2.0
Mastering
Your stereo mix, ready for release. Single, EP or album, I give your music its final polish. With experience, a trained ear and a real feel for your sound. For streaming, vinyl and every other format.
Milian Mastering · Hamburg · Since 2007
Milian Mastering – online mastering and mastering studio in Hamburg: Mastering is a feeling,
not a preset.
One studio in Hamburg, one engineer, two decades of experience.
1,500+
credits since 2007
Listed on muso.ai
Top 1%
streamed mastering engineers
Ranking by muso.ai
7.1.4
Dolby Atmos certified studio
Hamburg
100+
US rap classics remastered for vinyl
Since 2020
20+
years of experience
Mastering studio · No detours
One engineer.
Your release.
Maximilian „Milian“ Hardinghaus
With me, your music doesn’t go to a project manager first, it lands straight on my console. From the first listen to the final approval, I’m your point of contact and know every detail of your project. I work with artists and labels worldwide, online and in person if you like.
Working with
- Artists
- Labels
- A&Rs
- Producers
- Mixers
Milian Mastering · Craft
An algorithm can analyse the frequencies. It can’t feel the song.
Listening comes first.
Before I change anything, I want to understand what makes a song. Its dynamics, its energy, its character. That is what mastering has to preserve and bring out.
Intuition is experience.
More than 20 years and over 1,500 productions have trained my ear for the smallest details. I’ve learned when half a dB makes all the difference – and when to hold back.
Imperfection is character.
A preset doesn’t know which flaws to keep. Sometimes the noise, the grit, the rough edge is exactly what makes a song. My job is to hear what gets to stay.
Mastering is a conversation.
Good mastering starts with a conversation. I want to understand the sound you have in mind and what matters to you. In the end your music should sound like you, not like a template.
Certifications
Gold & Platinum.
Certified releases from rap to schlager, mastered at Milian Mastering.
Certification
Dolby Atmos.
Officially certified Dolby Atmos Music Studio with a calibrated 7.1.4 setup in Hamburg.
Milian Catalogue · Selection
1,500+ credits.
A few of them.
Milian CatalogueMastering
Rap & Pop
Loredana, Haiyti, Jaill, Kontra K, RAF Camora, Mozzik & Luciano, Sorvina, SA4, Mika Noé, Alli Neumann and many more.
Milian CatalogueRemastering · Atmos
Rock
Scorpions, Hollywood Vampires, BRETT and many more.
Milian CatalogueRemastering
Vinyl Reissues
Above The Law, Eightball & MJG, Killarmy, Havoc & Prodeje, DJ Squeeky, Mz Kilo, Ray Luv, Mr. Serv-On and many more.
Milian CatalogueMastering
TV & Concert
Wetten, dass..?, Andrea Berg, Modern Talking, Nena, WDR Rockpalast, Fury in the Slaughterhouse, Selig and many more.
“Top 1% streamed mastering engineers”: Ranking by muso.ai.
Milian Mastering · Services
What I do.
Stems
Stem Mastering
With stem mastering I work with separate groups of your mix, such as drums, bass, instruments and vocals. That lets me shape tone, dynamics and balance precisely without changing the original character of your mix.
33⅓
Vinyl Mastering incl. Cut
I tailor your master to the demands of vinyl production. For the cut I work closely with a cutting engineer I trust. That way mastering and cut are matched perfectly, and you get everything from a single source.
Archive
Remastering
I rework existing recordings and optimise tone, dynamics and frequency balance for today’s playback formats, while the original character of the music stays intact. Whether classics, older album productions or entire catalogues.
7.1.4
Dolby Atmos
Immersive mixing and mastering in a Dolby Atmos certified 7.1.4 studio in Hamburg. I shape your sound for spatial listening on speakers and headphones. For music, film and gaming, and if you like, together on site in the studio.
1:1
Coaching & Workshops
Private workshops and coaching around mastering. After many years as a lecturer at the Deutsche Pop Akademie and the SAE Institute, I know how to pass on knowledge in a way that sticks. Content and pace are tailored to you.
Milian Mastering · Since 2007
Milestones.
