The Mastering Gauntlet

 

 

 

 

 

The Gauntlet is a radical, new approach to an age-old industry practice.  Two mastering engineers go head-to-head to provide each song in the challenge with their own, unique touch; delivering not one, but two high-quality masters for the artist to choose from.

Learn MoreSeason 1 is LIVE!

What Is The Gauntlet?

The Gauntlet is both a competition, and a giveaway.  We invite artists to submit their mixes to challenge our mastering engineers in a head-to-head style competition.

Anyone can submit their song to be considered in the competition.  The competition will last one month (September 2019), and each engineer will master the same song within the challenge rules for the artist to choose from in a blind listening test.  The artist doesn’t get to know who supplied which master.  The winning master is the artist’s to do with as they please, 100% free!

That’s not all.  The engineers will have some skin in the game: The losing engineer has to donate $250 to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  At the end of the challenge, the mastering engineer with the most selected masters is declared the Gauntlet Champion. 

We want to make it worthwhile for all who enter, even if your song isn’t used in the challenge portion of the contest.  We are working closely with many companies to build some awesome prizes that will not only help artists and producers make better music, but provide them opportunities for big wins with all of the work that follows a finished record!  We’ve already partnered with Producer Dojo,  Sample Hero, Warp Academy, and Teknofonic

Simple entry

Follow the steps on our submission page available during our open entry period to submit your entry.

No purchase necessary

Your entry counts toward both the challenge portion, and the prize drawing portion of the contest.  Read our Terms & Conditions for more information.

Commercial-ready

Each artist whose song gets used in the Gauntlet will receive full-resolution master files free and clear to use as they wish.  Just choose which one was your favorite!

A GAME CHANGER

We’re building something incredible.  We believe this is going to be the future for breaking into the industry.  It’s not just about the free mastering, it’s a platform to accelerate discovery.  Don’t just take it from us, check out what industry leaders are saying:

Shawn Rose

Shawn Rose

Artist | Producer

I didn’t understand why my songs weren’t comparing to the producers I listened to everyday. I felt like my composition was on point, but my music was lacking something and I couldn’t figure out why! It wasn’t until I took a step away from making music to learn more about mixing and mastering when I found the answer.

There is such a steep learning curve: mid-side EQ, parallel compression, reverb, sends, parallel processing, multi-band compression, saturation, Limiting… the list goes on! If you’re like me, you can spend hours on YouTube for each of these topics easily. That’s why I’m excited for The Mastering Gauntlet! This opportunity for free mastering, and learning from experienced engineers in the process, and winning cool prizes really is a win for everyone!

Zack Falls

Zack Falls

DJ | Producer

I’ve worked with Cameron for several projects now.  The impact he has had on my music has made a profound difference.  My time with him has been one of the most enlightening and fruitful experiences of my music career.  The expertise is staggering, and  the quality of masters I have received back consistently blows me away!

It’s pretty unbelievable that The Mastering Gauntlet is offering a free submission process.  This is an incredible way for producers to develop a relationship with some of the best studios in the game, and potentially receive a polished master of your track for free!  Plus the chance to win free prizes?!  Working with either of these studios and their fabulous engineers will do wonders for your music.  Don’t miss this opportunity!

Mark Woods

Mark Woods

DJ | Producer

I was working on my latest track, and from the start, Christian has given me a ton of tips and tricks on how to improve the mix or how to get the track ready for release. We spend a lot of time adjusting the small things and he was really nice about it. Even when I wanted to change just this little thing, he would send me the new track within days.
The Mastering Gauntlet is a great way of connecting artists to engineers.  Professional mastering can be expensive, and the Gauntlet provides an amazing opportunity as well as incredible resources, all for free! I will definitely participate for a chance of getting a good master and hopefully some good connections for the future! It’s all about networking in this business.  You literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Mike Vaughn

Mike Vaughn

DJ | Producer

Christian is hands down one of the most talented audio engineers I have had the pleasure of working with. Coming from a field of TV and radio production, with a background in music, I had a high standard of product that Christian has met time and time again. His great ear for music and his remarkable ability to get the most out of my productions is evident.  Not only does Christian fulfill the service in an extremely timely fashion, he educates you throughout the whole process, teaching you about mixing techniques, and other audio tips along the way, to make your next track even better.

The Mastering Gauntlet is going to be such an exciting event for all artists involved. As one of Christians customers I have the utmost confidence in him to put his mastering skills to the test in a one-on-one all out mastering battle. Not only does the Gauntlet offer free mastering for many artists, seeing some of the potential giveaways and the losing donation is just another awesome facet of this anticipated competition!

Open Submission has ended.

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Subscribe below so you can stay informed on upcoming announcements on this &  future seasons, special announcements & offers from our sponsors.

Get notified for next season!

Don’t wait! Submit your song to be selected. After August 31st we lock down the challenge and begin preparations for the Gauntlet to begin!

Contact

Have questions?  Please check our F.A.Q. first.

Ventura, CA

+1 (805)826-1316

masteringgauntlet@gmail.com

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