Frequently Asked Questions
The preferred digital format is 24 or 32 bit wav files at whatever your existing session sample rate is - please don’t change that, ill handle all conversions on my end. If thats not possible we will work with what you have but you have to keep in mind results will be conditioned.
The files sent for mastering should have no limiting, normalizing or maximizing. If you mixed into a compressor from the start leave it on, if you added one in the end for loudness please send both versions, with and without.
You should leave some headroom for me to work with. Having said that, as long as its not hitting 0 dbfs we are ok but for good practice and safety you could aim for max peak hitting bellow -3dbfs.
Please take care in naming your files This will save us from unnecessary frustrations.
A good standard practice could be:
00_ArtistName_TrackTitle_Version.wav
You can upload all your files to a secure private server on my submissions page, click here.
If you would rather send me your own links you can email them to using my contact form, click here.
I offer unlimited revisions at no extra cost until you are 100% happy with the results.
Rarely do I go beyond a 2nd or 3rd revision before we hit the final master.
Having said that, mixing adjustments after mastering could require starting over, and the full mastering rate may apply again. This needs to be discussed on a case by case basis.
This is why I strongly recommend you to carefully triple check your current mix files across a few different playback systems before you submit them for mastering.
Understand that, contrary to popular belief, its not ”just a matter of throwing in a new file”. You have to factor in doing the recall of the analog gear, perform any adjustments necessary, real time processing with said gear, file management, conversions, rendering, re-uploading, etc - and this obviously takes time and attention.
Turnaround times are dependent on current workload but typically range between 3 and 5 days. If you have tight deadlines just let me know and within reason I will do my best to accommodate. In the event that to do so implies moving you ahead of other projects that are already in the pipeline, an extra fee may apply. If you book in advance I can guarantee to meet a certain deadline.
Vinyl is an end format that has particularities that need to be observed in order to ensure the best cut.
Among other problems, simply sending a loud CD master to vinyl plant will cause the cutting engineer to be constrained in what he can do to attain loudness and often will result in a quieter sounding record.
Most video editing workstations operate by default with audio at 24bit 48khz since thats the standard for video production. By delivering masters at the same bit depth and sample rate the video editor will work at, you minimize the amount of sample rate conversions your audio will be subject to - these can result in the occurrence of unwanted artefacts and micro-distortions that can be caused by the use of mediocre converters.
Having the audio going in at the correct bit depth and sample rate is the only way to guarantee your audio will play exactly as expected and sync perfectly timed with the image.
ISRC codes (International Standard Recording Code) are identification codes that should be embedded into the master files of your songs. The ISRC codes allow your music files to be trackable so that you can later collect royalties when people buy your music through digital retailers around the world.
You can get your own codes directly from www.isrc.org and send them to me so I can tag your files with them.
However, some digital distribution services will take care of this step for you, automatically generating the codes and tagging your files, so it really depends on how you plan to release your music.
