Stem Mastering

£0.00

Mastering Engineer *

Processed Stem Count *

Turnaround *

+ Dolby Atmos Master

+ Stereo Master Add Ons

Order total:
SKU: AA-STEM-MASTER Category:

    HOW TO PLACE YOUR ORDER

    How It Works
    1. To build your studio service package first select the studio service you require. Next count how many stems you have exported from your project and select the stem count that best suits your budget and the amount of stems you will be sending to be mixed or mastered. Be sure to check all your requirements are ticked in your package.
    2. Once you have your package selected, add it to basket and proceed through the checkout. Now you have paid for your studio service you can upload your files and all information via our upload form in your account here. Please ensure you add your order number so that we know which order is linked to which files. Here you can add any notes or information you feel we need to know.
    3. As soon as we have received your payment and files we will download and begin working with your order. The initial mix or master is returned to you in the timeframe you have selected when building your package.
    4. When your order is completed you will receive your files via email. Any additional revisions or edits can be discussed with the engineer. Once all parties are happy with the end result your order will be marked off as complete.
    Mastering Engineer

    Under the Mastering Engineer tab you can select the mastering engineer and studio you want to have you music mastered in.

    • Nick Burchall (Studio A)
    • Paul Ashmore (Studio B)

    Nick Burchall is the mastering engineer for Studio A which is equipped with one of the industries best mastering chains costing over £150,000. The results that can be achieved using this mastering chain are in a league of their own. A highly unique mastering chain that shines and glows with warmth and clarity.

    Paul Ashmore is the mastering engineer for Studio B which is equipped with a Dolby Atmos 9.1.4 system and stereo analogue mastering chain costing over £65,000. Studio B is built to perfection and is considered as one of the best Dolby Atmos and stereo mastering studios the industry has to offer.

    Processed Stem Count

    Under the Processed Stem Count tab you can select the amount of stems you will be sending to be mastered.

    Stereo Mastering is the mastering of your stereo mix performed in our stereo mastering studio by either Nick Burchall or Paul Ashmore.

    Stem Mastering is the mastering of each indyuvial stem you have provided. Stem mastering allows the engineer to process and balance each stem perfectly into the mastering chain. The benefit of this, is that if a certain sound is too loud such as the bass. Instead of using EQ or multiband compression to reduce the bass frequency, which subsequently reduces the volume of every other sound in that frequency. The engineer is able to use gain and reduce the volume of the stem independently of everything else.

    Turnaround

    Under the Turnaround tab you can select when your masters are returned to you completed.

    • 1 Working Day (returned next working day)
    • 2-5 Working Days (returned within 2-5 working days)
    • 5+ Working Days (returned after 5 working days)

    Turnaround time is based on days the selected engineer works between Monday to Friday. If you have a specific day you need your master back for, please let us know when placing your order.

    + Dolby Atmos Master

    By adding + Dolby Atmos Master to your order, you will receive back the Dolby Atmos master which can be released alongside your stereo master.

    Dolby Atmos mastering is performed in Studio B, our primary Dolby Atmos 9.1.4 PMC mastering studio by Paul Ashmore. Dolby Atmos mastering is a process that allows us to mix your song in a 3D space and transform it into a fully immersive 3D masterpiece that can be released on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Amazon and Tidal.

    Dolby Atmos masters are returned in the following formats:

    • 48kHz 24bit wav ADM
    • 96kHz 24bit wav ADM
    • 96kHz 24bit wav binaural mix
    • 96kHz 24bit wav re-renders
    • 768kbs mp4
    + Apple Digital Master

    By adding + Apple Digital Master to your order, you will receive back both the stereo master as well as the Hi Res 96k Apple Digital Master. This master can then be released on Apple Music as an official Hi Res Apple Digital Master that is optimised specifically for Apple Music and plays back at high resolution 96k. All Apple Digital Masters receive a badge and are marketed as an official Hi Res Apple Digital Master on Apple Music.

    + Vinyl Master

    By adding + Vinyl Master to your order, you will receive back an additional version of your master optimised ready to be pressed to vinyl.

    + Additional Stereo Master

    By adding + Additional Stereo Master to your order, you will receive back all additional mixes provided mastered through the same mastering chain as the original mix.

    • Instrumental
    • Acapella (vocal bus only)
    • Performance Mix (version with lead vocal removed)
    • Radio Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
    • Extended Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
    + Additional Dolby Atmos Master

    By adding + Additional Dolby Atmos Master to your order, you will receive back any of the following additional mixes mastered in Dolby Atmos.

    • Instrumental
    • Radio Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
    • Extended Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
    + Mastered Stems

    By adding + Mastered Stems to your order, you will receive back all processed stems provided mastered through the exact same mastering chain as the stereo mix. Mastered stems can be used for film and TV licensing as well as remix purposes and further production.

