Reviews

“In what is a troubling time in the mixing world where louder is almost always perceived as better it is difficult to sometimes do all you want as a mixer to a song. Maybe you have to pull back the attack on a kick or roll off some of the monster 808 because of how it will affect the overall volume when you bounce a reference to send out using the traditional digital limiting or maximizing method. Enter Aria. With its fully analog signal chain and ultra high end components the head room is so high that my hands are no longer tied. I can push the limits and still know the warmth and volume will be there. I almost feel like I’m cheating sending a mastered reference to a client. But let’s keep this between us!“

"I’ll admit, I was skeptical about Aria at first – none of the projects that utilized the other automated mastering services currently available sounded anywhere close to being right to me – but when Colin brought me in, showed me how his system worked, and I heard the results, I thought, “Wow, this might actually work.” AND IT REALLY DOES. I’ve used it on several recent mixes and I’ve been very pleased with the results. More importantly, the clients are happy with the results. The big difference is the top quality analog mastering equipment used in the ARIA process. Your tracks aren’t just being run through some one-size-fits-all software preset."

“We’ve been getting our songs mastered by Colin Leonard for many years now. When he told me he was working on an automated analog mastering system, I was immediately intrigued. Being that he’s mastered many hit records and platinum albums, I couldn’t wait to hear how he taught a machine everything he knew. Now that I’ve tried it for a few months, I honestly cannot live without it! It not only delivers a loud (to your liking) and dynamic master, it really shows you a few things you could’ve done better in the mix! (great for producers!) So if you have the Professional Subscription it’s super easy to fix mixes. It’s dangerously close to a having Colin master a song manually with the fraction of the time and cost. I joke with him all the time, “The machines might have taken over!”

““I can’t stand all of these automated mastering services” … is something I USED to say. Aria changed my mind. Colin has been my go-to mastering engineer for quite awhile now. So when he first told me about Aria, I knew it was going to be something extraordinary. And he definitely delivered. I now use Aria for every reference mix I send to clients, where before I preferred to send only unmastered references because I could never get the reference quite right. With Aria, we finally have an automated solution that retains the dynamics and excitement of the original mix, but still gets it loud enough to make the clients happy. This is not simply a software algorithm but a real analog mastering solution using top of the line equipment that rivals that of top mastering engineers around the world.”

“Aside from the fact that Aria sounds great, I think the coolest aspect is that it has personality. Which is a bit weird to say about a machine. It seems to have a sense of musicality. It’s so convenient and it makes me look really really good”

“In Audio Post we often have to move fast, and we often have to mix everything in the box. High end analog signal flow or sending a mix to a Mastering Engineer is a luxury our workflow doesn’t always afford. It’s not for a lack of care or budget, it’s for a lack of time. As a Sound Designer and Audio Post Mixer, an Aria subscription makes sense. If I’m working with premixed music that’s problematic, finishing a mix an hour before it airs, or have an agency breathing down my neck, with Aria I can now (for the first time) confidently drag and drop to an automated mastering service that I trust. It comes back sounding much better than before, and it comes back fast – that’s all that matters to me.”

Great mastering is a necessity for producing quality music. However, the reality is that outstanding mastering services usually come at a high price, and, conversely, a high price doesn’t guarantee great mastering. As a mixing engineer for major labels and indie artists, most projects I work on are cost and time sensitive, with no or little funds allocated for mastering. Often, I accommodate these clients by either lowering my mixing fees in order to engage a great mastering engineer, or I just take over mastering duties to prevent the mix from being sent to subpar mastering engineers.

Here’s where Aria Mastering makes sense to me. Aria will help me get through situations like these by allowing me to quickly deliver genuine and great quality mastering that will rival the top mastering engineers in the market. The four types of mastering options provide flexibility and a vast range sonic possibilities, perfect for versatile mixing engineers like myself. Aria Mastering is a high-quality, value-for-money product that will get the job done for audio professionals, allowing you and your clients to reap highly satisfying results.”

Everything about this is awesome! In a modern music business where all recordings are possible masters, this service is hands down the best one to help me present my music to anyone.

Aria has taken the guesswork out of mastering for Affix. The music we represent comes from disparate sources, our music providers record and mix in all types of environments. Aria allows the Affix catalog to have a cohesive sound and consistency that would be otherwise impossible to achieve. Our clients need music that competes creatively and sonically with music made by the best ears in the business and Aria delivers for us. Aria is the exclusive mastering solution for our company.