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
Upload FAQ
Sample Shop FAQ
If you have a questions 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 QUESTIONS
Audio Animals work with all genres of music. There is not a genre we have not worked with. Our engineers are capable and have a great deal of experience working with all genres of music.
Standard mastering is turned around within 5 working days, priority mastering is turned around within 1 working day. Mixing is turned around within 5 working days. Mastering of the mix is performed the next available day after being confirmed as ready to master.
You can contact us via email, phone or social media. Full contact details can be found on our contact page here.
Yes, if you have been recommended an engineer to work with and want to make sure that this is the engineer who works on your track, you can request this engineer either by telling us when you send your files or within your order form. Paul Ashmore is the Audio Animals dedicated a mixing and stem mastering engineer and Nick Burchall is primarily a mastering engineer.
In the highly unlikely event that you do not like how the track sounds, we will work with you to adjust the song to suit your taste. Our engineers will apply the required changes at no extra cost. The end result we want to see is both engineer and artist happy with the outcome.
Mastering 2 revisions
Stem Mastering 2 revisions
Mixing & Mastering 3 revisions
Yes discount codes are available for most products. Discount codes can be found here and applied to your cart. Two discounts types are available. 10% off when you order 4 or more tracks, and 20% off when you order 8 or more tracks.
The best file format to send your files in is 44,100kHz 24bit wav.
The Audio Animals studio is located in East London UK. All services and prices listed on our website are for online services which are unattended. We do not allow attended session due to the studios being constantly booked up in advance.
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 from 9am - 5pm UK time to speak with an engineer on +44 (0) 7415 175530. If you are overseas you can call using whatsapp via an internet connection.
An order for your required studio service can be placed here. Payments can be made via Paypal or card payments using Worldpay.
Payments 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 sound possible. We do not believe in supplying a sub par studio service and this would be exactly what you would get from a service that doesn’t require paying for their services.
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.
Mastering is an essential process all music that is due to be finalised must go through in order to meet the standards of release. Mastering in the hands of a professional engineer will achieve a wider, more detailed and controlled sound. Mastering ensures playback of your songs is correct across all devices.
Standard mastering is turned around within 5 working days and priority mastering is turned around within 1 working day. If you require your song back by a certain date, please let us know when sending your files and we will make sure your songs are back to you mastered before your deadline.
Payments 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. We do not believe in performing a sub par mastering service and this would be exactly what you would get from a service that doesn’t require payment for their services.
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 charge of £10 to cover the time the engineer must take to re-run your song. This can be ordered by purchasing a master re-run from the drop down menu on the mastering page.
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 begun 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 correct file.
Mastering is one of if not the most important part 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. A professional engineer will ensure your music plays back correctly across all devices. The skills and knowledge required to do so is an art.
DJ mix mastering is the mastering of a DJ mix or set that consist of multiple different songs at a range of different volumes. This service is ideal for DJ's who want their DJ sets to stand out from the crowd, with a polished and controlled DJ mix that is continuously audible.
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 / Flac / Aiff
Bitrate : 16–24–32 bit / 44,100khz - 96khz
Headroom : -3db / -6db
It is not ideal but yes we can work with a limited or clipping 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 an mp3 is the highest quality file you have and you are unable to obtain a wav file, we can work with this. If a mp3 file is sent to us we will alwats request that you send the high quality wav. But if this is the only file you can obtain then we are able to work with an mp3 in a way that will still achieve great results.
Master (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
CD Master (16bit 44,100kHz wav)
MP3 (320kbs mp3)
Streaming Master (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Instrumental (if supplied by client)
Acappella (if supplied by client)
Vinyl Master (ordered additionally)
Instrumentals and acapellas are included in the price for all mastering packages. This is of course optional but does require you sending the full mix, instrumental and acapella to us for mastering. All files must be sent together and mastered at the same time for this service to be included in the price. Mastering of the instrumental or acapella outside of the initial mastering of the full song will be charged as a master re-run priced at £10.
Yes, as standard with every master we will print a streaming version of your master which is optimised for playback on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Youtube, iTunes, Tidal etc. Streaming masters are included with all mastering packages.
Yes, if you require a version of your song that is optimised to be printed to vinyl, you can order vinyl mastering. Vinyl mastering also includes both 16 and 24 Bit 44,100kHz wav masters, as well as a 320kbs mp3 which are all optimised for digital release and not vinyl release.
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 Nick Burchall as the mastering engineer. This is not required but is greatly appreciated.
