Mastering Preparation

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Preparation

Preparing Mixes for Mastering

Please send a link to this section to your mix engineer, or read on if you are mixing yourself.

Format:

Please use WAV or AIFF format.

Sample Rate:

Please bounce/print the mix at the sample rate of the recording/mix session.

Bit-depth

Please bounce/print mixes at a bit-depth of 32-bit (or 64-bit) float without dither, where possible.
- All modern DAWs use these bit-depths internally, regardless of recording settings.
- Rendering/bouncing at 32-bit is allows for best practice in terms of dither and dynamic range.
24-bit (and 16-bit if necessary) dithered files are okay if this isn't possible.
Exporting 24-bit or 16-bit files without dither will cause truncation, which can be problematic, particularly on 16-bit files.
Using a 32-bit float file ensures the greatest amount of dynamic range is upheld and dithering is only done once at the completion of mastering.

Mix Buss Processing:

Please feel free to process your mix buss as you wish.
My one ask that you refrain from any heavy clipping or limiting on the mix, as this makes achieving a great, controlled master hard to achieve. However...

Mix-Master References / Demo Masters

Feel free to provide any 'demo masters' the client may have been listening to, or that reflect your vision for the master. This can include whatever processing you like, that I can aim to replicate for the final master.

Note to Mixer:

I will do my very best to follow on from your intentions for the song/mix, and rest assured I only make changes if I hear something that I feel needs doing. I never add processing for the sake of it, only after listening and understanding.

Thank you!

Checklist

Pre-Upload Checklist

Before uploading files, please check the following:

Verify Mixes:

Ensure the mixes are the correct version by triple-checking/listening to them before submission.
Please check for any clicks/pops/glitches - these are easier to go in and fix at the mix stage due to being able to isolate individual instruments.
Please genuinely triple-check the mix(es) to make sure you are completely happy:
- Changing the mix version later may result in additional charges due to the extra time required - please see FAQ for more detail.

Confirm Format:

Confirm that all mixes are in WAV or AIFF format, and not a compression version e.g., MP3 or AAC.
Please make sure files have not been converted from MP3 or similar beforehand, then back to WAV - critical audio data is lost doing this. Converting from WAV to MP3 is destructive, meaning data is lost and it cannot be reversed.
- Be aware that sending mixes across certain services, e.g., Apple Messages, causes this conversion without telling you. Using a well-reputed transfer service such as WeTransfer or DropBox directly from the mix file is safest.

Limited Mixes/Demo Masters:

If the mix engineer provided any limited mixes (also known as demo masters), please include these.
If these mixes are not clearly identified by the file name, place them in a separate sub-folder named "MIX REFS."

Track Title Naming:

Please do not rename any mix files provided by the mix engineer. Keeping the original file names is important for troubleshooting and reissuing mixes if needed, and means if a new mix has to be issued, it can be clearly distinguished from the original.
If the mix file names do not clearly relate to the track titles, please note which file corresponds to which song during the form filling process.

Uploading

Uploading Files

Once you've completed the checks, you're ready to upload your mixes for mastering!
You can organise the files as you prefer, but if you have any of the following, I recommend using separate sub-folders for any limited mixes, demo masters, alternate mixes (such as instrumentals or radio edits), and/or reference tracks. This helps avoid confusion with the main mixes intended for mastering.
Ensure all files and sub-folders are placed in one master folder. After organising, please compress the folder into a ZIP file (please use ZIP, not RAR).
- This process helps prevent errors during upload and protects the files' metadata when transferring via cloud services.
You can either request a file upload link or provide a direct link to your files using your preferred file transfer service. You'll be presented with these options in the pre-mastering form.
- If you send your own link, please ensure it is a direct download link that does not require an account or access request. You can test this by using your browser in private/incognito mode.
  - I recommend using WeTransfer or Dropbox, both of which offer free versions with 2GB of storage.
  - For larger transfers, if you don't have access to a suitable service, you'll need to request a file upload link. However, 2GB is usually sufficient for sending mixes, unless there are many songs at high sample rates.

Pre-Mastering_Form

Pre-Mastering Form

Please only fill in the form below once you've completed the quote form and/or received an estimate for mastering services.

Pre-Mastering Form

You can fill out the form as many times as you need, for example if you are having multiple singles mastered.