#mix & mastering SERVICES
What about it?
Most artists understand the music making process but not everyone POSSES professional skills OR "EAR" when it comes to the final & most crucial STEPS:
Mixing & Mastering .
it isn’t just about making your track as loud as possible. It’s about balancing your track to translate better and provide a great listening experience to your audience.
searching for mastering engineers on Google is confusing right?
how do you know who’s worth paying for?
And how do you know who’s right for your music?
even if you know good mix and master engineers, lets be honest, you usually always have to wait ages for them to replay and become available...
we experienced all those scenarios ourselves all to well,
and figured out a formula to solve it.
lets get started.
Why with Us?
1.Beta music is working with a large group of top leading engineers in the electronic music industry ,and we will know exactly who will suit your needs as well as your budget.
2.We assign your projects only to freelancers who can meet your budget & demands.
3.full engineer - client transparency.
we send you detailed quotes from currently available engineers* quotes includes: rates,terms and deadlines required for each type of service.
4.we are committed to deliver your finalized mastering project on time,according to deadlines as they appear and specified on our freelancers quotes.
5.your success is our success,and your projects will be featured and presented across our social media channels.
*You can always try and contact an engineer on your own if fast response time and deadlines are not an issue for you.its only with beta music that you will receive proper results .try us.
step one:
choose your session
Service Options:
we deal with FEW TYPES of MIXING & mastering methods:
STEREO AUDIO MASTERING
2 track stereo interleaved files. Mastering engineers have developed techniques for working with stereo 2 track mixes that can enhance and correct audio, however there is fundamentally a limitation with working with a stereo file.
STEM MASTERING (OR SEPARATION MASTERING)
Stem mastering is an extension of the 2 track stereo mastering process. Stem mastering uses groups of instruments which are in common with each other. So typical stems from a track might be : Kick, bass, rhythm section, etc.
Stems provide the mastering engineer with an opportunity to make sightly more detailed and targeted adjustments to the music, and each engineer has his own methods which are specified in the quotes we will send you.
is there a doctor in the house?
If your mix is dull and lifeless or your stems are flat and weak sounding , you might want to consider a full remix of your track including changes to fundamental elements such as kick bass and other critical parts .From precision surgery to a complete face lift, Beta music can help you find the right person at the right time, to produce, mix and master your music to perfection.
Please consider the below KNOWLEDGE BASE GUIDELINES BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR TRACKS.
Step two:
getting started
Submit your Project:
once we have an understanding about your project needs:
1.we contact our engineers to see who is available and ready to commit to the project.
2.within the next business day, we send you all available options ,together with rates,terms including how much time it actually takes to deliver each and every service type.
note that this info is changing from one engineer to another.
3.you choose the engineer you want to work with and the type of service you want him to provide.
4.beta music will send you full payment request via Paypal.
the paypal commission must be paid on top.
5.once payment is cleared,we will collect and send all the info together with the download links to your project and reference tracks to your engineer.
6.your session is now in good hands, expect results no later then deadline as specified in the quote.
*Note that you are entitled to one extra revision if needed,additional revisions caused by a bad mix or changes in the arrangement will apply additional charges.
STEP THREE:
PREPERATION GUIDE
File Format: Audio files can be submitted in stereo (interleaved) .WAV or .AIFF formats.
Bit Rate: 32-bit float audio files are strongly preferred, 16-bit files are OK only when 32-bit float (or 24-bit) files are absolutely unavailable.
Sample Rate: Please submit files at whatever the original recording and/or mix session is at. Don’t change the sample rate of your files before sending and don’t convert mp3s to WAV for mastering. Use true WAV files.
Peak Level: Please be sure that the mix files have reasonable headroom to work with and are not already at a loud level. It’s hard and sometimes impossible to do anything useful (sonically) to mixes that already have a high RMS (average volume) level and consistently clip or hit 0dBFS.
Master Buss Processing: This is often case-by-case, as it’s easy to overdo compression/saturation/etc on the master buss. I don’t advise removing it completely, as it may lose the intended vibe. As long as the overall mix level/DAW output is not hitting or exceeding 0dBFS, and there is no limiting on the master fader or anything else preventing the levels from exceeding 0dBFS when they otherwise would, the levels should be acceptable for mastering.
