once the deposit has been paid, you will receive
a confirmation, along with the "session prep guide" for your engineer.