Not that long ago, record labels managed production for artists. But these days, marketing, duplication, and distribution are the responsibility of individual performers. We know a good deal about the inner workings of digital and physical distribution.

Also, formats' names do not always clearly convey their real-world use. This page provides an overview of the most common audio mastering formats. If you still have questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with us for more information.

Digital Distribution

This is all that most artists need.   It provides files for digital distribution across major platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, et al.

Your mastering package includes individual WAV files for distribution as well as mp3s for personal use. 

Finally, these digital distribution files will work for Apple Music. Some artists opt to do a special high-resolution release called Apple Digital (formerly Mastered for iTunes program.) See the Apple Digital section below for more information.

Instrumental 

Instrumental masters are very common and are an absolute requirement for placing songs in film, broadcast, or commercials.   We need an instrumental mix from the mixing team in order to create the masters.  There is no machine, plug-in, or trick to remove vocals from a song. (Not one that sounds professional or would be accepted by agencies).

In the event some songs contain language that would not be suitable for broadcast, we can offer Radio masters, provided the mix engineer sends us a specific radio-edit mix.  If no radio-edit mix is available, two other options exist: if we have the instrumental music and a separate vocal mix (sometimes called stems) we can edit a radio version for an additional fee.  Another option is to allow us to try to smear or erase the offending words in the regular mix.  This rarely sounds ideal, costs extra, and is the least preferable way to proceed. But it can be done.   

If you simply want to have your song played on the radio, the digital distribution mastering versions are what stations want.   This Clean master is only important if a song contains prohibited language.

CD and DDP

Recent reporting from the RIAA indicates CD sales are increasing. Consumers want something physical they own rather than streaming services that can cut off access. CDs, Vinyl, and Cassettes are also desirable due to additional features such as liner notes, lyrics, graphics, stickers, and download codes.

Disc Description Protocol (DDP) file(s) are needed by manufacturing plants that create CDs. Since computers can not automatically open a DDP set, we provide a license for a professional software package that will allow you to burn a CD on your Mac or PC. (This saves time and money in overnight shipping fees!).

Should your project require a reference or master CD, they are available at an additional fee. Blank reference quality CD media stopped being produced. We have a stockpile of master CDs until production ramps up. So don't worry. Master CDs are time-consuming to create and use up our limited supply of media. Please only request these if you are 100% sure you need them and have the budget to add them to the project.

Vinyl Optimized

Digital Distribution Masters are NOT suitable for vinyl.  There exist several technical differences between a CD master and the audio needed to cut a lacquer. If you think there is any chance for a vinyl release, you need to order vinyl-premaster files. 

Some important considerations for vinyl premasters:

First, vinyl is limited with respect to playing times for each side of a platter.   There is only so much physical space to cut grooves on a lacquer blank.  The longer (in minutes) the lower the volume and more noise to the cut.  Try to keep each side closer to the 'best' value below

RECORD SIZE   SPEED   BEST   MAXIMUM

12 "    33 1/3 RPM   16 min/side     20 min/side

12 "     45 RPM          9 min/side      12 min/side

10 "      33 1/3 RPM   9 min/side      14 min/side

10 "      45 RPM           7 min/side      11 min/side

7 "        33 1/3 RPM     5 min/side      6 min/side

7 "        45 RPM             3 min/side      5 min/side

Notes

• There is always a plant that will cut long; they want money

• Long programs can sound good on some things, such as speech

• The longer the cut, the higher the noise and the lower the fidelity

• Longer durations approach the physical limits of the vinyl

Again, if you think you will need vinyl-premasters, order them at the time of mastering.  Although we can do them at a later date, there will be a delay since we'll have to obtain the master files from our archival service.  This also adds to the cost of this work. The rate we charge for vinyl premasters is much lower if you order them during the initial mastering stage.

Other Audio Mastering Formats can include:

Cassette masters (in digital output)

Apple Digital, formerly known as Mastered for iTunes (MFiT)

MP3/AAC made from high-resolution sources

Sequencing / META data only

MQA - Tidal Masters