FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Over the years we have been asked the same questions week in week out. Our engineers have answered the questions in their field of expertise in as much detail as possible.
Mastering FAQ
Mixing FAQ
Dolby Atmos FAQ
If you have a question that isn't covered here, click the button below and fill out the contact form. Your question will be sent directly to our team of engineers and answered ASAP.
STUDIO SERVICE FAQ
At Audio Animals work with all genres of music. There is not a genre of music that we have not worked with. Our engineers have a great deal of experience working with music from every corner of the globe. Being an online mixing and mastering studio, we work with artists worldwide on every genre imaginable.
You can contact us via email, phone or social media. Full contact details can be found on our contact page here.
Phone: +44 (0) 7415 17 55 30
Email: studio@audioanimals.co.uk
Whatsapp: +44 (0) 7415 17 55 30
Yes discount codes are available for most products. Discount codes can be found here and applied to the cart at checkout. Two discounts types are available. 10% off when you order 4 or more songs, and 20% off when you order 8 or more songs.
Yes you can listen to work we have previously mixed and or mastered on our previous work page here.
Yes you can call the studio any time to speak with an engineer on +44 (0) 7415 175530. If you are overseas you can call using whatsapp via an internet connection if this is easier for you.
Files can be uploaded directly to us using our upload form here. Using our internal upload form simply drag and drop or select the files you wish to upload and they will arrive in our inbox safely and securely. Within the message section you can leave any information you feel we need to know about the files you are sending. Please ensure you include your order number in this section. Your 5 digit order number can be found within your confirmation email or within your Audio Animals account. Your order number is required in order to link your files to your payment/order. Alternatively above the file upload form you will find an external upload form where you can paste your own download link and information.
No, we work with artists and producers around the world. Files are sent through our website once your order is placed and files are returned through our secure server via email.
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 £75,000 and has been carefully selected to gain the best possible results from each unit in the chain.
All orders will be turned around within the time frame selected when placing your order. If you have a specific deadline please let us know. Working days are between Monday to Friday.
- 1 Working Day (returned next working day)
- 2-5 Working Days (returned within 2-5 working days)
- 5-10 Working Days (returned within 5-10 working days)
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.
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 audio channel 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.
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 on other sounds in the bass range, we are able to use gain to increase the bass volume independently of all other sounds in that frequency range.
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 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos mastering studio 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.
There is technically no difference. Apple Spatial is what Apple call it and Dolby Atmos is what everyone else calls it. Apple spatial when played back plays through Apple's own codec. All other streaming platforms playback using the Dolby Atmos codec.
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.
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.
By adding + Alternate Master to your order, you will receive back any of the following additional file types in stereo or Dolby Atmos depending on your selection.
- Instrumental
- Radio Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
- Extended Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
All alternate masters are mastered through the exact same mastering chain as the original mix.
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.
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.
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 rerecord the updated master.
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.
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 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.
Mastering is one of the most important parts of the engineering process of a song. Mastering can make or break it. 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 end quality analogue equipment.
Your mix can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form here. Bypass any compression / limiting you may have on your master bus before printing your mix ready for mastering.
- File Type: Wav / Aiff
- Bitrate: 16/24/32bit
- Sample Rate: 44,1kHz - 96kHz
- Headroom: -3db / -6db
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.
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.
Stereo masters are returned in the following formats, if you require any others, please let us know:
- 96kHz 24bit
- 48kHz 24bit
- 44.kHz 24bit
- 44.1kHz 16bit
Dolby Atmos masters are returned in the following formats:
- 48kHz 24bit ADM
- 96kHz 24bit binaural mix
- 96kHz 24bit re-renders
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.
The initial mix is turned around in roughly 5 working days from receiving your order. Mix revisions are performed ASAP. Once your mix is confirmed as ready for mastering, mastering will be performed in the next available mastering slot. Turnaround time greatly depends on the efficiency of the client and how quickly we receive the mix revision and confirmation that the mix is ready for mastering.
If you add + Fast Turnaround your order is pushed to the front of the queue and is turned around ASAP. Usually next working day. The turnaround time is still greatly dependant on how quickly the client replies with revisions.
Mixing is the stage in which each individual stem from your song is carefully summed together to create a finished stereo mix. Using EQ, compression, reverb, delay and other processing we are able to process and position each stem to achieve a mix that is correctly balanced and ready for mastering.
Once your mix is confirmed as complete and ready for mastering, we will move on to the mastering process. 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.
Dolby Atmos mixing is similar to stereo mixing with the added benefit of mixing in a fully immersive 3D space instead of a standard stereo field. With stereo mixing you are limited to only being able to pan left and right. With Dolby Atmos mixing we are able to pan left, right, front, back, near, far, up and down. By doing so we are able to create a mix that has more space and sounds more natural to the ear. Music comes to life, much like how sound comes to life when you watch a movie in Dolby Atmos.
