The Process

Preparation

Before you make delivery arrangements, please ensure the original file is at the very least a 44.1kHz/16-bit stereo .wav or .aif recording (24-bit is preferred and strongly recommended) and that no dynamic compression or limiting has been applied to the stereo mix for the sake of loudness (don’t worry if you mix through a bus compressor—that’s fine). It is very difficult to restore the punch and transient attack of your material if it has already been severely brick-walled, so please refrain from limiting (or worse, clipping) your mixes before delivery, and ideally leave at least 2-3dB of headroom in your mixdowns.

Please ensure you have ample headroom in your mixes, with no clipped samples.

Please ensure you have ample headroom in your mixes, with no clipped samples.

Compressing the file using FLAC will ensure greatly decreased transfer times compared to simply zipping up the uncompressed source files. FLAC is a free, lossless compression format, providing bit-for-bit identical decodings of the source material, compressing up to half the size of the source files. Strongly recommended.

If you have a particular sound in mind you’d like me to aim for, then please feel free to include some reference material (high-quality mp3s would be ideal for this) or some guidelines detailing a desired aesthetic (e.g. I want this to sound warmer, tame the high-end etc.) otherwise I will proceed at my own discretion. Likewise, if you require track gaps or fades/crossfades of a particular duration, please also include these in the notes, otherwise I’ll go by ear.

Please include any UPC/EAN or ISRC codes you may have for your album, as well as any CD-Text that you’d like embedding.

Single track turnaround times are typically within 48 hours of reception (often within 24 hours, schedule permitting).

Sample VBR mp3s will be provided, allowing you to hear the adjustments I’ve made, before proceeding with payment.

Transfer

First and foremost, please get in touch before you create a Melograf upload account (I approve each account manually, in the interests of security). You needn’t wait for a reply from me before you sign up, but I do appreciate having some information about prospective work in my inbox before approving accounts.

Please use the Melograf Uploader to transfer your tracks for mastering quickly and securely, through the convenience of your web browser. If you have an upload account, you’ll be prompted to login; if not, please register.

If uploading more than a couple of tracks, please zip/rar up your tracks into a clearly labelled archive file. All major audio and archive file types are permitted. If you receive any errors when attempting to upload your tracks, please contact me. You have complete access to the files you upload, and are able to delete files in your own account at any point.

Alternatively, you may prefer to use a third-party file transfer service, such as the excellent WeTransfer instead.

By default I will supply a 44.1kHz/16-bit stereo .wav; if you require a different format, or want a master audio CD posted to you, please state when enquiring.

Processing

While the mastering engineer’s experience and aural acuity are of prime importance, the monitoring and processing equipment used for mastering needs to be of extremely high quality to achieve optimal results.

All software processing is carried out using a variety of carefully chosen tools from leaders in the field, such as Refined Audiometrics, Universal Audio, PSP Audioware, Sonnox and Voxengo.

Monitoring and signal conversion are deftly handled by Klein + Hummel and Mytek, providing exceptional clarity and very low distortion. A rock-solid RME HDSPe AES-32 card is used for digital interfacing.

Rates & Payment

  • £20 GBP per track (~$31 USD, ~€23 EUR).
  • Volume discounts:
    5-9 tracks = 10% discount
    10-14 tracks = 15% discount
    15+ tracks = 20% discount
  • An optional £20 charged for an error-checked Red Book audio CD (inc. P&P, £10 per additional copy). If required, we can also supply a DDP image either via upload or optical media. Please state your preferences when enquiring.

Accepted methods of payment are credit/debit card (via PayPal), cheque and cash. You will receive an invoice via email, detailing how to conveniently and quickly pay before receiving your masters.