Mastering FAQs
Mastering is the final polish that turns a finished mix into a release that’s ready for listeners to experience on all devices—from tiny iPhone speakers to massive dance club sound systems. The purpose of mastering is to balance the sonic elements of a stereo mix and optimize playback across all systems and media formats. Traditionally, mastering is done using tools like equalization, compression, limiting and stereo enhancement.
Our digital mastering services are only $40 per song for the first version. We do not charge hourly rates or hidden fees. Additional versions (ex. edited, remix, etc.) will be $20.
Price includes: studio time, editing time and DDP master (if applicable). This on a per song basis and only refers to songs at standard length for commercially released compositions. If you have a very long track such as a symphonic selection or if you are looking to get services on a full album/mixtape. Please contact us for an exact estimate.
After listening to your mastered music, please let us know if there is anything you want changed or done differently. It is our policy that if there is a problem with the mastering, we will fix it at no charge until you are 100% satisfied. However, if you submit a new mix/mixes, you will re-incur normal charges.
Please make sure to download your mastered files and save them to your own computer/external hard drive ASAP. The link that we send to you to download your mastered files will expire within 10-14 days.
Let us know if you need a DDP file for CD replication (more information below).
If you were wanting ISRC codes on your song/album, those do not “follow” .wav files or mp3’s on the internet. They are only embedded on the actual disc or sent in a DDP file.
The ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is the international identification system for sound recordings and music video recordings. Each ISRC is a unique and permanent identifier for a specific recording, independent of the format on which it appears (CD, audio file, etc) or the rights holders involved. Only one ISRC should be issued to a track, and an ISRC can never represent more than one unique recording.
ISRC’s are widely used in digital commerce by download sites and collecting societies. An ISRC can also be permanently encoded into a product as its digital fingerprint. Encoded ISRC provide the means to automatically identify recordings for royalty payments. CLICK HERE to obtain an ISRC code.
This delivery format contains an image of your project. It’s a series of data files that can be read by CD replicators. These are not music files that can be played on a standard CD player. These are strictly data files and represent the most reliable way of submitting your project to a replicator. However, some CD replicators do not accept DDP Image files. It’s best to check with your replicator of choice before proceeding with this format option. Let us know if you’d like us to supply you with a DDP file.
Metadata/ID tags (media based information)
Please remember, we do not have anything to do with metadata/id tags. All we do is CD text (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD-Text) during the mastering process.
Currently we only allow the below payment methods:
- Paypal (3.49% +$0.49) – Credit/Debit
- CashApp (Square)
Our service is usually fast within 24 hours. But sometimes meetings and other engagements can interfere. Please allow between 1 – 5 days after payment of invoice before a turnaround is expected. We will definitely contact you with information provided in submission form if anything occurs that will hinder or delay a fast turnaround.