By adding + Dolby Atmos Master to your mixing order, we will deliver back to you the Dolby Atmos ADM master and surround sound re-renders. This ADM file can then be used to distribute your music in Dolby Atmos on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music.
All songs are mixed in Dolby Atmos, which means we can benefit from printing a binaural stereo mix from the Dolby Atmos mix, rather than a standard stereo mix. What this means is that the binaural stereo mix retains the immersive and 3D qualities of Dolby Atmos but is able to be heard and played back using stereo speakers or headphones. The major benefit of this is that the binaural stereo mix when compared to a standard stereo mix has more detail, depth and clarity. This also means you can release your music on platforms such as Spotify in a far superior binaural stereo format compared to standard stereo.
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.
By adding + Alternate Mixes to your order, you will receive back the mixes for any of the following additional file types in stereo or Dolby Atmos depending on your section.
- Instrumental
- Acapella (all vocal buses)
- Performance Mix (version with lead vocal removed if requested)
- Radio Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
- Extended Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
By adding + Mixed Stems to your order, you will receive back all stems as they are mixed in the session. Mixed stems will included all mixed buses as well as any reverb and delay sends. Playback of the mixed stems will playback as the finished stereo mix does. Mixed stems can be used for remix purposes and further production.
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 mix and master.
Your stems can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form here. Bypass any compression / limiting you may have on your master bus. All sound design processing should be left active on each stem, any processing that is 100% part of your song and sound design must be left active. Do not normalize stems or change their volume. Playback of your stems should be exactly as your rough mix plays back.
File Type: Wav / Aiff
Bitrate: 16/24/32bit
Sample Rate: 44,1kHz - 96kHz
Headroom: -3db / -6db
All mixing packages include 3 revisions. Mix 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 3 revisions, you can always purchase more via our revisions and re-runs page here.
100% yes, this is essential when working with an online mix engineer. The rough mix or demo mix will be used to establish that the stems you have sent playback correctly as well as include all automation and necessary processing. The rough mix is also used to correctly establish the balance you intend for each stem in the mix. By listening to the rough mix we can establish at what volume you intend a certain sound to be and where you intend it to be positioned in the mix.
Technically nothing. The two formats are the same. Spatial Audio is just what Apple call it on Apple Music. The same ADM file is delivered to Apple Music as is delivered to any other streaming platforms. The main difference is the codec that is used to deliver the ADM back to the listener in Dolby Atmos.
The Dolby Atmos ADM and stereo master can be given to your desired distributor to release on platforms such as Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music. The Dolby Atmos and stereo masters sit alongside each other and depending on which format the listener has their device set to will determine which version they hear. It is highly important that the Dolby Atmos and stereo versions perfectly sync with each other. If they do not sync perfectly your masters will be rejected.
Get in contact with us via email and we can simply replace the files. Please be sure to get in contact with us ASAP to ensure we have the correct files to mix before work commences. If work has already started on your mix and the entire mix requires new stems, charges will apply.
A good mix engineer will be able to work with all genres of music not just one. At Audio Animals we pride ourselves on the fact that we work with all genres of music from every corner of the globe. Being an online mixing and mastering studio working worldwide there is not a genre of music we have not worked with.
Stereo Binaural Mix
Stereo Binaural Master
Dolby Atmos Master (optional extra)
Mixed Stems (optional extra)
Alternate Mixes (optional extra)
If you have set your panning how you intend it to be, then you can by all means print your stems with your panning active. Alternatively leave your panning off and send us panning mix notes along with your stems. In the notes include stem names and pan position. Such as "Lead Guitar 75 Left" and "Rhythm Guitar 30 Right."
100% yes, automation should always be active. Automation is part of your production and sound design and if removed results in an unfinished production. All automation including volume, modulation, EQ, reverb or delay automation should be kept active.
Reverb can be left active if you 100% want the reverb you have added in your song. We will always add reverb where we see fit but any specific reverb you want 100% exactly the same as you have it in your mix, should be printed to the stems or sent as a 100% wet stem. Any creative reverb that is specific to a particular stem should be left active. Any reverb that is part of your sound design or essential to your sound must be left active.
Yes. Delay is something that can have a million different outcomes. If you have added delay that is specific to your taste and how you want delay to sound, this delay would be considered as part of your production. To remove this delay would be to remove an essential part of your sound. We always recommend leaving delay active if you want it in your track. We will not add delay as standard as this is a creative effect that is specific to the production and not the mix. If delay is required from a mix perspective we will by all means add it how we see fit to get the best results.
No. Vocals should be organised and comped ready to be mix. Unwanted clicks, pops and breathes should be removed. All vocals should be tuned and ready to be mixed. You should never send a raw unedited vocal for mixing.
