HARDCORE PUNK MASTERING
Mastering for hardcore, punk and other fast, loud records that have to hit as hard on a turntable, in a van and on a phone as they did in the room. Enormous Door Mastering is led by Jack Control, with 5000+ mastering credits since 2008 across metal, punk, hardcore, doom, death metal, black metal, grind and heavy rock.
What does a hardcore punk record need from mastering?
Hardcore lives on attack. The snare has to crack through a wall of distorted guitar, the bass has to stay defined under it, the vocal has to stay on top, and the whole thing has to keep moving at speed without turning into one block of noise.
The most common way to ruin a hardcore record is to master it like a contest for volume. Push a dense mix too hard and the drums lose their transients, the guitars smear, the cymbals turn harsh, and the record gets smaller and flatter even as the meter goes up. Good hardcore mastering keeps the aggression and the punch, controls the low end so it hits instead of booming, and makes sure the songs sit together as one record, so the fast ones, the mid-tempo ones and the breakdowns all land with the same force.
Who masters at Enormous Door?
Jack Control directs every Heavy Mastering project: the genre feel, sequencing, impact and the format decisions. His work in punk and hardcore includes the remaster of Final Conflict's Ashes to Ashes, which was praised by Pitchfork. Mike Gitter, VP of A&R at Century Media Records, has praised Jack's quality, his responsiveness, and his fast turnaround of masters and revisions.
For release-ready records that want the flagship treatment, Beyond Heavy is a collaboration between Jack Control and Maor Appelbaum. Jack shapes the direction and Maor brings an elite mastering chain and a second high-level perspective. Selected Beyond Heavy credits include Nausea, Fear and Discharge, alongside Darkthrone, Aura Noir and Mork. See the clients page for more credits and press.
How much does it cost to master a hardcore EP or LP?
Prices are fixed by running time and listed on the pricing page. Heavy Mastering has two tiers. A Single-Format Master covers one confirmed release format. A Full Release Package covers all the standard masters needed for the formats you're releasing.
- Single, up to 5 minutes: $150 single-format, $200 full release
- EP, up to 15 minutes: $300 single-format, $400 full release
- EP, up to 30 minutes: $400 single-format, $500 full release
- LP, up to 45 minutes: $500 single-format, $600 full release
Plenty of hardcore full-lengths come in under 30 minutes, so they price as the longer EP. Beyond Heavy is one fixed price per length with all required release formats included: $650 for an EP up to 15 minutes and $750 for up to 30 minutes. Payment is by PayPal, Venmo, Wise or bank transfer, and details come once the project is confirmed.
Do I need a separate master for vinyl, cassette and streaming?
Yes. Every medium needs its own treatment and formatting, so a release that goes to more than one format needs a separate master for each. The Full Release Package covers all the masters for the formats you confirm.
Punk and hardcore records go to every format: 7-inches, 12-inch EPs and LPs, cassette runs, Bandcamp and streaming. Each gets what it needs. Vinyl masters are prepared for Side A and Side B with attention to side length, level and low end. Cassette masters are prepared for cassette. Streaming and download masters are individual WAV files from the approved master, and MP3s are convenience copies only, never a manufacturing source.
How much fits on a hardcore 7-inch or 12-inch?
Side length decides how loud and clean vinyl can be cut. A 7-inch at 45 RPM is best at about 3 minutes per side, with 5 minutes as the maximum. At 33⅓ RPM a 7-inch holds about 5 minutes, up to 7. A 12-inch at 45 RPM is best at 6–12 minutes per side, up to 15, which suits a lot of hardcore LPs and EPs. Shorter sides allow more level, stronger low end and cleaner highs. Put the heaviest songs early on each side, because inner grooves are more sensitive to distortion and harsh cymbals. The full table is on the vinyl side length page.
How should I prepare my mixes?
Send stereo-interleaved WAV or AIFF files exported straight from the mix session, at the session's native sample rate and bit depth. Leave headroom and avoid clipping. Don't normalize, and usually don't put a limiter on the mix bus. If the limiter is part of the approved sound, print both versions and say which one was approved. A loud reference is welcome as long as it's clearly labeled. The full checklist is on the mix prep page.
How do I start?
Start your project with the basics: what you're releasing, what service you need and what formats are involved. You don't need every detail finalized. Jack reviews the request and replies personally with the right path, price range, file readiness, schedule and next steps. A mastered sample is sent for approval before the final masters are delivered, and reasonable revisions are part of the process. Heavy Mastering projects are credited "Mastered by Jack Control at Enormous Door Mastering". Beyond Heavy projects are credited "Mastered by Jack Control and Maor Appelbaum".