File Format: Audio files can be submitted in stereo (interleaved) .WAV or .AIFF formats.
Please don’t send mix files that have already been “pre-mastered”, normalized, or made extremely loud using digital processing. It’s understood that in some cases, certain plug-ins on the master fader/ buss can be very important to the sound, but if you are adding an L2 Limiter (or something similar) simply for the sake of loudness, it’s preferred that type of processing is removed before making the final mix files for mastering.
Don’t convert mp3s to WAV for mastering. Use true WAV files.
- Rendered Track: Master
- (Make sure render start and length reflect the duration of your song)
- Render as Loop: Off
- File Type: WAV
- Sample Rate: Your session sample rate
- Bit Depth: 24
- Dither Options: No Dither
- Create Analysis File: Off
- Normalize: Off
- Convert To Mono: Off
4. Click Export
5. Name your file and click Save.Use these settings:
- Mode: Full Song.
- Output Format: WAV
- Bit Depth: 24 Bit
6. Click Start.
4. Go to File ➝ Bounce ➝ Project Or Section.Use these settings:
- Destination: PCM.
- File Format: Wave
- Resolution: 24 Bit
- Sample Rate: Same as your session sample rate.
- File Type: Interleaved.
- Normalize: Off.
5. Click Export
*There are few more DAWS out there,the key point is to disable all audio processing on your main signal output chain.
It’s important to know how to prepare and submit your mixes so you can get the best sound for your songs. There are a number of audio mastering tips that will help you prepare your mixes for mastering. Here are a few things to consider.
Eliminate Noise on the Mix
As you go through your mix, eliminate any noise or pops that may be in each track. Use fades as necessary to cut out any spots that may just contain recorded noise. Cleaning up individual tracks when they’re not in use within your mixing sessions can help prevent the buildup or exaggeration of unwanted noise after mastering. If this is done in the mix stage, it will keep the overall noise level down when the mastering engineer begins to equalize and compress the mix.
If you’d like any equipment noise or hiss to be removed or reduced during intros, outros, or other quiet parts where any hiss/noise is usually more noticeable, please be sure to include a sample (at least 1 second) of ONLY the hiss/noise (with no music or other sounds) before or after the song.
It is strongly recommended to very carefully triple check the final mixes for any stray noises, pops, and clicks that may become more noticeable after mastering.
Keep Your Mix Clean and Dynamic
Overusing processors especially dynamic processors (compressors) on the master bus can destroy a mix and make it difficult, if not impossible for the mastering engineer to make a great master. Unless there’s a specific sound of a master bus processor desired for the mix, it’s best to keep the master bus free of outboard processing or plugins. If master bus processing is used, make sure to notify the mastering engineer of its type and settings.
Levels
The loudest part in a mix should peak at no more than -3db on the master bus. You’ll want to remove any pre-mastering processing from the master bus, such as a limiter or stereo enhancer. The overall volume should sound low. We’ll raise it during the mastering process. This allows me to create the proper dynamic level for radio play, CD, or mp3 duplication.
(SAMPLE)rates:
SERVICE RATES,FILE PREPARATION METHODS AND DEADLINE TERMS ON EACH SERVICE ARE DIFFERENT WITH EACH ENGINEER, AND WILL BE SPECIFIED BEFORE YOU IN A FULLY DETAILED QUOTE.
THE MOST POPULAR SERVICES ARE STEREO AND STEM MASTERING
AND THE MINIMUM RATES ARE:
*additional revisions caused by a bad mix will apply additional charges.WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO GET YOU DISSCOUNTS FOR LARGER PROJECTS.
Step FOUR:
Mission accomplished.
1.we are committed to strict deadlines,and to deliver you
an industry standard state of the art mastering product.
2.if you wish,we can include your track as a free download in our next promo list newsletter.
this is going to promoters event organizers and selected lists of djs around the world and can be beneficial to you and your project.
consider it a gift from us!
knowledge base:
learn everything there is to know about mastering!
Section A:
MASTER OR DISASTER?
Mixing is the process of manipulating the song on a track-by-track basis. Setting levels, eEQ’ing and compressing instruments and groups of instruments to create a two-channel (stereo left and right) mix of your song.
