Posted on March 25, 2025March 18, 2026 by alternativeblueprint

Deluxe Release Packages:Tailored for Your Tone

If you’re releasing on Vinyl and Digital OR Digital-Only, we’ve got you covered.

Get the ultimate record release gravitas on all formats with MORE than just mastering, at an incredible price!

For the best professional-sounding results, masters need to be finished differently for Vinyl, Streaming and Download+CD, as these formats all have different technical requirements.

Using the same masters for every format leads to compromises between streaming or download, and worse – problems with a vinyl cut (even getting rejected by the plant!).

These extra mastering costs can mount up, so we have created these great-value packages saving 25% so you don’t have to compromise on your release.

Choose the package that fits your groove: Vinyl & Digital or Digital-Only, and get perfect sound across every format.

“In my 25 years within the Music Industry as an A&R man, producer, songwriter, record company owner, lecturer and consultant I’ve had the opportunity of working with some excellent Mastering Engineers. Lawrence I can safely say is one of the best. His understanding of mastering coupled with his easy going approach, flexibility and quality of work at a decent price make him an absolute treasure to work with in his particular field. I can’t recommend him enough.” – Richard Rogers – Ex Head of A&R for Warner-Chappell

“Loz, it turns out you were the best to my ears, including people in multi-million dollar mastering facilities.” – Augustine Leudar

“When we were preparing our first album, two of the biggest pressing plants recommended Loz to sort out our digital and vinyl masters. We were so impressed with his work that we asked him to mix and master our second album. Communicating our ideas for each song was so easy and enjoyable, and we are delighted with the results. Loz’s calm, zen-like approach, combined with his expertise and knowledge, makes him a pleasure to work with. Highly recommended!” – Olly, Bobsled Team

“I had my band’s tracks mixed and mastered by Loz after trying over 15 studios for mixing and mastering, but no one could get the sound I was looking for on my songs like Loz! The end result was amazing and the sound came out exactly how I wanted it. The attention to detail was great and I’m really happy. I highly recommend this studio to anyone looking for top quality mixing and mastering.” – Bill Sam, Nightsteel

Since 2006, we’ve been making records rise above the noise, full-time.

Your dream release? It starts here.

best online mastering studio fat as funk mixing analogue

Pick Your Package:

1: Vinyl AND Digital release

Lush analogue masters. Individually optimized for the best vinyl cut, streaming, CD, cassette, and download – ultimate sonic gravitas for your release.

Plus get everything sounding amazing before the final mastering stage including:

Mix Evaluations: Refine your mixes at home with detailed advice before we master them
OR Mixing + Mastering: We handle everything for pro-level polish and an easy life for you!

2: Digital-only release

Lush analogue masters crafted for streaming, download, CD (and cassette too!) – zero compromise.

Plus get everything sounding amazing before the final mastering stage including:

Mix Evaluations: Tweak your mixes at home with detailed advice before we master them
OR Mixing + Mastering: Full-service sound from the ground-up for best results, and an easy life for you!

Does that sound like the record you’ve been dreaming of? Achieve it AND save 25%

Deluxe Vinyl + Digital Release Packages

Price range: £272.00 through £1,904.00

Select options
Deluxe Digital Release Packages

Price range: £212.00 through £1,936.00

Select options

Your Music – Sounding Incredible, Lasting Forever

Fat As Funk has been the “in house” mastering engineer for 3 of the biggest UK pressing plants for many years and have shaped the sound of vinyl releases for thousands of artists, from household names to independents.

“We’ve been working with Fat As Funk for over 10 years and Loz is my go-to guy for pre-vinyl mastering. His expertise is always on point, and he knows how to get any masters sounding great on vinyl. It’s always a smooth ride with clear communication and quick turnaround.” – Graham Worsfold, Key Production (a top pressing plant)

“We have used Loz and Fat As Funk mastering as our ‘In House’ mastering engineer for some years now and we have absolutely no intention of changing that any time soon. Loz’s versatility and attention to detail when mastering across all genres and for all physical media and digital media outputs is second to none in the business. Fat As Funk is a genuine 5 star service.” – Adam M – Director: Cram Duplication & Vinyl (a top pressing plant)

“We have been using Loz/Fat as Funk Mastering through Breed Media for years and always receive a friendly, timely and quality service/results from him for vinyl mastering, as well as level checking and DDP conversions for CD work. We have trusted him with projects ranging from household name artists to customers putting out their first release and would gladly recommend his services whenever we can.” – Ben Ward, Breed Media (a top pressing plant)

“Always a pleasure to work with Loz. Turns jobs around quickly for me when time is of the essence! And what he does is always amazing – Top job!” – Liz Brown, Key Production (a top pressing plant)

