In short mastering is the final preparation of a song or group of songs before they are released to the public. Check out our page on cd mastering services for a full description.
Every artist's songs will sound different, but check out our mastering samples in the right hand sidebar to hear actual before and after samples.
When preparing you mix for mastering you'll want to do a few things. First-off you want to make sure the highest peak-level is -3dB or less before exporting (bouncing) your mix; this ensures no transients are clipped and will give us some headroom to sculpt the master. Secondly you'll want to remove any pre-mastering processing from the master-bus, such as a limiter or stereo enhancer. The over-all volume should sound low; we'll raise it during the mastering process. Third you’ll want to make sure that you submit a high resolution .wav or .aif file. We can master mp3's, however you will get a better final product when mastering from a high resolution file. You can read more about preparing your mix for mastering.
The process for requesting a free sample master is easy. Simply register and upload your sample song. We'll master it and send you an email when the preview is available for download.
Yes. We offer discounted rates depending on the number of songs that are submitted. Please see our mastering rates page for more information.
Yes. We can master from an mp3 or video file, however we recommend using .wav or .aif files as the resolution is usually much better. If you only have access to mp3 or video versions we can still often achieve good results, but you will get a better final master using high quality .wav or .aif files.
Our standard turnaround time is based on studio workload, but generally speaking you can expect to have your songs back within 5-7 business days. Express Services are available for projects under a strict deadline.
Yes, be sure to let us know you plan on putting your record on vinyl as there are changes that need to be made in order to get the best quality.
Album sequencing involves putting a group of songs onto the final master cd, or master ddp file. During this process the engineer will add ISRC Information(if available), CD Text, as well as Album and Song Information. They will also set the spacing between songs and correct any final levels to make sure songs on an album flow together.
