Mastering
CD Mastering, UK
Mastering is the difference between a good record and a great record. You can spend hours on a mix, but without mastering it will never stand up to the shine and power of a commercial CD.
Mastering is the icing on the cake of a great mix, and in some cases can even be used to save a bad mix.
Warm Tide is dedicated to helping musicians of all levels by making sure their records sound great at a price they can afford.
Our CD mastering rates are charged at an extremely low rate of £17.50 per hour.
What is mastering?
Mastering is the final process in making a studio record. It is an essential process to make a home or project studio recording really sound professional. Mastering a song greatly improves it by balancing out the EQ and stereo field to make the track playable on all systems and maximising volume to get it to the output level of a commercial CD. EQ is also used to clean up muddiness and add sparkle. Mastering makes recordings more radio-friendly and can be the difference between a hit and a miss.
How much does it cost?
Mastering is charged at a flat rate of £17.50 per hour - with a maximum of £30 per track no matter how long it takes. One hour per track is a rough estimate to total cost.
Bespoke discounts are available for LPs based on the quality of the original mixes.
What do I need to do get my CD mastered by Warm Tide?
Simply fill in this quote form or e-mail enquiries@warmtide.co.uk titled "Quotation request". Alternatively you can call Pete Dowsett on 075400 67375. We will reply as soon as possible with our quote, including the approximate timescale and estimated total cost of the service. If you decide to go ahead with the service, we will invoice you for the estimated total cost of the service via PayPal or post if preferred. You will then need to send your CD/DVD in a protective envelope to:
Warm Tide Audio Limited
Unit A21
Little Heath Industrial Estate
Coventry
West Midlands
CV6 7NB
After mixing you will be invoiced if there is a remainder charge and the tracks will be sent back on a master DVD via recorded delivery.
Alternatively you can send your .wavs via email, which can be done using various free services including www.sendthisfile.com and www.yousendit.com. Send these to enquiries@warmtide.co.uk and don't forget to title each e-mail with your quote number.
How should I organise the CD/DVD?
If you have used ProTools to record and mix the work, simply send us the ProTools project file including all source tracks on a DVD!
Otherwise the tracks should be placed on a CD/DVD in folders corresponding to the track number you wish for them to appear on your master disc and then by name, i.e. <No>_<title>_<stereo channel>. Demonstrating this for the first track on Red Hot Chili Peppers By The Way album would be:
1_By The Way.L.wav
1_By The Way.R.wav
To create a great master it is essential that the WAV files are sent to us clean. Songs sent to us should peak between -6dBFS and -12dBFS (Digital full scale), and should have no limiting, compression, stereo expansion, harmonic excitement, normalisation, or EQ applied.
For us to be able to master the songs, they should be sent in WAV format at one of the following rates:
16-bit - 44.1/48/96 KHz (in Multiple-Mono form)
24-bit - 44.1/48/96 KHz (in Multiple-Mono form)
What format will my master be sent back to me?
Warm Tide can provide two forms of master disc:
Masters that are being sent to professional pressing plants will be sent on a CD-ROM as a .DDP image file. A PQ list is also available for pressing plants if required but this is becoming a more infrequent request!
For masters that are being used for modest home reproduction they will be sent on a standard CD-R burnt at a speed of 4X and in disc-at-once mode to reduce E32 errors common on home CD writers.
Is there anything else I should know before getting my tracks mastered by Warm Tide?
If the tracks you have mastered are for digital or retail CD distribution, you will need to get UPC/EAN and ISRC codes encoded into the master CD. This information is what allows you to collect the royalties back for the sales of your music.
A UPC/EAN code is the barcode number assigned to the CD it is 13 digits long and not to be confused with the standard 12 digit UPC codes. This number is the same for each track on the album and you can buy them from online vendors for between £5-10 (they send you a JPEG via email of the barcode for attachment on the CD artwork).
ISRC codes are codes assigned to each track which state on record the details needed to allow the return of royalties to the composer etc. These codes are assigned by the PPL and are free, but please make sure you send off the request form in ample time.
Below are a few links which give some more information on UPC/EAN and ISRC codes:
http://www.ppluk.com (site to register ISRC codes in the UK)
http://www.upccode.net (site to buy UPC/EAN Codes)
http://www.recordlabelresource.com/isrc-registration.html (site for more info on ISRC codes)
Contact enquiries@warmtide.co.uk or call 075400 67375 to talk about your mastering requirements.