Preparation and Submission of Audio for Mastering. There are notes for Everyone, New, and Experienced Mixing Engineers.

EVERYONE

  1. If you have any questions, please write.

  2. If you are the artist or producer, please put me in touch with the mixing engineer -helpful but not required.

  3. Please label the folder with the Artists’ Name. Our server overflows with folders: FOR MASTERING, FINAL MIXES, MASTERS, and similar non-descriptive names that slow your project.

  4. If possible, use our FILE SUBMISSION PAGE. Never trust free transfer services — they are free for a reason. Typically, they are slower, have advertisements, try to install software, corrupt files, and worst of all, time bomb access. If there is a download issue, an expired link becomes a crisis. Even if we download the day the link arrives, any data transmissions require a re-download, which is impossible with time-limited links.  

  5. Experienced Engineers - this is your stop; please skip to the OLD HATS section. New Engineers or those with additional questions, please read on.

NEWER PEEPS

  1. Unless there are no other possible options, no MP3s, please.

  2. Please send 24-bit WAV files, if possible. The sample rate should be whatever the rate the session used. Do not convert the sample rate.

  3. Label the songs to the best of your knowledge. (I understand the band might not give accurate titles).

  4. Master fader. If you have all kinds of compression and limiting and things on the master fader, please send me one with all of that and one without. If you have only a loudness limiter on the master fader, bypass that when you render. Go ahead and include a version with it in. Your choice of track. That allows me to hear what the artist heard.

  5. Please no 0.0 dBFS peaks. Those often blow past the ceiling and distort once I play them through my DA converter.

  6. I can't stress this enough, write with any questions you may have.

OLD HATS

  1. Formats (Digital) Please send 24-bit PCM WAVs or DSD at your preferred rate. Stereo is preferred, but L/R files can work. Use whatever sample rate you mix in or use to capture the mix. (Don't SRC)

  2. Formats (Analog) We also accept 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch tape. (Please print 10+ second tones, 50Hz, 1kHz, and 10kHz)

  3. Label the folder clearly If you have 'loud' references you gave the band; PLEASE send those. Please. I need to know what they were using to approve the mixes. This is very important.

  4. Master fader. If you have a master fader with EQ, Compression, and other things that make your sound, leave them. Really. You know what you're doing. I'm not going to second guess you. If there is a loudness limiter at the end that is grabbing more than 1 dB, adjust that just to only stop peaks. If you have instrumentals, please send them.

  5. Should you need to add notes, do it. That can be in .txt, .pdf, or .docx

  6. Thank you for taking the time to read this!