Cleaning quarter-inch tape in a Tascam BR-20 reel-to-reel machine

Technically precise, humanly cared.

Qualia Audio Lab is a professional mastering studio, audio restoration and preservation laboratory based in Lisbon, Portugal. We achieve this through calibrated monitoring, lab grade standards, precise technical analysis and careful attention to detail. A highly stable clock references the entire AD/DA system with minimal phase noise along with a flat monitoring condition. We specialize in mastering and audio restoration within a scientific but also human approach.

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Estúdio de Masterização, Conservação e Restauro de Áudio e Som em Sintra, Portugal

Carlos Nascimento — an audio specialist with a vast experience on mastering, audio post-production, restoration of multiple kinds of media, sound recording, electronics and radio frequency work — is also a lecturer and musician with a long catalog of collaborations and works.

/services

Audio Mastering

At Qualia Audio Lab we offer mastering services for any kind of music with the highest standards. We provide DDP assembly, Vinyl pre-mastering, high-resolution digital files for digital distribution / streaming platforms, ISRC embedding and a careful attention to detail, making sure your music sounds the best in every possible system.

Audio Restoration & Enhancement

At Qualia, we’re able to provide transfer and audio preservation services on many different media supports with the highest standards in digital signal processing. Salvaging 1/4’’ tapes, a damaged acetate disc from the 40s, removing unwanted noise from your favorite vinyl records, recovering PCM masters from a F1 encoded Betamax tape or a digital recording needing noise reduction, we’re here for you. Every artifact is physically evaluated and handled with the highest care and processed with the finest detail while staying faithful to its original intended sound.

Tascam BR-20 reel-to-reel machine for tape digitization

Preservation and archival

We follow best practices and guidelines from major archival institutions. We offer careful assessment, cleaning, digitization and archival of audio collections with proper metadata embedding. Our main goal is to provide you with a recording that is true to the cultural and artistic intentions of its time. If you need help with a particular project get in touch with your request.

Audio Forensics and Analysis

With an extensive array of software tools and options for signal processing at hands, at Qualia we’re able to offer you detailed analysis and audio recovery/enhancement from analog and digital sources to the highest degree of precision. From tape digitization and speech intelligibility optimization to spectral recovery and processing, we’re happy to collaborate. Let us know your needs.

Quality control and consulting

Unfortunately, many mass transfers done today lack the proper quality control and suffer from transfer artifacts and defects which most clients will be led to believe were present in the original media such as poor frequency response, flutter/wow, incorrect or unstable playback speed, etc. This is one field where our experience and knowledge plays a very important role. We inspect every item to ensure you get a detailed transfer conforming with every aspect of QC.

As such, we provide consultation services for studios and institutions with legacy recording preservation projects in hands. We’re happy to collaborate.