I've been a jingle writer/producer for 20 years and have done all my own mastering/blundering. Like all my colleagues - I don't really know how to master. I slap on EQ and multi-band compression plug-ins and then hear what it sounds like on radio and TV - for better or worse. But I just did an album of my own stuff and had no idea how to prepare it for streaming, downloading, CD, vinyl. My fantastic mix engineer strongly recommended Piper because "she's been doing it forever and knows how to do it right". She does. She's worked with the best, globally. It's impressive. I talked to her and explained what kind of albums I wanted mine to sound like and she asked all the right questions. She's definitely more pricey than the online AI mastering options, but I really wanted this done right. So I rolled the dice, and won! The songs are just...better. 10% clearer, louder, easier to listen to. And Piper spent a generous amount of time with me along the way. Great experience! read more

Having my album mastered at Neato Mastering was an exceptional experience in every way. Piper is the real deal. She works quickly and precisely and every mix she gets her hands/ears on sounds better after she's done. Piper seems to me to be genuinely interested in making sure that the artist/client is 100% (not 99.9) satisfied down to the last detail. She strikes a great balance between allowing her own considerable expertise and decision making to positively impact each track, while also being open to suggestions and tinkering if the artist/client wishes. Piper's ability to find the aesthetic flow of a project and impose her immense technical mastery on to it made a big impression on me. I felt like each of my tracks retained their feel and character and texture, but were just cleaner, clearer, better versions of themselves. Piper's mastering work is like being at the optometrist choosing between "A or B", "A" is good, but you can see every detail of that bottom row of letters with "B". Also, I have to say that just even hearing my music through her incredible reference system was well worth the price of admission. Her setup is incredible--the best sound I've ever heard by far. On top of all this, Piper is just a rad human being and was super fun to work with. I cannot more enthusiastically recommend A) investing the $ to get your tracks mastered in the first place; and B) hiring Piper and the rest of the crew at Neato Mastering to do the work. It is, without question, money well spent. read more

Piper Payne has been a main staple of my production diet for years. She is the kind of mastering engineer that really cares about what you originally envisioned for the aesthetic, timbre, and impact of your mix. When you get a mix back from Neato, you get a track that does not sound like "HERE IS YOUR NEW MASTER THAT SOUNDS REALLY BIG AND ISN'T THIS AWESOME!? IT SOUNDS GREAT, RIGHT?!?!". No. You get a work of art. A collaborative experience where you have just gained a new member of your production team. Piper is not happy until the work fully realizes the potential of the artist and engineer's vision. I have had the pleasure of mastering electronic, choral, pop, and video game music with Piper, who has provided me with excellent results. Piper is also a pillar in the community and provides inspiration and perspiration to anything she puts her mind to. Oh yeah, and she's also hilarious. :) Enjoy! read more

One cannot help but say good things about working with Piper. Piper is truly a master of her craft, treatment of clients, and puns! If you want someone knowledgeable who will work with you with efficiency and give you feedback to grow your tracks to their fullest potential, she's the one to call. I've been honored to go to Piper and have her incredible ears and hands take choral, orchestral, pop, metal, and other recorded tracks and make them sparkle with professionalism and a glorious finish that makes one say, NEATO! If you want quality work and quality treatment, contact her. You won't regret it! read more

I've never gotten a poor master from Neato or had any trouble on a customer service level. Piper is one of the most skilled, professional and knowledgable engineers I've ever worked with. Like other reviewers, I've taken several projects of varying genre to her and have been impressed every time. I appreciate the individual care and focus she dedicates to each project, taking the time to get to know vibe and intention of the material. I've never felt like any of records I've sent got a cookie cutter treatment. The team she's assembled carry that same high standard of professionalism and focus. My deadlines have always been respected and process is easy. All around a fantastic business. read more

I've been really happy with the master I received for my first house music track. Piper did a really nice job. The master sounds crisp, has room to breathe and I love how both top-end and bottom-end sound. The coordination staff is also very professional, responsive and friendly. The deliverables were packaged nicely, and I received them by the deadline I specified. I researched a few places in the area for mastering and decided to go for Neato after recommendations from my friends. I'm glad I did! Would recommend and do business with again. read more

Working with Neato has been nothing but 100% win. Piper has mastered a number of tracks for me over the last couple of years, and all of them have come back sounding great - like bigger, 3D versions of the mixes I sent in. In addition, the customer service side of the equation has been amazing, characterized by proactive communication, attention to detail and an extremely friendly, encouraging vibe. Highest recommendation. read more

Neato Mastering is hella dope! Piper, Jonathan, the whole team are helpful, friendly, professional - and most importantly, amazing mastering engineers. My music group "illexotic" got an electronic song with vocals mastered, and gave reference tracks in hopes of a somewhat similar sound. The end result blew us away, sounded even better than we had hoped and of course way better than we could have done on our own. We definitely recommend letting them work magic on your next track! read more

We used Piper to master our newly finished album and were thrilled with her. She's so easy to work with and had lots of great ideas for making our music sound its best. She also gave us a lot of good information about our next steps: manufacturing, etc. Highly recommended! read more

My name is Lyz Luke and I've worked with over 150 Bay Area bands and have produced over a dozen albums. I can't recommend anyone more highly than Piper Payne and she's the only person I'll allow to touch our masters. Piper is incredibly professional, passionate about the music, and is an all around quality person. She has the ability to work with a wide range of music and has a high quality facility and the staff to make you feel fully supported. My particular project involves genres ranging between Orchestral, Hip Hop, Balkan Brass Bands, Latin, Indie Rock, Electronic, and more. She has an ear for all of it. Do yourself a favor and give Piper a call. read more

Piper has mastered tracks for both my acoustic folk group and my guitar-based rock group - and her attention to detail and sonic quality was unparalleled. She really knows how to make your songs sound warm and full. Plus, she's an inspiring and cool lady! Don't hesitate to master with Piper. read more

I've gone to Piper for three of my projects. Each time has been exactly like the last...FANTASTIC! There really isn't any other option in my opinion. She's reliable, fast, and the quality being pumped out of Neato Mastering is really top notch. read more

Piper is incredible! She made our tracks sound rich and detailed. Super professional and excellent turnaround time. Only mastering experience I've had that required extremely minimal feedback. She heard our vision, realized it, and improved it. What more can you ask for? read more

Piper has mastered three projects for me, in wildly contrasting styles, with excellent results every time. She has an ear for problem areas and knows how to tackle them quickly and efficiently with precision. She understands the importance of dynamics and will work with you to find your loudness sweet spot. Her technical prowess would be enough, but she's also highly personable and exceedingly easy to work with. I really can't recommend Piper enough! read more

Piper and the whole Neato Mastering crew are as good as it gets. The master I got back on a complicated mix just blows me away with the details and a depth that I hadn't heard in my own mix. And she was incredibly patient with a mix change mid-way through the project. She is exceptionally good at what she does. The whole team brings a level of professionalism and excellence that raises the level of any project. Rarely do I write reviews, but in this case Neato warrants more than five stars! read more

Working with Neato Mastering really feels like we have a new team member, which is exactly what we have wanted and been looking for. Piper has the experience and vision you want from a mastering engineer but also takes the time to get to know your music and your vision. This is the happiest we have ever been with our final products and we owe a HUGE chunk of that satisfaction to Piper and Neato Mastering. read more