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FAQs
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, and to fix any problems from the recording stage.
For more details about the mastering process read all about mastering.
Put simply, so that it sounds as good as possible.
Professional mastering engineers have years or decades of experience. They have mastered hundreds, perhaps thousands, of projects. They work in good sounding rooms with good sounding 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. It’s a process that gets the best possible sound out of your music.
If you are happy for any of our engineers to master your tracks, select Any Studio to get our best prices.
You will receive the same personal service that Mastering World is famous for, your music will still be mastered by one of the world-class engineers featured on our > Studios page, you just won't know which one until they contact you.
Jobs are distributed around our studios on a "round robin" basis, so you have an equal chance of your music being mastered at LOUD Mastering, at Super Audio Mastering or at Hafod Mastering.
Yes you can.
On each engineer’s page there is a number of ‘Before’ and ‘After’ examples.
Or, for an even better feel for an engineer’s work, buy a couple of CDs that they have mastered.
Click the >Upload button in the Nav Bar above.
Select which engineer you want to master your music.
Select how many tracks you need to be mastered.
Select any extra services you require.
Confirm the payment amount.
Enter your credit card details.
Select the sound files, then click Upload.
For more detailed instructions, read How To Use Mastering World.
Most of our clients send us their mixes as WAV files at 44.1kHz, 24 bit.
You should send us your finished mixes, straight off the mix bus.
Please don’t put any processing on the mix bus.
Do not normalise; do not finalise; do not maximise.
Do not apply any other overall processing to the entire mix as this is best left to the mastering stage.
A Finaliser 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,
and to use the best equipment in the best listening environment to do it.
Send us your music as uncompressed data files.
Most of our clients send us their mixes as WAV files at 44.1kHz, 24 bit.
We will take any format audio files (within reason).
wav
aiff
DDP master files etc
Ask and we’ll probably convert.
But please don’t send mp3’s!
We’ll use mp3’s if we have to, but they simply don’t sound good enough. Mix to CD or DAT or wav - anything with full bit rate and sampling frequency. We live in the age of broadband - send us your music uncompressed.
By credit or debit card.
Before you upload your tracks, you must enter your credit or debit card details. Your card will not be charged at this point, just pre-authorised. You can then upload your tracks to be mastered.
When the job is finished, your card will be charged, and the finished CD master files will be made ready for you to download.
Price is calculated on a per track basis.
Each engineer has their own particular rate.
Price per track may also vary with quantity.
Click > Rates in the Nav Bar above for general prices,
browse the engineers’ pages for specific rates.
The amount you pay will be calculated before the job begins.
You will know exactly how much the job will cost before we begin working on it.
Most users of Mastering World will not have to pay United Kingdom Value Added Tax (VAT) for using Mastering World's services. This will depend on where you live, and on whether or not you are using our services for business purposes.
1. Customers outside the European Community (EC), for example the United States, Japan, Australia, India, can use our services tax free.
Simply register your address on our website in your account details, and make your purchase using a credit or debit card registered at that address outside the EC.
2. Customers in the EC (except those in the UK) will not pay VAT if, like most of our customers, you use Mastering World's services for business purposes.
Examples of business purposes might be:
producing a CD to sell in shops or at gigs;
producing an album as part of a record contract;
recording a demo to send to promoters to get gigs;
making a recording to send to record companies in the hope of getting a record contract or a distribution deal.
To make sure that you do not pay VAT needlessly, please enter your business name and VAT number (if you have one) in your account details to reflect your business status. If you want to change your details, click >My Account, >Change Business Name.
Mastering World's payment system will take account of these details and, if eligible, you will not be charged VAT on your bill.
3. Customers in the UK have to pay VAT at the current rate of 17.5%. If you believe you shouldn't have to pay VAT, for example if you live in the Channel Islands, please contact us and we will adjust your bills accordingly.
Note: The details you provide when registering with Mastering World will determine if you will be charged VAT on your job. Your country of residence, as you enter it on your account details, will be checked against your credit card details when you pay us. If you have entered a business name when registering with us then we will assume that you are using our service for business use.
Mastering World is registered for VAT with the United Kingdom's HM Customs and Excise. Our VAT number is GB 855 974 567.
Check the engineers’ pages for turnaround times.
These times should be used as a guide only.
We will always do our best to get your job done promptly.
The 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, select ‘48 Hour Turnaround’ on the ordering page, but please contact us first just to confirm that we’re able to honour that turnaround time.
This will incur an extra charge.
We can deliver your mastered tracks in two ways - online or by courier.
Most clients ask us to return their music as WAV files online.
We can also provide a number of other digital formats,
for example, AIF, DDP or JAM files.
If we send you the CD Master by courier, you will receive a CD Master, either on Exabyte or on CD, and a reference CD of the CD Master.
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 correct it free of charge.
If you require changes or amendments to the work, please contact your engineer.
Often, minor amendments to the work are done without any extra charge, though this is at the discretion of the engineer.
Complex or repeated changes may incur an extra charge.
There are many reasons for the range of prices on offer.
Different studios have invested different amounts in equipment and studio design, and there will be variations in the overheads that they have.
There is also a range of experience on offer, for example at LOUD Mastering: Jason Mitchell has 12 years’ experience, but John Dent has 34 years. They will use the same mastering room and equipment to work on your music, but it costs more to use John Dent because he is more in demand.
Yes you can.
The engineer will contact you by email to discuss your needs before he begins your job.
You can also email engineers about your enquiries at any time.
Click >Contact Us in the Nav Bar above for the email addresses.
Yes you can. Please contact us if you wish to do so, though please bear in mind that some of our studios may not be able to offer web prices for attended sessions.
Yes you can.
Please register and pay for the job using the Mastering World website as normal,
then send your masters to the relevant address on the Contact Us page.
We take the security of your music very seriously.
Our Secure Transfer facility is based on 128-bit data encryption, the same level of security that banks use on the internet. Our Secure Server is protected to the hilt by modern security software.
However, your music is only as safe as your password or passphrase.
Use the following guidelines, and your music will be as safe as your bank account.
When devising a password or passphrase, use a few words.
Mix upper and lowercase letters, and add numbers for a very strong password.
Never reveal your password or passphrase to anyone.
In compliance with EC regulations on distance selling over the internet, you have the following rights to cancel.
To cancel you must contact us either
a. By phone at Mastering World, or
b. You must email the engineer who is due to master your music directly.
You must contact us either
a. before we start work on your job, or
b. within seven working days of the contract starting.
The contract is assumed to have started the moment your credit or debit card has been authorised.
Your chosen engineer will contact you soon after the contract has started to give an indication of when he will start work on your job.
Once we have started work on your job, you may no longer cancel the contract.
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Just downloaded perfection! Thanks so much.