I get it, you're a musician. You're probably not rolling in the lettuce and my guess is you have less dough than a pastry chef. but we didn't get into the musical and recording arts for the big bucks, ameye right? So the homies say you can get a deal on mastering. "I have a connection in [insert state, province, country] that'll hook it up." Or worse yet, you go to one of the very, very weak alternatives here in the bay. Prices are cheap and you're getting the hook up after all... ...3 or 4 mastering sessions later you find yourself having minor anxiety attacks or a grim "face the facts" talk with yourself that this album isn't gonna sound super professional, or it's compressed to hell to sound like radio pop music. You think "hrmmm, time to compromise!" Fortunately, I gave it one last go and decided to cough up those extra clams (time get on your gofundme hustle) and paid for mastering one.last.time. But this time I decided to forget the hook-ups, the deals, the homie with a nice rig in England. Instead I went to Coast Mastering, cause well, internet searching told me that was the best of the best. Holy shit they weren't kidding. Michael Romanowski is an engineering God. True Fact: Michael was born from the ear lobe of Apollo, creator of all great musical arts, and when he's not making your album sound like Beethoven's 9th he's playing the lute on Mount Olympus while everyone gets trashed on 2 buck chuck wine. Okay, joking aside, this place is a mega-professional music spa. Driving into the place I called because I can't find parking - turns out they have a permitted parking lot area reserved for you. Wow...next, they have a rest area with fridge, coffee maker, snacks, refreshments. Okay, they care about you. Then you walk into the first listening room and check out all their cool tube amps and reel to reel gear. Then you walk into THE ROOM - the mega-treated super huge mastering room where Michael runs a dashboard that looks like the control room from The Avengers airship. The speakers are across the room (where they should be, not on some desk) and they are REALLY *@&#ing nice. As an audiophile and electronics engineer I can tell you that the gear in here is stupid nuts quality. Like money was no object when they made that lab. But a nice studio is only as good as its engineer. Fortunately, Michael does not disappoint. Whereas the 3 other engineers I saw before him were clueless on how to master my album (80s-style hip hop with a huge range of beats and styles) Michael dove right in and did the job right. He didn't do a bunch of beginner compression, left everything with ample dynamic range, and gave it that "punch" without compromising the lyrical details or overbrightening stuff. He doesn't "scoop" anything and he doesn't take short cuts. He puts his 100% in to understand your vision and create it to the T. Other mastering engineers just put their Hip Hop 101 hats on and made my songs sound like they were for the club. Michael gave it a personality instead, and yet it still bumps and sounds incredible in the range of speakers out in the world. He has a *deep* understanding of the technical stuff beyond the music (like Vinyl mastering details, different audio compression methods, digital signal processing, and nitty-gritty nerd details far beyond my technical know-how). He obviously loves what he is doing and will school you on almost *anything* related to audio engineering. His knowledge of samples and sound and space is other-worldly and he even identified a bunch of clips on my album from 20 year old movies and such. To top it off, he is very patient with final edits and puts in the extra mile to make sure you are happy with the final cut. He's very humble and has a great sense of humor too. An absolute pleasure to work with and I couldn't recommend him more. Whatever pennies you are pinching just stop, and go with the best. You know you and your music deserve it. read more

Working with Piper from coast mastering was an absolutely great experience, right the way through from initially booking with the manager Jonny, to receiving the final mastered product. Mastering can sometimes be a bit of a new experience for artists, but the welcome pack sent over by Jonny clearly outlined the process, how to deliver tracks, how payment should be made and what file formats we should expect with the final masters. This made things very easy for us afterward. Sonically, the masters sounded absolutely great. Dynamics were retained and the tracks were in no way squashed to death, which is something that can happen in mastering. Piper didn't completely mess with the sound of the tracks which is exactly what we wanted. We received masters which sounded like the mix we had approved, but had been taken up that extra level and really finished off perfectly. Also, being that we are from the UK, the fact that this was an international process for us didn't change a thing, and we were still delivered masters and correspondence very quickly and easily. 5 stars!!! read more

Not long ago I took a chance with Coast Mastering. Wow!!! Simply impressed. Coast Mastering/Michael Romanowski is the real deal; an accomplished, highly skilled, brilliant/dexterous mastering connoisseur with absolute and immaculate ears. Mastering is a complex art with many facets/dynamics that require an experienced purist/expert who can deliver formidable results to the last stage of any musical composition. Michael is indeed a mastering artist to a fault while being a superb human being. A true professional with unsurpassed service from beginning to end; one who understands the process and clearly reads my objectives. Coast Mastering studios are empyrean and elegant domains, equipped with the best tools available. Michael wears the mastering apron with passion. Equipment is nothing unless you have your ears glued to perfection. Michael has them. I highly recommend his services. Piece of advice. Don't settle for presets/plugins mastering software or cheap online services. Cheers!!! Diego (Indie Producer/Composer/Publisher) read more

As an independent artist, I am always crossing my fingers that the mastering process will take my music to the next level without losing the essence of the final mix. Piper Payne did just that! I was blown away by her ability to find the sweet spots in our mixes and bring them out. Piper has an incredible way of maintaining the integrity of the sonic landscape, while bringing new life to the mix. Her masters are honest and rich. Her approach to mastering is humble and helpful. She worked closely with our mixing engineer to ensure that she crafted the masters exactly to our band's liking and she worked through our feedback with an intense focus to make the songs excellent. That's what Piper does, she helps the songs shine. I cannot say enough about how much heart came through our final masters as a result of Piper's expertise. I will work with her again and would recommend her the world over to anyone looking for the highest quality masters for their songs. read more

