Q: What Is Mastering?
A: Mastering is the final stage in the music production process. Music production consists essentially of four stages: composition, recording, mixing, and mastering. Composition is the process of coming up with the idea for a song, composing the notes, and orchestrating and arranging it. Recording is when musicians play music into one or more microphones, typically in a recording studio, generating a set of "tracks". Mixing is when those tracks are processed and mixed together into one final track called the "final mix". Mastering is the process of taking the final mix and preparing it for distribution.
Q: How Does Mastering Differ From Mixing?
A: Both mixing and mastering seek to improve the sound. However, mixing accepts as input a set of tracks (e.g. WAV files) and outputs a single track (e.g. WAV file), whereas mastering accepts a single tracek (e.g. WAV file) and outputs a single master (e.g. WAV file). Mixing is mainly about blending dozens of tracks together in a pleasing manner, whereas mastering is about repairing and enhancing a single "final mix" track.
Q: Where are you?
A: Crickets Mastering is based in Adelaide, Australia, but encompasses mastering engineers from around the world.
Q: Do you care where I am?
A: No. Crickets Mastering is a global service. We perform mastering work for clients around the world.
Q: Do you master using dedicated hardware, or "in the box" (i.e. using only software)?
A: Each mastering engineer in Crickets Mastering has their own studio and their own choice of hardware and software. When you choose a mastering engineer for your project, you can browse the information about our mastering engineers and choose an engineer whose mastering approach aligns with yours.
Q: Do you use a sound-treated room?
A: Yes. Our mastering engineers have all measured their room's response using Sonarworks (or equivalent) and have treated their room accordingly.
Q: Do you do mixing?
A: No. We focus exclusively on mastering.
Q: I have a problem in my mix. Can you fix it for me during the mastering process?
A: No, unless it is a broad problem (e.g. "it's not loud enough!") to which the processes of mastering can respond. The mastering process enhances your track. It cannot fix any fundamental problems in your mix.
Q: Can you make my song loud?
A: Yes. Bringing a song up to commercial loudness is part of the mastering process. With the dawn of streaming services, the "loudness war" is over, but it's still important to bring a track up to commercial loudness. Our mastering engineers typically aim for -9dB RMS, but you can ask them for whatever loudness you want.
Q: What musical genres can you master?
A: Our mastering engineers have different strengths and weaknesses. Browse our mastering engineers to see the genres they specialise in.
Q: Can you master for vinyl?
A: Yes. Mastering for vinyl is similar to mastering for other media except that the mastering engineer must pay more specific attention to the stereo width and saturation at various frequencies. All our mastering engineers can master for vinyl.
Q: If I provide an ISRC code, can you embed it in the mastered WAV file?
A: Yes
Q: Can you do stem mastering?
A: Yes.
Q: What is stem mastering?
A: Normally, a single stereo WAV file is the input into the mastering process. For a stem master, that file (call it X) is still provided, but in addition, a set of tracks called "stems" are provided that, when summed equally, yield X. During a stem mastering, the mastering process proceeds normally. Howevever, if a problem is identified, access to the stems provides the mastering engineer with more options for fixing the problem. For example, if the mastering engineer notices that EQ enhancement during mastering was causing the vocal to recede in the mix, the engineer could (e.g.) saturate the vocal a little more, or change its stereo width to bring it out again. Yet stem mastering is NOT mixing, although a careless mastering engineer can drift into mixing. The purpose of providing stems into the mastering process is not to provide the mastering engineer with the opportunity to do some mixing. It is to provide the mastering engineer with an increased opportunity to perform effective mastering, and, in particular, to better solve any mastering problems that arise.
Q: The recording studio I'm using has a mixing and mastering package. Why don't I just use that?
A: Well you can, and it will probably be fine. However, unless the recording studio is a particularly good one, it is unlikely to perform mastering at the same level as a dedicated mastering engineer.
Q: That mastering engineer over there is cheaper! Why don't I just use them?
A: The world has thousands of mastering engineers and the internet has brought their services to the entire internet. Crickets Mastering is just one such mastering service. We do what we do, and we charge what we charge. If you want a cheaper service, then go and use one. Maybe it will be better. If you want a more expensive service, then go and use one. But if you like what we do (listen to our example masters) and like what we charge, then use our service.
Q: How long does mastering take?
A: Your master will usually be sent to you within one or two working days of your submitting your song. If might take longer if we are busy. However, if you are in a hurry, let us know, and we might be able to perform the mastering within a few hours.
Q: What must I provide?
A: Provide a single WAV (or AIFF) file at 44.1KHz/24-bit or better. The WAV file should have been generated so that it does not exceed (ideally) -6dB at any point, and must not have been processed by a limiter. For stem mastering, provide two or more WAV/AIFF/44.1KHz/24-bit stems that sum to your final mix. Provide the final mix too.
Q: What is the minimum length song that you will master?
A: There is no minimum length.
Q: What is the maximum length song that you will master?
A: There is no maximum, but we reserve the right to negotiate an increased charge with you if your song is longer than ten minutes.
Q: What is the maximum volume that I can provide in my WAV file?
A: So long as it is not peaking near or at 0dB, we can master it. However, we recommend that you adjust your gain so that no part of the track exceeds -6dB.
Q: What is the minimum volume that I can provide in my WAV file?
A: There is no minimum, but if your song is too quiet, there's a danger that the noise floor will become prominent in the final master. Ideally, apart from sections of your song that are actually silent, your song would range between -12dB and -6dB for most of the song.
Q: What should I put in my mastering chain?
A: Nothing. Don't have one. Don't apply saturation, compression, or limiting to your master bus unless it is specifically a mixing effect. It's difficult to master a song that has already been partially or fully mastered. Just turn the gain down so that it doesn't clip.
Q: In what audio file format will the master be delivered?
A: We will deliver the master in any format you specify, but typically we deliver a WAV file containing 24-bit samples at a sample rate of 48KHz .
Q: What if I don't like the master you create?
A: If you don't like the master we create from your WAV file, let us know what concerns you, and we'll do it again, and again, and again, until you are happy with it. We do not normally issue refunds.
Q: Will I have to pay you royalties?
A: No. The master we provide comes with a perpetual worldwide licence. No strings.
Q: Do I have to pay up front?
A: No, but if you don't, we reserve the right to provide only mastering samples, not the full master until you pay in full. Also, if we are busy, we will give priority to customers who pay up front.
Q: How can I pay you?
A: Pay using PayPal.
Q: Do your prices include the Australian Goods And Services Tax (GST)?
A: Crickets Mastering is not registered for the Australian Goods And Services Tax (GST). So, if you are in Australia, your payment does not include a GST component. If you are not in Australia, the GST is not appliable anyway. In either case, GST is not charged.