The Package Details

1: Vinyl + Digital Release:

Option 1A: Analogue mastering for vinyl + digital release, with pre-mastering mix optimisation advice

Detailed Mix Evaluation on every track to refine your mix at home pre-mastering. Better mix in = better master out!
High-res masters optimised for digital use (& Cassette too!)
Pre-vinyl optimised masters for an unmatched quality vinyl cut
Streaming-optimized masters to stand out in the crowd
16 bit / 44.1 masters for CD (and some digital distributors)
Best-quality MP3s made from our 32 bit highest-quality files with metadata text included

£68 per track (usually £91), 4 tracks minimum. Save ~25%

Option 1B: Analogue mixing + mastering for vinyl & digital Release

Pro mixing and mastering of up to 10 instrument stems per song (more stems are OK with a surcharge of £7 per stem)
High-res wav masters optimised for digital use (& Cassette too!)
Pre-vinyl optimised masters for an unmatched quality vinyl cut
Streaming-optimized masters to stand out in the crowd
16 bit / 44.1 masters for CD (and some digital distributors)
Best-quality MP3s made from our 32 bit highest-quality files with metadata text included

£136 per track (usually £181). 4 tracks minimum. Save ~25%

Deluxe Vinyl + Digital Release Packages

Deluxe Package

Clear

2: Digital-Only Release:

Option 2A: Analogue mastering for digital release, with pre-mastering mix optimisation advice

Detailed Mix Evaluation on every track to refine your mix at home pre-mastering. Better mix in = better master out!
High-res masters optimised for digital use (& Cassette too!)
Streaming-optimized masters to stand out in the crowd
16 bit / 44.1 masters for CD (and some digital distributors)
Best-quality MP3s made from our 32 bit highest-quality files with metadata text included

£53 per track (usually £71), 4 tracks minimum. Save ~25%

Option 2B: Analogue mixing + mastering for digital Release

Pro mixing and mastering of up to 10 instrument stems per song
High-res wav masters optimised for digital use (& Cassette too!)
Streaming-optimized masters to stand out in the crowd
16 bit / 44.1 masters for CD (and some digital distributors)
Best-quality MP3s made from our 32 bit highest-quality files with metadata text included

£121 per track (Usually £161), 4 tracks minimum. Save ~25%

Deluxe Digital Release Packages

Deluxe Package

Clear

Due to the extra workload, we can only do a few of these packages per month. Book now to secure your deluxe release package.

The Release You Always Hoped For, Delivered

“Loz! WOW. They sound beautiful. Kind of crying. Been 2.5 years to get here. Can’t believe it. That you got such round bottom-end with such depth to the mix as well, no loudness madness, is really impressive and everything I’d hoped for.” – Jung Jungle

“Fat As Funk has changed average recorded music into tracks suitable for national exposure on radio stations for me.” – Rob Saunders, Deuce Management

Nothing Quite Like Vinyl

Vinyl isn’t just a format—it’s a legacy. Your tracks deserve that warm, rich depth. Plus digital masters that cut through on Spotify and beyond. I’ve got the gear, the experience, and the pressing plant connections to make it happen effortlessly. There’s nothing like the feeling of unwrapping your first vinyl record! This is your shot to create something that stands the test of time and sounds as good as the best. Something to be truly proud of.

(From a client with his own vinyl cutting lathe) “I did a test cut of your demo master alongside a demo master from another mastering engineer and I can confirm your master was really good, translated to vinyl well and was far better than the other engineer. I liked the way that you didn’t slam the mix too hard and the integrity of my mixdown was still there but you just made it come alive more and made it sound nice & punchy and also louder without destroying the dynamics.” – Ben, I & I Musik

Getting Physical?

CD and Cassette releases are gaining popularity again, and our masters for digital use will sound perfect on these formats too. We can also give you a master Cassette for you to duplicate from for an additional fee.

“We’re delighted with those masters you sent us. They really are perfect and everyone on our end is happy.” – A Futurist Theatre

Your dream sound, elite and affordable

“These masters are phenomenal ! I still can’t get over how you can take a stereo stem and make it groove and move more with mastering… You’ve brought out details that I haven’t heard before and I’ve been obsessing over these mixes for two years. The vox sound front and centre without compromising the music. We love them and we’re delighted with the overall service – brilliant communication and a speedy turnaround without impacting the quality. All magic. We haven’t even considered trusting our music to another mastering engineer – that won’t change ! Thank you again.” – Strange Crazy

Reserve your package now!

