Sonik Wheel Productions

Treat your mixes to some of the finest hi-end audio processing available today, at a fraction of the price of other leading mastering houses.

We prize three tools above the rest: experienced and sensitive ears, a supremely accurate monitoring system, and good judgment. All other gear is secondary.

SONIK MONITORING:

• Lipinski Sound L-707 loudspeakers - these are among the world's top mastering monitors.  Their designer, famed engineer Andrew Lipinski, is recognized by the US National Bureau of Standards as having perfect hearing.

• Lipinski Sound L-301 amplifier - crystal clear sound designed by Andrew Lipinski.

• Grace Design high fidelity monitor system 

• Sennheiser HD 650 headphones

• Additional monitors by Paradigm and Definitive Technology

• Mastered CDs are auditioned on four typical home and auto stereo systems.

 

DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATIONS:

• Sequoia High Definition Digital Audio Workstation - top-of-the-line DAW!

• Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel Digital Audio Workstation - plenty of power!

• Pro Tools 7 TDM

• Steinberg Wavelab 6

• Sonica Audio Labs Neo-64 Intel Dual Core PC

• Digidesign 192 I/O 24-bit/192kHz audio interface

• Apogee AD8000 SE A/D converter

• Apogee Big Ben 192kHz master word clock

• Pro Tools LE with Digi 002 Rack for mobile recording

 

 

SONIK SOUND PROCESSING:

 

Mastering takes experience, accurate monitors, and good ears, no matter how good the other tools you have available. In fact, the exact same gear in the wrong hands can really mess up your mixes. Here are a few of the processors we have:

 

MD3 mastering processor from the award-winning TC Electronic Mastering System 6000 - used by the world's top mastering houses! (Includes EQ, expander, compressor, and limiter.) Numerous processors will give you only "loud"; The MD3 gives you precision and sonic quality beyond reproach. The MD3 can split a stereo signal into its Middle and Side (MS) components and process these separately. The benefit of this approach is that signals panned to the centre of a stereo mix, such as vocals, can be processed differently than those panned left and right.

 

 

Algorithmix equalizers (Red and Blue) - among the world's finest EQs!  Algorothmix EQs are comparable to the very best analog mastering EQs, and in some respects are even better!

 

 

 

 

COMING SOON!

New! The Algorithmix Dynamix high-resolution linear-phase mastering split compressor featuring parallel and MS mode, different linear-phase split filters, adjustable soft knee, intelligent auto-release, parameterized soft clipper, 80-bit processing, and up to 384 kHz sampling rate. This will likely be one of the world's top mastering compressors.

 

 

Audiophile quality models of classic EQs and compressors with the same vintage sound used on thousands of hit songs, including the Fairchild 660 limiter (a favorite of Geoff Emerick, engineer for the Beatles), Fairchild 760, Manley Massive Passive, Pultec EQP-1A, UA 1176, and LA-2A.

 

The EMI TG12413 Limiter is a recreation of the classic limiter used in custom EMI and Abbey Road recording and mastering consoles from the late 60's. The limiter was used on many classic records, including The Beatles "Abbey Road", several Pink Floyd records, including "Dark Side of the Moon", and records by the Rolling Stones. The plug-in version was used recently on the new Beatles "Love" album.
 

 

SSL master bus compressor from the Solid State Logic 4000 console. Authentic, analog-like SSL sound for your mixes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one of our best defenses against "digititus" (that annoying digital sound) ...

 

The HEDD 192 by Crane Song is engineered to provide musically pleasing sound with the capability of generating tube and analog tape sound in the digital domain. This is an essential processor for any high-end mastering studio. Try it for yourself!

 

We use K-System meters and monitoring to prevent the hyper-compressed and fatiguing digital sound that is all too common today. Designed by mastering guru Bob Katz, the K-System integrates the best concepts of the past with current psychoacoustic knowledge.

 

Other processors:

• Sony Oxford Inflator, Limiter, and Transient Modulator - Increased loudness without distortion!

• r8brain Pro sample rate converter.

• Dither by Apogee UV-22 HR, POW-r, Cranesong, Sonoris, Waves, and others.

• Lots more!

 

NOISE REMOVAL and SOUND RESTORATION

• Waves Restoration Bundle

• Wavelab 6 (Spectrum Editor)

• Alogorithmix reNOVAtor

 

OTHER:

• Room treatments by RPG Diffusor Systems

• Electricity filtered by Monster Power

• Cables by Zaolla and Monster

• CDrs by Taiyo Yuden - The only CDrs to use for mastering.

 

"Your music will sound as rich, warm, and perfect as possible.

We guarantee it."

 

Read comments from some of our recent clients and friends here.

 

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Sonik Wheel's owner and chief engineer, Bill Jacobs, has more than 30 years of experience as a musician and audiophile concerned with the sound quality of music reproduction. (Photo by Willy Jacobs)