Michael Romanowski is the best mastering engineer by far and beyond. I've worked with Michael for 15+ years now on numerous projects and sessions and we are always extremely satisfied and happy with the results. He has a timeless sound that gives your project what it needs to be the best it can be. We've stayed with Michael consistently throughout the years because of hid Quality, professionalism, and competence of his incredible work. I've also referred many others his way as well and will continue to. I recommend going to Michael Romanowsky for any of your mastering needs or studio work. I am CEO and head producer/engineer at Higher Bound Productions and when it comes to releasing our projects internationally, there's no other choice that comes close to the level of expertise that Michael has and exhibits. You won't regret choosing Michael on your next project. You can thank me later... read more

Taking my music to Piper Payne at Coast Mastering was just what my music needed. Piper took my music to new heights and gave me the dynamic sound I was truly looking for. Contact with Coast Mastering through Jonathan was a breeze with quick and clear responses to all of my needs. They understand what the artist mindset is when in the mastering process and strive to make it an easy and fulfilling experience. I plan on taking my future projects to Coast Mastering with the knowledge that they'll exceed my expectations and give me top-notch quality mastering. Check it out what they did for my music, "Revelations" by Jono. Thanks, Coast! read more

I had a top-notch experience working with Piper Payne at Coast Mastering I've always loved working with Michael Romanowski and was just as pleased with Piper's work. My latest CD crosses a number of genres and studios. Above and beyond all the stuff you expect from mastering (leveling, eq-ing, etc) Piper took a real interest in how to make the collection feel sonically unified. How she did is well beyond my pay-grade, but she did it. She simply has amazing ears and a total command of her tools. Lastly, she totally went out of her way to help me meet a production deadline. A seriously happy customer! read more

Fantastic experience working with Piper at Coast. She's extraordinarily attentive and showed a unique ability to connect with my music and bring out the best in it intuitively. When there were any places I wanted to revisit she was fully present to make sure everything was done in a way I could feel good about. I'm so happy with the way my album turned out and I'll definitely be back for mastering here for my next project. Do yourself a favor and let Piper master your work! helps others learn about great local businesses. read more

Piper mastered my band Abbot Kinney's 2016 EP "The Night" and I couldn't be happier with the final product. She was meticulous at making the most resonant, balanced master for commercial use. Due in no small part to her work, the EP has received radio play on stations such as KFOG and Live 105 and premieres in SF Weekly, Earmilk, The Bay Bridged, Dothebay, IndieShuffle and more. There's no question that her work is of the highest caliber. Look no further, you found your mastering engineer. read more

Coast Mastering is the place to master, hands down look no further. Michael has the ability to take tracks that you are already proud of and lift them up even higher. I didn't think I could be more proud of my album until I heard it mastered. Jonathan was also so wonderful to work with for scheduling. He was responsive and kind, even though I had a million questions. On top of all of that they worked with me for a quick turn around. This was such a seamless and wonderful experience. read more

So my old friend Michael Romanowksi has expanded his studio Coast Mastering The premier all-analog stereo and surround mastering, restoration and archival facility in Berkeley, CA. Hire him now! The master mix on my last CD, Fall for Me, was horrible. It broke my heart and damn near my spirit. I called Michael. He talked me down and gave me options. I sent him the files and he brought them to life! He mixed, mastered, and saved the project. I'm forever thankful. Such a good Dude! read more

Just wanted to say thanks to Michael for taking time to get my recent single mastered just right. I write, record and mix my own songs for fun (not for a living) but Michael still treats me and my projects as if I was a VIP. I had my first album and this new single mastered by Michael and they continue to sound great on all platforms, which really is key these days. I feel very fortunate to have someone with so much experience helping me complete my projects. read more

Absolutely great experience working with Piper and JR at Coast Mastering! We'll be back for more. Process was smooth and accommodating, and the masters are fantastic. Piper brought an awesome mix to the table right off the bat, and was very responsive and on point in addressing our feed back. She gave our lighter songs a shimmer, and our heavy tracks a punch, and we're just so dang happy about it. - The Post Maker read more

I have worked with Coast mastering team ( Michael Romanowski) & Jonathan for 2 of my songs now. One of them was an attended session with Michael and other one i took unattended. Both came out great. His mastering work is excellent and its a nice team to work with. I was recommended to him by my friend Daljeet who lives in Santa Cruz and i so far loved working with them. Coast Mastering is highly recommended! read more

After years of mastering our own material (psych rock), we decided to take our most recent release to Coast, and at the last minute, too. Michael was able to turn the project around in only 2 days, and we were left with a brilliant sounding EP, far superior to anything we could have achieved ourselves, and for a super reasonable price. Will definitely be working with them again! read more

We've been at this a while and wish we had found Michael and Coast Mastering years ago. Things would have been a lot simpler. Don't downplay the importance of professional mastering. Pressing a button on you computer won't do it even if they claim it will. If you care about your music go to Coast Mastering for the best around.... read more

The best in the business. We've worked with Coast Mastering and Michael Romanowski for over 10 years. Not only are they experts in the field, but the gear is out of this world and they make the experience really enjoyable. Couldn't recommend highly enough read more

Coast Mastering is fast, efficient, extremely reasonable when it comes to pricing and above all - AWESOME! Our mastered track is loud, tight and crystal clear. We've had nothing be great compliments from everyone who's listened to it! Thanks Coast!! read more

This company will take your music, which probably sounds great already to the most awesome sound quality level you can think of! I work with Michael Romanowski and he is just the best to work with on a personal level too. No need to go elsewhere. read more