Deluxe Vinyl + Digital Release Packages

Price range: £272.00 through £1,904.00

Select options
Deluxe Digital Release Packages

Price range: £212.00 through £1,936.00

Select options

best analog mastering online fat as funk

Posted on April 19, 2023July 19, 2023 by alternativeblueprint

How to Use Mid-Side Processing to Enhance Your Mixes

mid side processing header for mastering and mixing

One of the most powerful and versatile tools in your mixing arsenal is mid-side processing. Mid-side processing allows you to separate the stereo signal of your mix into two components: the mid and the side. The mid component contains the audio that is common to both the left and right channels (Centre Mono), while the side component contains the audio that is different between the left and right channels (the Left and Right).

By processing the mid and side components independently, you can shape the stereo image of your mix in radically different ways, creating more depth, width, and clarity. You can also fix frequency imbalances, remove unwanted resonances, and create more contrast and separation between the elements in your mix. Alternatively you can use it in more subtle ways for mastering to enhance or fix a mix.

In this blog post, we’ll show you what mid-side EQ processing is, how it works, when to use mid side processing, and how you can use it to improve your mixes. We’ll also show you how to use hardware outboard gear to achieve it.

What is Mid-Side Processing?

Mid-side processing is a technique that allows you to separate a stereo signal into two components: mid and side. The mid contains audio common to both channels (mono), while the side contains the differences between the left and right channels.

By splitting the stereo signal into mid and side components, you can apply different EQ, compression or effects settings to each component, and then blend them back together to create a new stereo signal.

Mid-side EQ processing gives you more control over the stereo image of your mix, as you can adjust the frequency balance of the center and the sides of your mix separately. You can shape the stereo image, creating more depth, width, and clarity in a mix. You can fix frequency imbalances, remove resonances, and make elements stand out in the stereo field. Used subtly, mid-side EQ can also enhance a mix for mastering.

How to Use Mid-Side Processing with Software Plug-ins

Using mid-side processing with software plug-ins is very easy and convenient. Many software EQ and compressor plug-ins have built-in mid-side functionality, which allows you to switch between stereo mode, mid mode, and side mode for each EQ band, or compress the different elements separately.

We will use an EQ plugin in this example. Follow these steps:

1. Load a mid side compatible EQ plug-in (like The PSP Neon, Fabfilter or Pro-Q) on your stereo track or bus that you want to process.

2. Activate an EQ band that you want to use for mid-side processing.

3. Switch the mode of the band from stereo to mid or side, depending on which component you want to process.

4. Adjust the frequency, gain, and Q of the band as desired.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 for other bands if needed.

6. Adjust the output gain and bypass switch as needed.

Using software plug-ins for mid-side EQ processing gives you a lot of flexibility and precision. You can easily switch between modes, adjust parameters, and compare results. You can also use different filter shapes and modes for each band, such as low-cut, high-cut, bell, shelf, notch, etc.

How to Use Mid-Side EQ Processing with Hardware Outboard Gear

Using mid-side EQ processing with hardware outboard gear is a bit more complicated but also more rewarding. Hardware outboard gear can give you a unique sound quality and character that software plug-ins cannot replicate. However, most hardware outboard gear does not have built-in mid-side functionality, so you need to use some additional equipment and routing to achieve it.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

You need a plugin that can encode and decode mid-side signals, such as the Voxengo MSED
You need two channels of hardware EQ that you want to use for mid-side processing.
You need an audio interface, mixer or a patchbay that can route the signals from your DAW to your hardware devices and back.
Connect your mid-side encoder plugin to the stereo output of your DAW, to encode the output to M/S mode.
Usually the mid is on the Left output, and the Side is on the Right channel.
Connect the mid (Left) output of your encoder device to the input of one channel of your hardware EQ.
Connect the side (Right) output of your encoder device to the input of another channel of your hardware EQ.
Connect the output of each channel of your hardware EQ back in to to a separate input on your audio interface.
Add another instance of your MS plugin on the stereo input channel of your DAW. Set this one to Decode.
Activate input monitoring on this channel in your DAW, to listen to the audio coming in from the EQ in realtime. This should now be in M/S mode, and you have the ability to EQ the mid and side separately!
Record the MS EQ’d signal in to your DAW. You will usually notice it appears to be overbalanced to the left, however this is actually the mid, not left, and the mid is usually louder than the side! On playback, make sure you have an MS plugin set to Decode, to hear it naturally.

Now you can use your hardware EQs to process the mid and side components of your stereo signal separately, and then blend them back together with your decoder device.