    + 60 Minute Duration Master

    + 60 Minute Duration Master is a service designed for clients who require to have their live show, DJ mix, theatre show or concert mastered. By adding this service you can send up to an hour long stereo mix to be mastered instead of the standard up to 15 minute song for mastering.

    WHAT IS STEM MASTERING?

    Stem mastering delivers a similar result to stereo mastering, with the added benefit of giving the mastering engineer more flexibility over the processing and volume of each individual stem. As the name suggests, stem mastering requires you to deliver mixed stems from 2 stems up to 25 stems. Not to be confused with mixing and mastering, stem mastering has the ability to correct the mix in the master. For instance if the vocal has sibilance or becomes too quiet in the mix once mastered, we are able to apply a de-esser or rebalance the vocal so that it sits in the correct position in the master.

    Nick Burchall (Studio A)

    2x Ex Machina Arcturus
    Ex Machina Quasar
    8x Ex Machina Titan
    Avid Dock
    Elysia Alpha Compressor
    UnFairchild 670M II (expanded)
    Shadow Hills Optograph Compressor
    Hum Audio LAAL
    Elysia Nvelope
    Maselec MLA-3
    Maselec MPL-2
    Bettermaker Darthlimiter
    Hendy Amps Michelangelo XL
    Buzz Audio REQ 2.2
    Maselec MEA-2 EQ
    Goly Porter Grinder EQ
    Goly Dynamic Shelving EQ
    Goly 4 Band Dynamic EQ
    AudioTales Designs 1951 ME EQ
    AudioTales Designs 1954 EQ
    Cranborne Audio HE2 EQ
    Dangerous Music BAX EQ
    Whitestone Audio P331
    Rupert Neve MBT
    Vertigo VSM-2
    SPL Gemini
    SPL Hermes
    Audeze LCD-X
    Avid MTRX Studio
    Burl B2 Bomber ADC
    Burl B2 Bomber DAC
    Trinnov MC-Pro Dante 12
    Universal Audio Quad PCIe

    Paul Ashmore (Studio B)

    4x PMC Ci30
    4x PMC Ci65
    5x PMC Ci140
    2x PMC Ci140 Sub
    4 Foot Avid S4
    2x Avid S4 Fader Modules
    Avid S4 Master Module
    Hum Audio LAAL
    SPL Iron
    Hendy Amps Michelangelo XL
    Goly 4 Band Dynamic EQ
    Goly Porter Grinder EQ
    AudioTales Designs 1951 ME EQ
    AudioTales Designs 1954 EQ
    Cranborne Audio HE2 EQ
    SPL PQ
    Buzz REQ 2.2
    Elysia Nvelope
    Rupert Neve MBT
    Analog Design Black Box HG-2
    SPL Gemini
    Martin Logan MDA16
    Martin Logan MDA8
    Rupert Neve RNHP
    Audeze LCD-X
    Avid MTRX Studio
    Flock Audio Patch
    Rupert Neve RNHP
    Burl B2 Bomber ADC
    Burl B2 Bomber DAC
    Trinnov MC-Pro Dante 16
    Universal Audio Octo Satellite
    Universal Audio Octo PCIe

    BEFORE & AFTER MASTERING DEMOS

    Mastering in the hands of a skilled mastering engineer can transform your music to the next level. This couldn’t be anymore obvious when listening to the before and after audio demos below. You will notice a warmth and glow that makes your music highly pleasing to the ear that subconsciously makes the listener sit up and take notice. You have only got to ask yourself how am I perceiving the before and after examples? Can you notice the added detail and presence mastering has added? Can you hear the added depth and 3D image that has been achieved?

    • Original – Clients original mix unmastered and level matched to the master
    • Master – Audio Animals mastering applied to the original mix, showing the difference mastering has made

    Alt Rock

    Bhangra

    Cuban

    Dance

    Drum & Bass

    Electronic

    Film Trailer

    Garage

    Hip Hop

    Jazz

    Latin

    Metal

    Middle East

    Piano

    Pop

    Pop Punk

    Punjabi

    Rap

    Reggae

    R’n’B

    Rock

    Trance

    Trap

    Vocalist

    WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY ABOUT US

    What sets Audio Animals apart from other companies is that we understand our clients and their needs. We understand you want revisions included in the service. We understand you want a fast reliable turn around. We understand you want to only pay for the service you require and not be charged for add-ons you do not need. We understand our clients, which gives us the ability to provide a service that is designed with them in mind.

    Dominik

    “All I can say they never disappoint! Always deliver everything I am looking for. Loud, powerful and pro sound, exactly how I wanted it to be. Audio Animals are really professional and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND to everyone. Definitely I will keep using this service in the future!”