Mastering focuses on the manipulation of that two-channel stereo mix, putting the finishing touches on the stereo mixdown of your track to enhance the song’s final sound and quality. Mastering also includes ordering, spacing and prepping a track for its final delivery format.
Another important goal of mastering is to ensure that the material works well across a wide spectrum of listening devices and environments. If you’ve ever been satisfied with a mix in the studio only to later discover that the kick drum disappears on laptop speakers and sounds unacceptably boomy in the car, you’ve experienced translation issues.
Good translation begins at the mix stage, but a mastering studio’s full-range monitors and carefully-optimized acoustics can help reveal issues that may have slipped by in a less-controlled environment. To get a feel for how your mastered songs will sound in the real world, make sure to listen to them on at least a few different speaker and headphone systems at both high and low volumes. One of the most important aspects of your masters is to make sure you’re happy with how they translate to other people’s listening environments.
In order to provide a great listening experience to your audience, you will need to create a coherent and unified album. In mastering, we take a project-wide view of the music, shifting our focus to the way the songs work together as opposed to mixing when we are largely focused on bringing individual songs to their fullest potential.
Many projects will have a few sonic outliers. Perhaps the artist wishes to include some older material or has recorded and mixed the project in a few different studios with a few different engineers. Regardless of the cause, it’s not uncommon to end up with one or two mixes that are substantially darker, brighter, narrower, wider, softer, louder, or otherwise different from the rest.
Mastering is where subtle adjustments to overall level, dynamics, and timbre can help these disparate mixes hang together side by side. It’s also the chance to focus on track spacing and sequence; to determine that we need a few more seconds of silence between the end of the ballad and the beginning of the energetic song that follows. In short, mastering turns a collection of individual mixes into a unified program.
When it comes to loudness and dynamic range, different audiences have different expectations. In mastering, we work on a song-to-song dynamic balance within the project but also to position the entire project within a whole genre of contemporary releases.
Classical and jazz audiences often favour a more natural sounding master. A dynamic and natural sounding master comes at the expense of some overall loudness but is often more pleasing to listen to in context. A more dynamic master can actually have much more impact than a master that is extremely loud if the mixing and mastering are tastefully done. On the other hand on most electronic and pop music releases, the main objective of the mastering session is to achieve a loud master. Generally speaking, the louder the master, the more compromises to the dynamic range and sonic characteristics must be made as the level is pushed louder. In either case, the choice is made with the artist’s goals and audience in mind.
During the mastering process we go through a highly detailed critical listening of the material we are working on, an attention focus that’s very different from what usually occurs in the mixing suite.
When a producer or mixer is focused on getting the music to speak in the right way on an emotional level, the occasional mundane detail sometimes slips by. A chair squeaking as the last piano note decays, a lip smack between vocal phrases, exaggerated pops and vocal sibilant etc, can all become more audible and apparent when the overall volume is much louder.
Or even on a broader level, an artist may have approved a mix, but after having lived with it for a few weeks wishes the vocal were just a touch more out front.
A mastering engineer is the last line of defense against such issues. As technology has progressed, the scope of adjustments and repairs a mastering engineer can perform has become staggering. Mastering won’t make a dysfunctional mix into a good one, but you might be amazed at how effectively a small issue or two in an otherwise-good mix can be addressed.
Ultimately, in addition to all of the above, your mastering engineer is a fresh set of experienced ears — ears practiced in the specific art of making finished stereo mixes sound better. Mastering is done using tools like equalization, compression, limiting and stereo enhancement to mention a few. These tools allow us to reveal and enhance a level of gloss, excitement, and detail in the music that you haven’t even imagined possible. As a result, mastering represents one final opportunity to let someone else make your music stand out by adding tone, depth, punch, and clarity.
File formats will vary depending on your chosen delivery medium. Audiences consume music using a range of technologies: streaming, vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital download. It is our job to prepare and provide you with streaming and distribution ready masters. For more information on the most common distribution and streaming files formats options and metadata please refer to section C.
