How to prepare your mix for a free test master?
Make sure you are happy with the sound of your mix and the balance of the different elements (drums, bass, vocals, etc.).
Then follow these simple steps and everything should be right for the submission of your mix for free music mastering:
- Leave some headroom – aim for audio peaks to be around -3dB to -6dB (this is rule of thumb so don’t worry about being too precise with this)
- Make sure your mix is not clipping – if you’ve left some headroom then clipping is usually avoided, but it might be that individual instruments caused clipping at the recording stage if the signal was too hot, so listen carefully for potential problems throughout the recording and mixing)
- Remove any limiters that are on your mix buss (i.e., 2-buss, stereo buss). It’s better if you also remove any buss compression and EQ. If you choose to apply mix buss compression and EQ then don’t overdo it (retaining dynamics is key to a good starting point for mastering)
- Listen carefully for sibilance in the vocals. This relates to harsh ’s’, ‘sh’ or ‘th’ sounds in mid-high frequency range; mixing engineers use a “de-esser” (hardware or plugin) to suppress or remove issues related to sibilance. This is much easier to deal with on the vocal tracks during mixing than it is at the mastering stage
- Leave a second to two at the start and end of each mix so fades can be added at the mastering stage
- Export your files from your DAW as WAV or AIFF using the same bit rate (e.g., 24-bit) as your mix session.
- Provide the metadata on our information form (e.g., ISRC codes*) when submitting your tracks
- Tell us about any specific goals you’d like to achieve (this might be a similar sound to specific reference tracks or a preference for specific song characteristics such as heavy bass or more of a vintage sounding such as ‘tape’)
*ISRC stands for ‘International Standard Recording Code’. It acts as the digital footprint for your music and is the universal language used for obtaining royalty payments and licensing music to third parties. For more information on ISRC and how to obtain them, please go to:
https://isrc.ifpi.org/get-isrc/assign-isrc-online
Yes, we will produce the test master in the same way as if you purchased one of our services. You will receive a fully mastered section of your track to hear the difference between your mix and the test master.
Yes, there are affordable plugins available (e.g., Reference-2 and Expose-2) that you can use to level-match two tracks so that you’re only listening to the differences in perceived loudness and other sonic differences related to the processing applied during mastering. If you don’t level match the tracks you should still be able to hear the benefits of professional mastering.
Whether you submit a track to get a free test master, a free appraisal, or through purchasing one of our services, we will never share your work with anyone else without your approval – occasionally we make requests to artists/managers to feature tracks in promotional material.
