home
mastering & vinyl cut
mixdown & mix revision
prices
order processing
reference artists
reference customers
equipment mastering studios
equipment mixdown studios
faq
contact
imprint


file upload
 

FAQ


HOW TO SUPPLY SOURCE MATERIAL?
See order processing.

HOW LONG IS YOUR TURNAROUND TIME? / IS THERE AN EXPRESS MASTERING?
Our average turnaround is usually approximately 7-10 days.
If you have an urgent request and wish to expedite the process you can book Express and Overnight rates.
Please inquire for availibility.

WHAT ARE YOUR PAYMENT TERMS?
We are working with pre-payment. We accept bank transfer & Paypal.
All prices mentioned on this website are in EUR net (VAT might be applicable, depending on location and VAT ID availability).
Subject to our terms and conditions.

WHAT IS THE BEST AUDIO FORMAT FOR MASTERING?
.WAV or .AIF file in the native sampling rate of the DAW project and with the native bit resolution of the DAW.
This is at least 32 bit for all current DAWs.
Cubase, Nuendo, Reaper etc. are even able to output 64 bit.
The final resolution of your DAW is completely independent of the resolution of your recordings! If you use 16bit recordings in Ableton Live, the resolution of your master bus is nonetheless 32 bit.
When mixing analogue, the maximum bit resolution of your AD converter is the right choice - nowadays 24 or 32 bit.
The very best solution in this case would of course be an analogue master tape.
We can playback all the formats.

WHICH MASTERING FORMATS DO I REQUIRE?
HD Master for approval - native sampling rate of your mix, 24 bit
Streaming Master for digital release (e.g. Spotify) which can be combined with an
SD Master for download (for e.g. Beatport)
Vinyl Master for vinyl cut
ADM Master for Apple Music (We are certified by Apple.) The ADM can also be used for HiRes streaming platforms such as Qobuz, TIDAL or AMAZON MUSIC.
Please contact us if you need other formats (cassette, radio, small speaker, etc.).
Please always request the appropriate format from us and do not convert yourself, as this is lossy. Ideally, your digital distributor can handle separate masters for each purpose. In this case it makes sense to order these special optimised formats to achieve the best possible quality. Sometimes a standard wav has to function as a "one for all file" (e.g. Distrokid, Bandcamp)

CAN I SEND IN TRACKS THAT HAVE MASTER BUSS EFFECTS APPLIED?
Yes - but simply send both: unprocessed and processed.
That way we have all the possibilities and a reference as well which can be quite useful in attaining your sonic target.
For the output of the unprocessed version, please remove all plug-ins in the master channel of your DAW (not only bypass them as not all DAW / plugins provide true bypass).
Using the unprocessed mixes is the only way that the fine-tuned quality of the compression and limiting in the mastering can have it's perfect sonic effect.
Anyone who has heard the difference knows what we are talking about here.
But if only the processed mixdown is available, we'll do our best.

WHY SHOULDN'T I MIX ALWAYS INTO A MASTERING CHAIN?
When you actively mix into a mastering chain you are likely to mix in order to 'please' the processors thresholds and settings. The big disadvantage is that the whole mix is likely to fall apart when the plug-ins are removed, and important shaping possibilities in the mix may never be used because they are masked by the plug-ins in the master.
Simply listen to both: master effects on and off.

I'VE BOOKED ADDITIONAL MASTER OUTPUT FORMAT BUT HAVE ONLY RECEIVED AN HD-MASTER YET. WHERE ARE THE OTHER FILES?
For efficiency reasons the optional formats will be provided after you've approved the HD master.

I'D LIKE TO BOOK A MASTERING BUT MIGHT CONSIDER ADDING OTHER FORMATS (E.G. VINYL) AT A LATER POINT. IS IT POSSIBLE?
Yes, we store your mastering session and according settings and can revisit the session at a later point in time in order to provide different output formats. Most common example would be a digital album release first up in order to finance a vinyl release which follow a few months later. Due to efficient working ways no tasks have to be made twice and thus there is no extra cost.

DO I NEED ISRCs FOR MASTERING?
ISRCs may only be needed for the creation of a DDP. Although you can use a DDP without ISRC. ISRCs are not encoded into the masters due to a lack of standard, but may only be applied during digital distribution.

HOW MUCH HEADROOM SHOULD I LEAVE ON MY MASTER BUSS?
This is not that critical for 32 bit mixes. But if the peaks of your mix are in range of -20dbFS to just below zero, and don't clip, everything is ok.

