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STEM MASTERING​

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

GENERAL

HOW DOES IT WORKS?

  • Select the service you need: stereo or stem mastering.
  • Select the quantity of tracks/songs you need to be mastered and any additional service.
  • Go through the checkout.
  • You will receive a confirmation e-mail. The e-mail includes a link to our WeTransfer Pro to send us the files (Up to 200GB)
  • We will deliver the mastered files through the same WeTransfer Pro account.



WHAT IF I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

Feel free to contact us. We'll be happy to answer all your questions.



CAN I LISTEN TO SOME OF YOU PREVIOUS WORKS?

Yes, of course! Click here.



DO YOU OFFER DISCOUNTS ON EP AND ALBUMS?

Yes we do. Disounts works on quantity and are already applied when you select the numbers of tracks/songs you need to be mastered.



WHAT IS APPLE DIGITAL MASTER? (Mastering For I Tunes)

Apple Digital Masters is a section of iTunes and Apple Music. All the music in this session is badged and marketed as Apple Digital Masters. The final goal of this initiative is to give to artists, bands, producers and record labels the opportunity to deliver their music in the highest possible quality through iTunes and Apple Music. In order to do so, your master must be done by an approved Apple Digital Master Provider such Master Your Track. If you want to know more check our article: WHAT IS APPLE DIGITAL MASTER?



IS YOUR MASTERING AN AUTOMATED PROCESS?

Nope. Mastering is our craft.
We strongly believe that every song and project is unique and deserves someone who can take tailored decisions to enhance the music to its full potential. Our craft is the result of our work and we like to create a connection with our clients for the best possible outcomes. During the mastering process you will be in direct contact with our Mastering Engineer. We don't trust automated audio algorithms.



STEREO MASTERING

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKES TO GET THE MASTER DONE?

Our turnaround for singles is usually five working days, often sooner. If it would take longer (especially for EP and Albums), our mastering engineer will get in touch with you. If you have a specific deadline please feel free to contact us before reserving the mastering session. We'll be happy to accomodate your needs.



HOW SHOULD I EXPORT THE MIX?

Short answer:

  • Remove any limiter plugin from the master bus.
  • Make sure the master bus doesn't clip.
  • Export the song in .wav or .aiff at the original sample rate and the original bit depth (usually 24 bit)
If you want to know more read our article: HOW TO EXPORT YOUR MIX TO BE MASTERED



WHAT IS STEREO MASTERING?

Mastering comes at the end of the production chain. After the mastering has been done to your music, it will then be ready for distribution. We take the responsibility of critically listening to your music, applying the overall enhancement to the sonic character, fix any minor problems that have been developed from the mixing stage, and optimize the loudness. Consider it to be the final polish and quality control of the audio. Some of the functions of the mastering proces are:

  • Frequency balance check
  • Stereo field check
  • Dynamic check
  • Loudness check
  • Adding dithering
  • Sequencing and set spacing between tracks
  • Sound restoration (if needed)
  • Adding CD-text information
  • Create DDP file for CD replication or duplication
  • Digital platforms optimization (e.g. Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, YouTube)



STEM MASTERING

WHAT IS STEM MASTERING?

When the mastering happens from stems (a group of instruments), you will submit multiple stereo tracks which contain consolidated instruments. For example, you might want to create seven stems ( seven stereo .Wav files): Drum, Bass, Percussion, Guitars, Back Ground Vocals, Lead Vocal. We will work on each stem adjusting frequencies and levels to rebalance the mix. Once the stems are combined together, we proceed with the final master. Since we have access to each group of instruments, we have more options to correct potential problems and enhance the song to a further level.



HOW LONG DOES IT TAKES TO GET THE MASTER DONE?

The turnaround ifor stem mastering has to bee agreed directly with our Mastering Engineer and depends on our current workload. We aim to schedule the session whitin five working days (for singles) since we received the stems. For albums and EPs it might take longer. If you have a specific deadline please feel free to contact us before reserving the mastering session. We'll do out best to accomodate your needs.



HOW SHOULD I PREPAE THE STEMS?

Short answer:

  • Remove any limiter plugin from the master bus.
  • Export the song in .wav or .aiff at the original sample rate and the original bit depth (usually 24 bit).
  • Make sure all the stems are synched together and their sum results in your version of the mix.
  • We accept up to 8 stems per song.
If you are looking for a more detailed guideline check out our article: STEM MASTERING: HOW TO PREPARE THE STEMS