We can add Autotune to vocals to ensure they are kept in tune. This is included in the price. Detailed tuning of vocals using Melodyne is not included in the price and can be ordered and discussed as an additional service.
All orders will be turned around within the time frame selected when placing your order. If you have a specific deadline please let us know. Working days are between Monday to Friday.
- 1 Working Day (returned next working day)
- 2-5 Working Days (returned within 2-5 working days)
- 5-10 Working Days (returned within 5-10 working days)
Dolby Atmos mastering is a process that allows us to take your songs mixed stems and transform it into a Dolby Atmos ADM master. Working in our 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos mastering studio we are able to position and pan your song in a 3D space. Creating a fully immersive and spatial master that can be released on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Amazon Music and Tidal. The difference this service makes is outstanding and quite honestly takes your music to an unimaginable level.
Dolby Atmos is the new multi speaker format that will eventually replace stereo. Instead of audio playing out of just two speakers, Dolby Atmos plays out of multiple speakers. The major benefit of Dolby Atmos is that no matter how many speakers are being used for playback, be it stereo, 5.1, 7.1.4 all the way up to a full cinema. The Dolby Atmos ADM master will translate perfectly to every system.
Dolby Atmos is going to eventually replace stereo on all streaming platforms. By releasing your music now in Dolby Atmos ensures you are future proofed and ready for the inevitable switch. Dolby Atmos is the preferred format for streaming platforms and will be favoured by the algorithm. What this means is that if you only release stereo and do not release Dolby Atmos, your music will not be selected for playlists and will subsequently be penalised by the algorithm.
Dolby Atmos can be released on Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music. Spotify will be coming soon. Most if not all distributors have the option to release Dolby Atmos as well as stereo. As Dolby Atmos gradually replaces stereo on these platforms, it will become more and more essential to release both Dolby Atmos and stereo. Apple Music will only playlist songs if they include both stereo and Dolby Atmos.
As standard with all Dolby Atmos mastering orders you will be delivered back to you the Dolby Atmos Re-Renders. You will receive back any of the following additional file types.
- 5.1 Surround Sound
- 7.1 Surround Sound
- 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos Bed
- AmbiX
Dolby Atmos Re-Renders can be used for playback on home cinema devices and other surround sound formats.
Stereo 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 can. Processing includes EQ, compression, limiting, saturation, stereo widening, de-essing and other processing.
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.
By adding + Alternate Master to your order, you will receive back any of the following additional file types in stereo or Dolby Atmos depending on your selection.
- Instrumental
- Radio Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
- Extended Edit (additional stems must be supplied)
All alternate masters are mastered through the exact same mastering chain as the original mix.
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.
100% yes, this is essential when working with an online Dolby Atmos engineer. The stereo mix will be used to establish that the stems you have sent playback correctly as well as include all automation and necessary processing. We will use this mix as a reference mix whilst mastering to ensure that the Dolby Atmos master does not deviate away from the stereo mix. If stereo mastering is ordered with your Dolby Atmos mastering order, the stereo mix is used to create your stereo master.
It is recommended to always send mixed stems. The more stems you can provide, the more objects we can position in the room and ultimately the more immersive the Dolby Atmos master will sound. If however you only have the stereo mix and can not deliver the mixed stems, we are able to up-mix the stereo mix from stereo into Dolby Atmos using a very unique process that archives a great sounding Dolby Atmos master.
For Dolby Atmos mastering it is very important that the mixed stems playback exactly as your stereo mix does. To achieve this you may want to keep some master bus processing active. Such processing as EQ or saturation can be left active if it is part of your sound or finished mix. We recommend ensuring that you have removed any compression or limiting from the master bus, as this kind of processing will affect the dynamic range differently on each individual stem.
To work in Dolby Atmos you will be required to send mixed stems. Each individual stem is then processed and positioned in the 3D space. By positioning sound in a 3D space we are able to create an immersive 3D experience that is unlike anything you will have heard in standard stereo. Your mixed stems can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form here.
File Type: Wav / Aiff
Bitrate: 16/24/32bit
Sample Rate: 44,1kHz - 96kHz
Headroom: -3db / -6db
Dolby Atmos ADM Master
Dolby Atmos Re-Renders
Stereo Binaural Reference Master
Stereo Master (optional extra)
DDP IMAGE FAQ
A DDP image is required in order to duplicate CDs. The DDPi will include all required data such as meta data and ISRC codes.
Yes, even if you have had your song mastered at another studio we are able to create you a DDPi using their masters.
Upon completion of the mastering of your project, we will ask you to confirm 100% that the project is complete and ready to be printed to a DDPi. At this point we will print your DDPi and email it to you. This process will usually be completed in 2 working days of completion of the mastering of your project.
DDPi stands for "Disc Description Protocol Image"
No all DDP images are digitally sent via email. This keeps the cost low and processes as efficient as possible.