Some examples of how you can use mid-side EQ processing with hardware outboard gear are:

You can boost the high frequencies on the side component to create more air and sparkle on your stereo image, while leaving the mid component untouched or slightly attenuated to avoid harshness or sibilance.
You can cut the low frequencies on the side component to reduce muddiness and increase mono compatibility, while leaving the low frequencies alone, or boosting them on the mid component to add more punch and weight to your mix.
You can notch out unwanted resonances or frequencies on either the mid or the side component, depending on where they are located in your mix, without affecting the other component.
You can create more contrast and separation between elements in your mix by boosting or cutting different frequency ranges on the mid and side components, such as making vocals more prominent in the center or making guitars wider on the sides.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Mid-Side EQ Processing

Mid-side EQ processing is a powerful and versatile technique that can help you shape and enhance your stereo image in many ways. However, it also has some potential drawbacks and pitfalls that you should be aware of before using it. Some benefits of mid-side EQ processing are:

It gives you more control over the frequency balance and tonal character of your mix, as you can adjust each component independently.
It allows you to fix frequency imbalances, remove unwanted resonances, and create more contrast and separation between elements in your mix.
It can help you create more depth, width, and clarity in your stereo image, as well as more interest and excitement for the listener.

Some drawbacks of mid-side EQ processing are:

It can introduce phase issues and artefacts if not done properly or excessively, especially when using linear-phase EQs or steep filters.
It can compromise mono compatibility if you make drastic changes to either component, especially on low frequencies or across a wide frequency range.
It can make your mix sound unnatural or exaggerated if you overdo it or use it for everything, instead of using it selectively and subtly.

Conclusion

Mid-side EQ processing is a technique that splits a stereo signal into two components: mid and side. By processing each component separately, you can shape the stereo image of your mix in radically different ways, creating more depth, width, and clarity. You can use mid-side EQ processing with software plug-ins or hardware outboard gear, depending on your preference and budget. However, you should always use it with caution and moderation, as it can also introduce problems and artefacts if not done properly. Mid-side EQ processing is not a magic bullet that will fix all your mixing issues, but rather a tool that can help you enhance what is already good in your mix. Use it wisely and sparingly, and you will be rewarded with better sounding mixes.

We hope this blog post has helped you understand what mid-side EQ processing is, how it works, and how you can use it to improve your mixes.

Here at Fat As Funk, we are extremely experienced in using various M/S techniques in both mixing and mastering, and we use the technique regularly.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on September 15, 2020November 2, 2020 by alternativeblueprint

Do I Need Mixing AND Mastering? Stem Mastering? Or Stereo Mastering For My Music?

stem mastering mixing or stereo mastering

If you are wondering “How can I make my music sound better?” You may be considering taking your mixes to a pro, but are wondering what service your money is better spent on: professional mixing vs mastering, stem mastering or stereo mastering.

Below is an easy flow chart to help you decide, and we will briefly answer some common questions like what is the difference between mixing and mastering? What is stem mastering? We will explore stem mastering vs mixing and mastering.

Pro Mixing and Mastering packages:

Send us your recordings and we will transform them into a record! Get your mix as close to your vision as you can, then export your individual instrument stems (as many as you need) and send them over. Make sure you export all the parts from the same time, so it all lines up (usually from the very start 0:00).

We will give it a luxury analogue mixdown using our old-skool analog desk, valve hardware and 25 years of studio experience. We will then master lovely new mix and deliver you a radio-ready album you will be proud of.

Stem Mastering:

What is stems mastering? Stem mastering is like a mini-mix and mastering approach. It can optimize something brilliant, or correct a few difficult elements.

If your mix is pretty damn great already, and you just want to optimize it, then group the various elements together before exporting. E.G. group all the drums together in 1 stereo file, all the vocals in 1 stereo file, softer instruments, heavy instruments etc. Usually around 5 or 6 stems works well for most tracks. We will mix them back together, tweaking the individual parts so they sit perfectly together, use analogue summing then a fat analogue master for awesome results.

We can also save a mix using stem mastering. A classic situation is having a great backing track with a vocal or lead guitar that just doesn’t quite “sit right”. Or maybe you are not confident in you Sub/kick balance. We can stop your headache and ease your pain for pretty low price. Just bounce us an exported mix with the problem elements muted, then export the tricky elemements soloed. E.G. [Main track No Lead Guitars / Lead Guitar 1 / Lead Guitar 2] or for a dance track [Sub Bass / Kick Drum / Bounce Bass / Everything Else].

Stereo Mastering:

If your mix is already perfect and you are happy with it, then just send it over for straight-up stereo analog mastering. We will treat your mix like a queen, pamper it, give it some love, fatten it up, polish it shiny, make it sound expensive (but it won’t cost you too much). Fire it over. and we will deliver your awesome results.