    Sam Cole

    “Nick perfectly balanced my track and I could clearly hear each instrument against the vocals, but still preserving the song’s dynamics. It didn’t matter what device I played it through, everything sounded great and clear. Something that we all want when people listen to our music.”

    Rob Horvarth

    “We were looking for an experienced mastering engineer. Paul at Audio Animals Ltd. appeared to be the right man for the job and he did not fail us. Paul delivered an extraordinary and breathtaking master. Our Album has been lifted to the next level and we are extremely happy.”

    Harry Mindgame

    “I’ve had many tracks mastered by Audio Animals. Always been happy with the results. Mastered my own mixes in the past and I prefer to send it out to Nick to get done. Comes back exactly as I wanted it! The most consistent team that there is. You know your work is in safe hands.”

    TZ

    “I just wanted to let you know that the whole band is amazed by your skills. It is unbelievable how excellent the sound could be, if there are professionals working on it (YOU!). We thank you from the bottom of out hearts, I have never been so satisfied while listening to songs that we recorded.”

    Kosta Lois

    “I have to say Nick Burchall has one of the best ears in the entire record business for mastering. He’s definitely become my go to guy! He takes what I give him and puts the final polish on it – also he’s always right on time for all of my deadlines and easy to work with. A pleasure to work with!!!”


    STEM MASTERING FAQ

    What Studio Should I Select – Studio A or Studio B?

    Whilst both mastering studios will produce an exceptional master. Studio A is thought of as our primary stereo mastering studio and Studio B is thought of as our primary mixing and mastering (Dolby Atmos) studio. We recommend selecting the studio based on your experience working with the mastering engineer. If you are new to working with the engineers we recommend selecting Studio A (Nick Burchall).

    Studio A (Nick Burchall) is the Audio Animals primary mastering studio and is the studio we always recommend selecting. This studio has one of the world’s best mastering chains installed, costing upwards of £150,000. A truly unique mastering chain with some highly sought after mastering equipment.

    Studio B (Paul Ashmore) is the Audio Animals primary mixing and mastering / Dolby Atmos studio. This state of the art studio has a 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos PMC system installed. The mastering chain installed in Studio B costs upwards of £65,000 and has been carefully selected to gain the best possible results from each unit in the chain.

    What Is The Turnaround?

    All orders will be turned around within the time frame selected when placing your order. Turnaround time is based on days the selected engineer works between Monday to Friday. If you have a specific day you need your master back for, please let us know when placing your order.

    • 1 Working Day (returned next working day)
    • 2-5 Working Days (returned within 2-5 working days)
    • 5+ Working Days (returned after 5 working days)
    What Is Mastering?

    Mastering is an essential process that finalises your song ready for distribution. Processing is applied to the master bus in order to achieve a sound that is glued together and sounding the best it possibly can. Processing includes EQ, compression, limiting, saturation, stereo widening, de-essing and other processing. Mastering in the hands of a professional engineer will achieve a wider, more detailed and controlled sound. Mastering ensures playback of your song is correct across all devices.

    What Is Stem Mastering?

    Stem mastering is the process of summing up to 25 stems together and mastering the summed stems across the master bus. The benefit of working in this way is that the engineer has control over each individual stem that is summing to the master bus. Resulting in being able to process and balance each individual stem correctly to get the very best from the song.

    What Are The Benefits Of Stem Mastering?

    The main benefit of stem mastering is that the engineer has full control over each stem when mastering. For instance if the vocals are too loud we are able to decrease the volume without affecting any other stem. As well if the bass is too quiet, instead of using EQ to bring the bass volume up, which in tern brings up the frequency of other sounds in the frequency range, we are able to use gain to increase the bass stem independently of all other sounds in that frequency range.

    What Is Dolby Atmos Mastering?

    Dolby Atmos mastering is a process that allows us to take your songs mixed stems and transform it into a Dolby Atmos master. Working in our Dolby Atmos mastering studios we are able to position and pan your song in a 3D space. Creating a fully immersive and spatial master that can then be released on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Amazon and Tidal. The difference this service makes is outstanding and quite honestly takes your music to an unimaginable level.

    What Is The Difference Between Apple Spatial And Dolby Atmos?

    There is technically no difference. Apple Spatial is what Apple call it and Dolby Atmos is what everyone else calls it. Apple spatial is played back through Apple’s own codec. All other streaming platforms playback using the Dolby Atmos codec.

    What Is Apple Digital Mastering?

    By adding + Apple Digital Master to your order, you will receive back both the stereo master as well as the Apple Digital Master. This master can then be released on Apple Music as an official Apple Digital Master that is optimised specifically for Apple Music. All Apple Digital Masters are rendered at 96k giving them Hi Res Apple Digital Master badge on Apple Music.