We will need all information you require to print to the DDPi. This will include all metadata, ISRC codes, songs and any additional information you feel may need to go on the DDPi.
You can add as much or as little metadata as you please. Below is a list of recommended metadata you should supply.
- Song title
- Band or artist's name
- Album name
- Genre of music
- Album track number
- Year song was released
DDPi in digital format via email.
MIX EVALUATION FAQ
Yes, this service is strictly for Audio Animals clients only. If you do not intend to have your song mixed and or mastered by Audio Animals this service can not be used. A mix evaluation is supplied to our clients as a way of ensuring their music is ready to be worked on prior to us working on it.
When you place your order for mixing and or mastering you will receive an order number. We require this order number for your mix evaluation so that we can confirm that you are a client with an active order processing.
Yes, by ensuring all submissions for mix evaluations are by clients who have active orders processing with us, we are able to establish instantly who is a genuine client and who is not. If you do not have an active order you can submit a mix evaluation without adding an order number. However we will create dialogue with you via email to check you have the intention of becoming a client of Audio Animals before listening to your song. It is important that our time is spent working with our clients in efficient manner.
We listen to your song in detail and establish if there are any fundamental errors in the mix that need to be addressed before your song can be mastered. We do not give advice on production as this is subjective and down to personal preference. We do however advise you on fundamental changes that should be made in order to achieve a better mix.
Yes your song should be finished and in it's final state ready for mixing or mastering.
Yes you can submit as many songs as you need to be mixed or mastered.
For clients who add their order number and have an active order processing with us, we aim to perform all mix evaluations the next working day. If you do not have an active order processing with us and can not supply an order number with your mix evaluation, you will be put into a queue. Our paying clients must always come first over potential clients who have not yet paid for the service.
There are many reasons. The number one reason is that it is very helpful for you to have a professional pair of ears listen to your music and advise you on fundamental errors in your mix before mastering. We are monitoring in a state of the art Dolby Atmos studio that is one of the most accurate rooms in the UK. What we hear in this room is 100% accurate to how the song sounds. We will hear things you wouldn't necessarily hear in your studio. Listening to your music from a fresh perspective for the first time, we will instantly pick up on things you won't because you have listened to the song on repeat a thousand times.
No, we do not want you to send a link to sites like Soundcloud as the audio streams are very low quality. We need to be able to download the files in full quality and import them into a session to visually see the waveform and analyse the audio.
You can upload your files to a file sharing website such as Dropbox, WeTransfer or Hightail and paste the download link into the submission form. Please make sure you send the mix and not the master. We want to hear your finished mix that you are planning on sending us for mastering.
UPLOAD FAQ
The internal upload form allows you to upload your files internally within the Audio Animals website using a dedicated file upload system. This method of file transfer is the preferred method of transferring files to us. If however, you have your files uploaded to your own file hosting server such as WeTransfer or Dropbox, you can use the external upload form to share your download link with us.
99% of the time file transfer is of a good speed and will complete as it is designed to. On the odd occasion the server may slow down for a number of reasons that are out of our control. If this is the case and your files are not sending using the internal upload form, then you can always wait and try again later or use the external upload form.
When your files have uploaded using the internal upload form, you will receive a confirmation email confirming your files have been sent. Once received, we will download your files ASAP and send you a personal confirmation email. This email will state that we have downloaded your files and if there are any issues with the files, we will contact you. If you do not hear from us please get in touch.
Yes, an order should be placed before uploading your files. This ensures you will receive an order number and are able to input this into the upload form.
Your order number will be emailed to the email address provided when placing your order. Alternatively, your order number can be found within your Audio Animals account.
An order number is a unique code given to each order. We need your order number in order to link your files with your payment/order.
Your order number is quite simple to find in your confirmation email or in your Audio Animals account. If however, you can't find your order number, you can email us at studio@audioanimals.co.uk explaining you can't find your order number and need us to find it. To find your order number we will need you to inform us of the name and email address associated with the order.
Using the internal upload form you can transfer up to a combined 10GB of data. Multiple files can be uploaded at once as long as the combined total does not exceed 10GB.
If this is the case and you have not left a message explaining what the files you have sent are for, we will have no idea what order the files correspond to. We receive a lot of files on a daily basis and to ensure we know what each file is linked to, we need either some information about the files you are sending, your order number or an email address that is linked to the order.
STORE CREDIT FAQ
No, we do not supply you with a coupon code.
Store credit can only be used with studio services. Store credit is essentially virtual money that can be used to upgrade studio services or use as credit that you can use over a period of time on studio services.
Store credit can be used to order mastering, mixing and mastering and Dolby Atmos services.
No, store credit is for the purpose of upgrading and purchasing studio services only.
tel: +44 (0) 7415 17 55 30
email: studio@audioanimals.co.uk