Studio service by Barney
From dusty vinyl to club banger
DJs who collect records often play digitised copies of their cherished vinyl, and look for a great way to digitise and remaster them. A vinyl transfer, remixing and remastering service by Barney Graman, based in Amsterdam.
“Older records can really bring something unique to the dancefloor, but making them sound good in big rooms is quite a challenge. Barney helps me bring all those forgotten tunes to the big club rooms.”
Services
Ultrasonic cleaning & transfer
After ultrasonic cleaning I transfer, or “digitise”, your vinyl through an ultra-short and transparent recording chain: Audio-Technica MicroLine™ cartridge → Technics SL-1210MK7 → RME ADI-2/4 Pro converter.
For who? Anyone looking to archive or digitise vinyl in the highest possible quality.
Audio restoration
After recording, I digitally clean up and remove leftover noise from scratches and other groove wear, without degrading the original sound. Turn a G+ into a VG+ or even Mint!
For who? Anyone who needs audio restored.
Mixing & mastering
Turn your stems into a rich and cohesive story. I bring your music and its personality to life, making sure every element shines through in a balanced way.
For who? Music creators.
ReMix & ReMaster
Better playback in demanding club environments: more punch, clarity and depth from older material. I can also edit the arrangement if you want to go a step further.
For who? DJs who play older material digitally.
Ultrasonic cleaning
Examples
Have a listen. The audio in a screen recording isn’t perfect, but you get a good idea of the modern, compressed sound I go for. I always include a gain-matched version of my master next to your original, so you can A/B the results without loudness affecting your judgement — you can see it in the loudness meter on the master channel. Any remaining loudness difference comes from deliberate compression in the quieter parts, so always compare the loudest parts.
My remastering method
Audio restoration
I’m experienced in audio restoration and can generally turn a “VG” vinyl rip into a “Mint” digital version, solving most common vinyl noise issues.
Stem separation
De-mixing a track into stems is a wonderful start for a remix and remaster — as if you’re back in the studio where it was recorded. I choose the best model for your track: no artifacts.
The kick is king
At least in dance music. I’ve developed my own way of isolating and enhancing the kick, by shaping, layering and heavily processing the original. Everything else gets mixed neatly around the now bigger kick in the next steps.
Remixing & effects
Depending on the issues — lack of fullness, bass, clarity or punch — I often apply EQ, saturation and reverb, and occasionally a little compression on the (new) kick and bass group before bouncing to a new pre-master. I double-check for phasing issues.
Final master
Here all the small adjustments start compounding and I sit down for the final mix: usually master EQ shaping and saturation, then exporting to around −11 LUFS. You also get a gain-matched version for proper A/B testing.
Reference & translation
I use Steven Slate’s VSX emulation software and headphones to reference the new mix and fix translation issues. If a problem pops up, I go back to the relevant step — so it translates, especially on demanding club systems.
What clients say
“Barney’s mastering skills are outstanding! He transformed a dusty old record into something that sounds brand new, perfect for playing in clubs now.”
“Older records can really bring something unique to the dancefloor, but making them sound good in big rooms is quite a challenge. Barney’s work in making them sound not only crystal clear but with much more definition is helping me bring all those forgotten tunes to the big rooms.”
“It’s quite magical what Barney does to old beaten-up records. Finally I can play this track on a big sound system without getting angry looks.”
“Barney’s experience as a record collector and DJ gives him a well-trained ear for mastering older vinyl rips. He made my edit sound great on modern systems. Highly recommended!”
“Barney did the mixdown and mastering of my first official release. 20 stems was a huge job, but it sounds on point everywhere. Amazing work.”
“Really happy with the result. The remaster has way better punch, as Barney fixed the low-end muddiness in the original mix.”
Pricing
ReMix & ReMaster
- Loud version (−11 LUFS / −0.1 dBFS)
- Level-matched version
- One iteration, if needed
Audio restoration
- From VG to Mint
- On average one hour per track
Mixdown
- Max 20 stems
- As many iterations as needed
Vinyl transfer
- Ultrasonic cleaning
- Recording & transfer
Digitising a whole crate? Ask about a bulk rate.
FAQ
Who is this service for?
DJs, record collectors or anyone who needs their vinyl restored, digitised or remastered in the best possible quality. I specialise in revamping older records — especially disco, house and world music — that lack punch, depth and fullness and simply don’t translate well on big club sound systems.
What tracks work best?
There are no fixed rules, but the biggest “wow” results usually come from older vinyl recordings that, for whatever reason, sound thin, lack punch, bass or clarity, or are oddly mixed.
What can I expect?
A less “underwater” sound, with more punch, clarity and definition. Not every old track has issues, so I’ll give mix suggestions before I start, to make sure our expectations are aligned.
Can’t I just use an auto-mastering tool?
AI mastering tools have improved, but they still fall short of a professional engineer’s nuanced judgement and artistic understanding. Mastering takes critical listening and track-specific decisions — and while AI is great at recognising patterns in text and images, audio perception is much harder to match than a trained pair of ears.
I already have a good file. How do I send it to you?
Send your raw file(s) and any instructions to me on Telegram: t.me/bongobarns. Please don’t use any effects or limiting on the recording or master bus, and leave at least 6 dB of headroom, with peaks not exceeding 0 dBFS. No dither, no normalising, and turn “include audio tail” (or similar) on. Bounce to 24-bit. Let me know about any artistic requirements — I’m happy to work towards the sound you want, and reference tracks are welcome.
Do you have examples, and how do I assess the results?
Have a listen to the examples above. I always include a level-matched version of my master next to your original, so you can A/B the results without loudness affecting your judgement — the loudness meter on the master channel shows it. Any remaining difference comes from deliberate compression in quieter parts, so always compare the loudest parts, which should match.
Contact
Let’s bring your records to the big room
Telegram: @BongoBarns
Email: barney@sentinelislanddisco.com