    What Is Vinyl Mastering?

    By adding + Vinyl Master to your order, you will receive back an additional version of your master optimised ready to be pressed to vinyl. This master will be ready to send to your cutting house of choice. It is very important that a master optimised to be pressed to vinyl is used and not a master that is designed for digital distribution.

    What Is An Additional Master?

    By adding + Additional Stereo Master to your order, you will receive back all additional mixes mastered through the same mastering chain as the original mix.

    • Instrumental
    • Acapella (vocal bus only)
    • Performance Mix (version with lead vocal removed)
    • Radio Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
    • Extended Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
    What Is Stereo Mastered Stems?

    By adding + Stereo Mastered Stems to your order, you will receive back all stems provided mastered through the exact same mastering chain as the stereo mix. Mastered stems can be used for film and TV licensing as well as remix purposes and further production.

    What Is 60 Minute Duration Master?

    + 60 Minute Duration Master is a service designed for clients who require to have their live show, DJ mix, theatre show or concert mastered. By adding this service you can send up to an hour long stereo mix to be mastered instead of the standard up to 15 minute song for mastering.

    When Do I Pay For Mastering?

    Orders / payment must be made before work on your song begins. This ensures our engineers, take the necessary time and care required to return you the very best master.

    How Many Revisions Can I Make?

    Mastering includes 2 revisions. Mastering revisions give you the peace of mind that the end result is going to be exactly as you want it. On the rare occasion you exceed 2 revisions, you can always purchase more via our revisions and re-runs page.

    If you need to change the mix in any way after mastering there is a master re-run fee of £10. This small charge covers the engineers time to recall the mastering chain and re-record the updated master.

    Should I Leave My Mastering Plugins Active?

    It is advised to remove all plugins from your master bus that effect dynamic range. This includes plugins such as compression or limiting. It is best to remove all plugins but we understand that some clients want to leave EQ or saturation active as it is part of their sound. The reason we suggest removing master bus processing is so that we have a mix that has full dynamic range and we are able to compress and limit at the correct stage of the mastering chain.

    What If I Have Accidentally Sent The Wrong Mix For Mastering?

    If work has not yet begun on your song, you can simply get in touch with us and replace the file.

    If work has already begun on your song and you need to replace the mix for a new one. Two outcomes will occur.

    If the mix is technically the same song and same mix but there is a change resulting in the song needing to be re-run. There is a small charge of £10 for a master re-run to cover the time the engineer must take to re-run your song.

    If the mix is completely different or a different song altogether, a new order for mastering will need to be placed. The reason for this is because mastering will need to be started from scratch and the previous master scrapped.

    Before sending your song always make sure that the mix is correct and the file you are sending is the mix you intend to be mastered.

    Why Should I Get My Music Professionally Mastered?

    Mastering is one of the most important parts of the engineering process of a song. Mastering can make or break a song. Too many artists fall at the final hurdle with poor quality mastering using either digital plugins or guesswork using AI mastering. A professional mastering engineer will ensure your music plays back correctly across all devices. Nothing comes close to a skilled engineer in a 100% accurate room using high quality analogue mastering equipment.

    How Do I Send My Files?

    Your mix can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form in your account here. Bypass any compression / limiting you may have on your master bus before printing your mix ready for mastering.

    • File Type: Wav
    • Bitrate: 16/24/32bit
    • Sample Rate: 44,1kHz – 96kHz
    • Headroom: -3db / -6db
    My Mix Is Limited Or Clipping Can You Still Work With This?

    It is not ideal but yes we can work with a limited or clipped mix. The approach to mastering a limited mix is similar but requires a very precise approach in order to ensure the song is not over compressed or distorted.

    I Only Have A Mp3 Is This Ok To Work With?

    If a mp3 is the highest quality file you have and you are unable to obtain a high quality wav file, we will be able to work with this.

    What Will I Receive Back?

    Stereo masters are returned in the following formats, if you require any others, please let us know: 

    • 96kHz 24bit wav
    • 48kHz 24bit wav
    • 44.kHz 24bit wav
    • 44.1kHz 16bit wav

    Dolby Atmos masters are returned in the following formats:

    • 48kHz 24bit wav ADM
    • 96kHz 24bit wav ADM
    • 96kHz 24bit wav binaural mix
    • 96kHz 24bit wav re-renders
    • 768kbs mp4
    Can I Credit Audio Animals For The Mastering?

    Yes, if you would like to credit Audio Animals for the mastering of your music you can do so. Please credit Audio Animals Ltd and either Paul Ashmore or Nick Burchall as the mastering engineer. This is not required but is greatly appreciated.

    © 2012-2024 Audio Animals Ltd. Registered in England and Wales. Company No: 08244563