I founded Milian Mastering in Hamburg in 2007, a year after graduating as an audio engineer from the SAE Institute. Alongside my work as a mastering engineer I taught for many years, among others at the SAE Institute and the Deutsche Pop Akademie, where I designed and built the “Mastering Engineer” training course. From 2013 to 2016 I also taught as a lecturer at the SAE Institute in Switzerland, where I gave masterclasses.
- 2006Audio Engineering DiplomaSAE Institute Hamburg
- 2007Founded Milian MasteringMy own mastering studio in Hamburg
- 2011–2018Head of department & lecturerDeutsche Pop Akademie and SAE Institute
- 2015Apple Certified Mastering EngineerCertification for Mastered for iTunes
- 2020–today100+ vinyl remastersInternational hip-hop classics
- 2023Officially certified Dolby Atmos partner studioCertified by Dolby and listed as a partner studio, with a calibrated 7.1.4 studio in Hamburg.
Milian Mastering · Streaming
Louder isn’t automatically better on Spotify.
- 01
Streaming evens out loudness.
Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube use loudness normalisation so that songs with very different levels don’t have to be adjusted all the time while listening. A particularly loud master is often simply played back quieter. The supposed loudness advantage is gone.
- 02
What’s lost doesn’t come back.
To make a song as loud as possible, its dynamics are often reduced. Transients get limited, drums lose punch and the sound can lose depth and life. When the streaming service then turns the master down, that change stays. The original dynamics don’t come back.
- 03
Impact doesn’t come from loudness alone.
A powerful master needs the right balance of loudness, dynamics and tone. What matters is that kick and snare keep their impact, the mix has room and the music still convinces after a long listen. How loud a master should end up depends on the song, the genre and the sound you’re after, not on a blanket LUFS number.
Normalisation
Pushed to the limit · approx. −7 LUFS±0 dB
Mastered with dynamics · approx. −11 LUFS±0 dB
Simplified illustration: both masters are normalised to Spotify’s reference level of −14 LUFS. Perceived loudness is similar, but only one of them has kept its original dynamics and transients.
Master for the music,
not the meter.
Milian Mastering · Hamburg
Milian Mastering · Equipment
Gear list for nerds.
An analog mastering chain, a calibrated 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos room and converters from Lynx to Burl. The highlights:
- Manley Vari Mu
- Gyratec X Vari Mu
- 2x Crane Song Trakker
- EMI TG 12345 Curve Bender
- Amphion Two18 + BaseOne25
- Burl B2 Bomber DA
- Dolby Atmos 7.1.4
Show full list
Analog processing
- Gyratec X Vari Mu
- Manley Vari Mu
- Roger Foote P3S ME Class A
- Looptrotter Monster
- 2x Crane Song Trakker
- Bettermaker EQ 232P MKII
- Gyratec XIV
- EMI TG 12345 Curve Bender
- Dangerous Bax EQ
Digital processing
- Waves Platinum Bundle
- Soundtoys 5 Bundle
- All Universal Audio (Ultimate)
- Sonnox Oxford Inflator
- A.O.M. Invisible Limiter
- Dolby Atmos Composer
- Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite
Monitoring
- 2x Amphion Two18 (L/R)
- 2x Amphion BaseOne25 (L/R)
- 1x Amphion One18 (Center)
- 1x Genelec 7360 A Sub (LFE)
- 8x Amphion One12 (Surrounds)
- 8x Amphion One mono block
- 1x Amphion BaseAmp500
- 1x Amphion Amp500
- 1x Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro
Conversion
- Lynx Aurora (n) 16 AD/DA
- Burl B2 Bomber DA
- Crane Song Solaris DA
- Antelope Eclipse 384 AD/DA
- Antelope Pure 2 AD/DA
- Apogee Symphony I/O SE
Routing
- Dangerous Music Liaison
- Dangerous Music Monitor ST
Cabling
- Mogami Neglex 2549
- Vovox Sonorus
Room acoustics
- RPG Modex
- Real Traps
- GIK Acoustics
Workstation
- Sessiondesk
Coffee machine
- Jura
Milian Mastering · Contact
Let’s talk about your music.
I’m looking forward to getting to know your project. Tell me a bit about it, how many tracks there are and when you want to release. Just fill in the short brief and send it with a link to your music. I’ll listen and get back to you personally.