What is mastering?
Mastering is the process of taking the final stereo mixes produced by a recording studio, and creating an album (or single) master ready for duplication. It is the final creative stage in the music recording process. During this process, extra sound processing is usually applied in order to get the sound just right, to achieve a consistency between the different tracks and to fix any problems from the recording stage. It’s what makes a record sound like a record as opposed to a collection of songs.
Why should I have my music professionally mastered?
Put simply, mastering makes it sound as good as possible. Professional mastering engineers have years or decades of mastering experience. They have mastered hundreds, perhaps thousands, of projects. They work in great sounding mastering studios with top-of-the-range mastering equipment. They know exactly what to do to make your music sound better. It’s not just a case of making your tracks loud before pressing copies. Mastering is a process that gets the best possible sound out of your music.
How does the purchasing process work?
After selecting the type of mastering service you want, you will be taken through a payment processing procedure via PayPal. Please note that you can use a regular credit card, if you don’t have a PayPal account. Simply click on the link in the lower half of the checkout page that says – “Pay with a debit card or a credit card”
Once completed, you’ll receive a payment receipt from PayPal confirming your order. Simply forward that receipt to us at: info@ChicagoAudioMastering.com and we will reply to you with further instructions within 24 hours.
Which file formats can I upload?
Most of our clients send us their mixes as stereo 24 bit WAV files. We will accept any format audio files (within reason), WAVs, AIFs etc, but please don’t send mp3s if you can avoid it! We’ll use mp3’s if we have to, but they simply don’t sound good enough. Use the highest resolution that you can, not the lowest resolution that you can get away with.
How should I best prepare my mixes for mastering?
Bounce or render your finished mixes straight off the mix bus with a few dBs of headroom. If you have any limiters or finalizers on the mix bus, please remove or bypass them before running off the mix. Overall bus processing of the mix is best left to the mastering stage.
Why shouldn’t I use a Finalizer before sending the tracks to be mastered?
A finalizer will apply multi-band compression and limiting to your track. It automatically applies algorithms that can change the sound of your music significantly. We much prefer to use our ears to decide what needs doing to your music during mastering, and use the best mastering equipment in the best listening environment to do it.
Can I speak to the engineer who is mastering my tracks?
Yes you can. The mastering engineer will contact you by email to discuss your needs before he begins your job. You can also email us about your inquiries at any time.
Can I attend the mastering session?
Yes you can. Please contact us if you wish to do so, though please bear in mind that our mastering studio is located in Chicago, IL (U.S.) and that prices for attended mastering sessions are 25% higher than the prices advertised on this site.
How long will it take for my music to be mastered?
Most orders are completed within 48 to 72 hours assuming the studio is not overbooked. We will always do our best to get your mastering done promptly. The mastering engineer will contact you as soon as he receives your job. He will let you know when he has scheduled time to do the work.
If your schedule is critical, please contact us first just to confirm that we’re able to honor that turnaround time. This will incur an extra charge.
In which format will I receive my mastered tracks?
We can deliver your mastered tracks as WAV files online. We can also make a CD Master, compiled in order with great spacing between the tracks and also with your ISRCs and CD Text encoded. This can be delivered as a physical CD Master by courier, at an additional cost. Please contact us first if you’re considering having us encode a physical CD.
What do I do if I’m not happy with how it sounds?
In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the sound of your mastered music, please contact us. If there is a problem due to an error on our part, then naturally we will aim to correct it free of charge. Often, minor amendments to the mastering are done without any extra charge, though this is at the discretion of the mastering engineer. Complex or repeated changes may incur an extra charge.
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