Mastering is the final stage of audio production before a record or single is released into the world. I take your finished mixes and use some of the best analogue / digital equipment available to bring their overall sound in-line with music that is already released. If I am mastering an album or EP, I will also sequence each track with the perfect gaps of silence and with balanced tone and loudness. As a result, the overarching character of your project will be enhanced, finessed and polished. I will also make sure that your music sounds amazing on all systems, from full-range ATC studio monitors to cinemas to laptop and phone speakers. Mastering is a crutial time for you to view your project in the exact way that it will be heard once it is released. You will hear if any corrections are needed and we can work out the most effiecient way to make these either in the mastering domain or by revising the mix. Once the masters are approved, I can create a myriad of master files for every audio platform, from online distribution (iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc.) to vinyl and cassette.

Of course. I'll happily do a sample master of one track for new clients to see whether they'd like to hire me for the rest of their project. However, I currently do not offer sample masters for single track projects. Sample masters are only available for larger projects such as EPs or albums. Get in touch and we'll get things rolling... (Here is an upload link if needed)

Yes. If you are unsure whether your mixes are ready for mastering then feel free to send them over prior to booking a session. I'll gladly have a listen and be able to give you a couple of suggestions on how elements could be enhanced before we move onto the mastering stage. However, the last thing I want to do is step on or 'water down' your creation. If I do suggest anything, it'll either be purely technical or simply a way to ehance certain elements that may feel slightly lacking musically. In any case, it's a conversation we can have with everyone involved and at the very least will give me a deeper understanding of your vision and artistic intention moving forward.

You can securely upload mix files via the upload link I provide here. Alternatively, you can use whichever file sharing service is easiest for you such as Google Drive or Dropbox etc.

Sample Frequency: Always keep the sample frequency at the rate that the audio was recorded / mixed. Because all of my work is done in the analogue domain, I can 'pitch' a mix at any sample rate (up to 96kHz) and then capture the master at the delivery sample rate (up to 96kHz) without using any sample rate conversion. This avoids all of the unwanted artifacts that SRC introduces, which ultimately changes the tone and impact of your music. Bit-Rate: Keep the bit-rate as high as you can. If possible it should be no lower than 24-bit, however, 32-bit floating / fixed point files are even better. Try to avoid sending 16-bit files if possible. All files must be sent as uncompressed .WAV / .AIFF files. Do not send compressed lossy or lossless files such as .MP3 / .FLAC / .AAC etc...

My only request regarding headroom is that there are no peaks at 0dBFS (no clipping) and peak normalization is turned off. Send me the mix that you love the most regardless of how much headroom it has. As long as I am working with the mix that sounds the best to you then I am happy. Ultimately, do what serves your music the best. If your mix does have heavy mix-buss processing, then it's often useful to send two versions; one with these processors on and one with them bypassed. This way we can decide together which approach best serves the final result. For those who would like a general rule of thumb, mixes should aim to have peaks somewhere above -18dBFS and should never clip at 0dBFS (when working with 24-bit files). This leaves a healthy amount of headroom for any processing that may be needed in the mastering domain.

Dither is only needed when you move from a higher bit depth to a lower bit depth. If 16-bit is the highest quality you can provide then please use dither on export to avoid truncation distortion. Use either flat / TPDF dither or noise-shaping dither for this. Dither isn't really necessary for 24-bit files but won't harm the audio quality at all if you want to add it. There are arguments that do suggest dither is worth adding for 24-bit exports but it definitely won't 'make or break' a mix - pay much more attention to EQ, dynamics, balance etc. to create a good mix. Use either no dither at all or flat / TPDF (triangular) dither for 24-bit files and avoid using noise-shaping dither. Do not dither if you are sending full resolution 32-bit floating point or higher files.

Typical turnaround time for most mastering projects is approx. 3 - 6 working days from the time you upload the mix files. However, this timeline is subject to change depending on how busy things are. To make sure that your project is sent back to you in time, please get in touch at least 10 working days before your production deadline.

Sometimes revisions are required. If so, I am more than happy to make these to the best of my ability within reason free of charge. However, if you need to make revisions / tweaks to the mix you originally sent me then a charge of £15 for each new mix sent will be added to your overall bill. To avoid any unexpected additional charges, please make sure that the final mixes you send are the best that you can achieve. Also please be certain that all mixes have been approved by everyone involved before sending. If you are unsure whether your mix is ready for mastering then feel free to send it over prior to booking a session. I'll gladly have a listen and, if necessary, be able to offer any advice on how it could be improved before we move onto the mastering stage.

Masters are delivered as stereo WAV files at any sample rate up to 96kHz / 24-bit. High quality MP3s can also be delivered up to 320kbps. Any number of file formats can be authored at no additional cost. If you do not request specific file formats prior to booking, the masters will be delivered as full resolution 44.1kHz 24-bit WAVs as standard. If you are releasing CDs, you will also receive a DDP image that can be sent directly to the CD duplication factory. All files are delivered via WeTransfer unless requested otherwise. If you require additional masters that are tailored to specific platforms, such as vinyl, cassette and radio, please see pricing or contact me to discuss. I'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

I use Wise for all international payments. Any major currency can be used and all associated conversion fees are much lower than a standard international wire transfer. Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate and does not apply any markup unlike other services. Please add roughly 1% to your total to cover the transfer fees. If you would prefer to use PayPal for international payments then please add roughly 3-5% to your total to cover transfer fees.

Yes! We are proud to be a certified provider of Apple Digital Masters and can author these files for you whenever requested. Apple Digital Masters is a program that ensures the highest quality playback on Apple's streaming and download services. If a song or album is badged as an Apple Digital Masters release then listeners know they are hearing the best quality audio that Apple can offer. However, a few key rules must be in place prioir to the mastering stage for an Apple Digital Masters release to be successfully recognised by Apple. All recordings have to be made at 24-bit and at any sample rate between 44.1kHz and 192kHz. The mix also needs to have been done at 24-bit or higher and there should have been no sample rate conversion at any stage in the process. If all of the above applies to your project and you're interested in doing an Apple Digital Masters release, then feel free to get in touch and we can have a quick chat about what is involved. As a side note, only studios that are certified by Apple can provide files for an Apple Digital Masters relase.