Section B:
file format GUIDE
Format required: 16bit 44.1Khz WAV files
Common aggregators suggested by Apple Music and Spotify are:
CD Baby, TuneCore, DistroKid, Emubands, AWAL, The Orchard, Record Union, Soundrop, Routenote, Bandcamp, etc.
With most aggregators, you can distribute your music via iTunes Store, Amazon Music, Google Play, Spotify,Beatport, TIDAL, Deezer, etc.
Mastered For iTunes: 24bit 96khz WAV files
Most of the above aggregators and streaming platforms are already accepting MFiT files but you might need to check with your online distributor/aggregator for specific details.
Bandcamp and SoundCloud: 24bit WAV files (sample rates above 44.1k)
Format Required: DDP image or 16bit 44.1khz WAV files
A DDP image is basically a digital image of a compact disc that contains all the audio, track IDs, CD-Text, and ISRC codes.
DDP is not prone to errors that can occur with physical CDs (and CD-Rs) such as skips, scratches, and read/write errors. This is in part why it’s best to use a DDP image for your CD production master rather than a physical CD-R.
It is not recommended to submit individual WAV files for CD production. This can lead to problems with song sequencing, incorrect CD-Text, lack of CD-Text, and in some cases the audio itself can be altered if files are handled improperly.
The WAV files for your vinyl pre-master can be at the native sample rate of your original mixes and/or mastering session (meaning higher than 44.1k/CD quality).
Creating a single WAV for each side of the record will ensure that no changes with the space and timing between songs can occur at the lacquer cutting stage.
Sonic adjustments are often made to optimize for the vinyl format before sending it off the pressing plant or lacquer cutter. Some of the things to address during the mastering session include:
- Ensure bass is mono up to 100Hz and that it is not overly pronounced below 40Hz.
- Reduce excessive sibilance and high-frequency content such as cymbals, hi-hats, and shakers.
- Control the dynamics without excessive levels or distortion.
Format Required: 48khz WAV files (with 320kbps reference mp3)
The proper format needed for licensing your music will ultimately depend on who licenses the music, and how you plan to distribute it. However, the most common audio format for video use is 48k WAV, though 24-bit/96k is becoming more common for Blu-Ray releases.
Section C:
METADATA GUIDE
WAV & AIFF files don’t support the large amount of metadata that an mp3 or AAC file can contain. If you are uploading WAV files to online distribution services, expect to submit the artwork and other metadata separately as you submit the audio files for online distribution. The distribution service you use will handle the metadata tagging that is seen by the end user based on the info you enter, and what is supported by the end file format.
A DDP image is basically a digital image of a compact disc that contains all the audio, track IDs, CD-Text, and ISRC codes.
DDP is not prone to errors that can occur with physical CDs (and CD-Rs) such as skips, scratches, and read/write errors. This is in part why it’s best to use a DDP image for your CD production master rather than a physical CD-R.
It is not recommended to submit individual WAV files for CD production. This can lead to problems with song sequencing, incorrect CD-Text, lack of CD-Text, and in some cases the audio itself can be altered if files are handled improperly.
What are ISRC Codes and why do I need them?
- The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is a code that can be embedded as metadata in your audio files.
- ISRC codes are primarily used to identify and catalog individual songs (tracks) on an album.
- The ISRC allows you to get paid for digital music sales by ensuring that your royalties are tracked properly.
- ISRC codes are necessary to sell your individual tracks via iTunes and other online music distributors.
- They are also required for any songs that you plan to offer for streaming on Spotify and other streaming services.
To generate your own ISRC, you can apply directly via the ISRC website usisrc.org to avoid being over-charged.
You can also buy ISRC Codes from this website but if you are planning on using an aggregator to distribute your music they will create and embed the ISRC codes for you. Typically, I recommend using CdBaby, Distrokid and TuneCore for this. All of these sites provide free ISRC codes as well.
A UPC (Universal Product Code) or EAN (International Article Number) is a unique code used to identify a product, such as an album, single or ringtone.
If you want to apply for a UPC issued by GS1, please contact your local GS1 office here.
When selling music online remember that you will most likely need an ISRC code for each track as well as a UPC barcode. Pandora, Amazon, CD Baby, Tunecore and iTunes all require that you have a UPC barcode for your Digital Albums.