ARE MY FILES SECURE WHEN UPLOADING AND TRANSFERRING?
calyx.wetransfer.com is our gold standard for transferring audio files.
Packing is lossless and uses a CRC32 checksum, ensuring data integrity during transfer and decompression.
If you want an even higher level of security, we offer a free, password-protected server space.

IS THERE A REDUCED RATE MASTERING SERVICE (after hours or similar)?
Unfortunately we can no longer offer a reduced rate mastering service due to our high workload. However, we always try to support artists in a suitable way.

IS AN ATTENDED SESSION NECESSARY OR DOES THE UNATTENDED SESSION WORK FOR MY NEEDS TOO?
The majority of our sessions are unattended. If you provide a good briefing and/or references it's very unlikely that the engineer will not understand the direction you are aiming for. Also there's no risk of ending up with something you don't like as we offer all revisions for free (revision until satisfaction). That means you can virtually request as many amendments to the master that are required in order to satisfy you.

HOW MANY REVISIONS ARE INCLUDED WITH YOUR MASTERING?
All revisions are for free. We offer a so called revision until satisfaction guarantee. That means you can virtually request as many amendments to the master that are required in order to satisfy you. Please note, that exchanging mixes after receiving the master is not included.

I'VE JUST RECEIVED MY MASTER AND NOTED SOME MISTAKES. CAN I PROVIDE A NEW MIX?
Sure, that's no problem. Please note though that implementing new mixes is quite an effort, e.g. we have to do a recall of analog settings, transfer automation settings, doublecheck everything again and have to record the master again in realtime besides other tasks. Thus we have to charge it (not the full price though, just 50% of the according rate).

BESIDES MY MAIN TRACK I HAVE AN EDIT/DUB/INSTRUMENTAL OF IT. CAN YOU MASTER IT TOO?
Yes, these versions are charged with 50% of the according rate. Please note that this does not apply if the version is sonically differing to much from the original.

I AM NOT SURE IF MY MIX IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR MASTERING. CAN YOU HELP ME OUT?
If you're unsure feel free to send your mix for evaluation first. We can give advice on how to proceed in the best way.
For a brief analysis, we typically use our MIX REVIEW
For a detailed analysis, our MIX CONSULTING might be of interest

WHAT ARE COMMON MASTERING FILE OUTPUT FORMATS?
SD (Standard Digital): 16 bit / 44.1 kHz Wav File. Purpose: Digital Distribution (e.g. Beatport)
HD (High Definition): 24 bit / (original Samplerate) this is sent for approval.
ADM (Apple Digital Master): This is Apple Music's Hi-Res format in 24 bit / up to 96 kHz (depend on orig. sample rate). This format can be also used for other hi-res portals such as Qobuz.
STREAM (Streaming Master): These files are optimized for the best possible performance on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and alike. It not only matches the according level requirements but also considers tonal aspects that come along with streaming.
VINYL (Vinyl Master): 24 bit / (orig sample rate). These are files which are prepared for the vinyl cutting process.
DDP A DDP is a container file consisting of audio including the according metadata. Required for CD manufacturing.

CAN I (OR A 3RD PARTY) CONVERT YOUR 24 BIT HD MASTER TO 16 BIT MYSELF?
It is better not to do this, as it is lossy. We are happy to provide you the according file in the required format. In general any conversion should be avoided when possible. Whereever a conversion may be mandatory - please leave it up to us. We will ensure it's made in the best possible way.

WHICH LENGTH WILL FIT ON A VINYL SIDE?
It depends on musical content. A bass heavy track will take up more space on a vinyl record, than a recording of a singer with guitar accompaniment.There are no hard rules.
Basic guidelines are:

Format Loud Level Average Level
  7" 45rpm Up to 3,5 minutes Up to 4,5 minutes
10" 33rpm Up to 7 minutes Up to 9 minutes
10" 45rpm Up to 5,5 minutes Up to 7 minutes
12" 33rpm Up to 12 minutes Up to 15 minutes
12" 45rpm Up to 8,5 minutes Up to 9,5 minutes
Album Up to 19 minutes Up to 25 minutes

Depending on the type of material you should consider a DMM Cut (instead of Lacquers), if a side exceeds 20 minutes.

WHY DON'T YOU CUT VINYL FROM AN EXTERNAL MASTER?
We believe that mastering there and cutting here can only be a compromise, as there is no sonic interaction between mastering and cutting. And our capacities simply don't allow for it.

UNDER WHICH EMAIL ADDRESS ARE WE CERTIFIED FOR APPLE MUSIC (formerly "Mastered for iTunes")?
office @ calyx-mastering . com