Mastering Studio Faqs
Q: Why does my audio need Mastering?
A: Mastering is the final step before Duplication or Radio Play. It is important to ensure that your music will be competitive and consistent throughout the entire album. It is also important to get a new prospective on your project.
Q: What is your turnaround time?
A: 3 to 10 days. We can usually accommodate clients that need quicker turnaround, just ask.
Q: Should I put a compressor or limiter on the Master output/Master bus?
A: Do not use any effects on the Master bus. You can however use the necessary effects on the individual tracks while mixing.
Q: Should I normalize the stereo track before sending to be Mastered?
A: NO
Q: Can I have a single song Mastered?
A: Yes. We have no minimum or maximum limits on songs for Mixing or Mastering.
Q: How long will you keep my project "on file" ?
A: We have studio archives that have been here since we opened and will be here as long as we are.
Q: What types of payment do you accept?
A: We accept Visa, Master Card, Paypal, Check or Money Order. We can also work with you on payment/layaway plans.
Q: Can Mastering fix musical mistakes or remove distortion?
A: We do have the ability to fix Mixing mistakes such as level adjustment and eq, but it is recommended to fix these problems during Mixing if at all possible. We offer mixing services as well if you need a professional Mixing engineer.Distortion can not be fixed during Mastering or Mixing. It can however be masked if another take in the recording studio is out of the question.
Q: What is CD-text? Can I use it?
A: CD-Text enables the display of artist, track, and release information on the CD player. Signature Mastering is equipped to embed CD-Text information into your master and is included in the mastering price.
Q: Do you have an online demo to compare "before Mastering" and "after Mastering" to hear the differences?
A: Yes. You can find them on the Mastering Page about half way down. We have automated our samples to switch from before and after samples every 10 seconds. You will hear a single or double beep every time it changes. Double beeps = before Mastering and single beeps = after Mastering.
Q: How do I go about ordering Mastering for my CD?
A: Give us a call at 1-800-283-0410, email us at [email protected] or you can fill out our Client Form located on the Booking Projects page of our site.
Q: Who pays the shipping charge back to me?
A: Standard shipping charges back to you are included in our prices.
Q: Can I get Mp3s of my music?
A: Yes. Upon request we include Mp3s at no additional charge.
Q: How do I prepare my audio tracks for Mastering?
A: If sending to us through the mail you need to burn your songs onto a CD or DVD. If sending to us via FTP you need to have each song saved as a separate .wav or .aif file on your computer. Be sure that the audio is the same bit and sample rate that it was recorded at, (24 bit 44.1khz, 16 bit 44.1 khz, 24 bit 88.2 khz etc...) be sure that you do not dither down the audio from the recorded format.Please also be sure that there are no effects on the Master bus and that the audio is not clipping. It is better to have the volume a little low than too high. We will make sure it is loud enough.Please note: If saving to cd at any other bit or sample rate than 16 bit and 44.1 khz you will need to burn the cd as a data file instead of an audio file.
Q: How do I prepare my audio tracks for Mixing?
A: If sending to us through the mail you need to burn the tracks of each song onto CDs or DVDs. Each song needs to have the separated tracks (vocals, guitar, drums etc...). If sending to us via FTP you need to have each separated track saved as .wav or .aif file on your computer. Please be sure to organize your data by putting tracks in the appropriate folders for each song.Be sure that all tracks for each song are the same in length, this will ensure that we can import into our workstation and everything will line up correctly.You may also send us your Pro Tools or Cubase SX session files.
Q: What media formats do you accept for Mastering and/or Mixing?
A: CD, CD-R, DVD, DVD-R, DAT Tapes, Pro Tools session files, and Cubase SX session files.