Preparing Your Files For Mastering
By Anthony Puglisi at SENTRALL SOUND, Los Angeles
Contributions by Ruairí O’Flaherty at Nomograph Mastering, Los Angeles
Edited by Bradley Will
Preparing for mastering is simple and there’s a lot of bad info out there. These best practices are intended to provide clarity for those new to the mastering process and also serve as a reminder for the more seasoned:
You don’t need to lower the loudness or “create headroom” when you send your mix.
Instead, double check that you’re not clipping your master bus before you send. If necessary, turn down the master output until the clipping stops.
If you've built your mixes into a limiter, send them with the limiter printed.
If you still wish to send a non-limited version, send a second (non-limited) print with the limiter disabled and include screenshots of your limiter settings.
As per #1, double-check that your master bus is not clipping.
Send the mix that your client has been listening to and has approved.
If you’ve added a limiter at the end to make the mix loud or exciting for the client, include a second - non-limited - print for the mastering engineer to work from.
Send your mixes at whatever sample rate and bit depth you worked at. Don’t up-sample or down-sample.
24 bit or 32 bit are ideal, but if you worked at 16 bit, that’s OK too.
Double check that your DAW doesn’t accidentally render your final bounces at a default sample rate or bit depth different from the native rate of your session.
When sending alternate mixes (like instrumentals, TV mixes, a capellas, or clean versions) do your best to ensure that start and end times for each alternate print are aligned with your main stereo master.
This will reduce the possibility of printing errors down the line.
If you send the mastering engineer an updated mix version, double check that it also aligns with the original.
.WAV file format is preferred but .AIFFs will work too if that’s what you’ve got.
Send your files via your preferred file sharing service like Dropbox, WeTransfer, etc.
Double check your sharing settings to ensure links don’t require an access request or expire too quickly. Avoid Google Drive (please).
Label your folders so it is clear which print is for mastering and which is the reference mix.
If you’re working on an EP or a full length album, include the final song titles and the track sequence if you know them.
If you’re going for a specific transition between songs, include a mock-up of what you’re trying to do so that the mastering engineer can recreate it.
Listen to your mixes before sending to make sure everything is correct!
For example, double-check that there are no vocals in the Instrumental mix, no instruments in the a cappella mix, etc.
When communicating via email, make sure that your messages are always “reply all”.
This way management, label representatives and relevant people are not excluded from the conversation. They’re all on there for a reason!