Stem mastering is the process of summing up to 12 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 the engineer being able to balance the mix correctly to get the very best from the song.
Stem mastering is a similar process to stereo mastering but with the added benefit of having full control over the balance of the mix that is running into the master bus. In addition stem mastering makes use of various processing options to enhance each individual stem. Stereo mastering however only includes the processing across the stereo bus.
Stem mastering is turned around within 5 working days and priority stem mastering is turned around within 1 working day. If you require your song back by a certain date, please let us know when sending your files and we will make sure your songs are back to you mastered before your deadline.
Payments 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. We do not believe in performing a sub par mastering service and this would be exactly what you would get from a service that doesn’t require payment for their services.
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 stems for new stems. Two outcomes will occur.
If the stems are technically the same song and same mix but there is a change resulting in the song needing to be re-run. There is a charge of £10 to cover the time the engineer must take to re-run your song. This can be ordered by purchasing a master re-run from the drop down menu on the stem mastering page.
If the stems are 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 begun from scratch and the previous master scrapped.
Before sending your song always make sure that the stems are correct and the files you are sending are the correct files.
Mastering is one of if not the most important part 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. A professional engineer will ensure your music plays back correctly across all devices. The skills and knowledge required to do so is an art.
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 / Flac / Aiff
Bitrate : 16–24–32 bit / 44,100khz - 96khz
Headroom : -3db / -6db
Yes mastered stems can be purchased additionally with your order. Printing stems as I am sure you are aware is a highly time consuming process that has to be performed in real time as we are using an analogue console and outboard equipment. Therefor mastered stems are charged at £20 per song.
Master (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
CD Master (16bit 44,100kHz wav)
MP3 (320kbs mp3)
Streaming Master (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Instrumental Master (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Acapella Master (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Vinyl Master (ordered additionally)
Mastered Stems (ordered additionally)
Yes, as standard with every master we will print a streaming version of your master which is optimised for playback on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Youtube, iTunes, Tidal etc. Streaming masters are included with all mastering packages.
Yes, if you require a version of your song that is optimised to be printed to vinyl, you can order vinyl mastering. Vinyl mastering also includes both 16 and 24 Bit 44,100kHz wav masters, as well as a 320kbs mp3 which are all optimised for digital release and not vinyl release.
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 Nick Burchall as the mastering engineer. This is not required but is greatly appreciated.
Mixing is the stage in which the separate elements / stems of a track are carefully summed together, with the sounds shaped and positioned in the stereo field to give maximum impact and clarity. This is done through a series of specialised techniques, and high end audio equipment.
Included in all mixing package you will receive 3 mix revisions. We will never normally exceed more than 2 revisions which is why we have added an extra revision so that it gives you the peace of mind that the end result is going to be exactly as you want it. We understand mistakes can be made when sending your stems. To limit mistakes we will always ask for a rough mix. This is used to determine that the stems you have sent are correct and used as a guide to hear your intended balance for the song. By supplying this file we can dramatically decrease the amount of revisions required.
We aim to return your first mix back to you within 5 working days. Depending on if any edits are required to be made, mixing can take longer. On average mixes are signed off as complete within 5-8 working days. If you require your song back by a certain date, please let us know when sending your files. We will make sure your song is returned to you mixed before your deadline. Mixing is not something that should be rushed. Leave plenty of time for any changes or edits.
Payments 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. We do not believe in performing a sub par mixing service and this would be exactly what you would get from a service that doesn’t require paying for their services.
Yes mixed stems can be purchased additionally with your order. Printing stems as I am sure you are aware is a highly time consuming process that has to be performed in real time as we are using an analogue console and outboard equipment. Therefor mixed stems are charged at £20 per song.
Mastering is included in the mixing and mastering packages only. You can select to order mastering in our dedicated mastering studio A with Nick Burchall. Or select to order mastering in our mixing and mastering studio B with Paul Ashmore.
Studio A is a dedicated mastering studio where mastering is performed on a £90,000 analogue mastering chain by Nick Burchall.
Studio B is a dedicated mixing and mastering studio where mastering is performed on a £25,000 mastering chain by Paul Ashmore.
Both mastering services have their own individual benefits. Of course mastering in a dedicated mastering studio through a £90,000 mastering chain will have a huge benefit. Mastering in studio B is beneficial because the mix is summed to the master bus whilst mixing and once the master is set up we have the ability to rebalance the mix to achieve the optimal mix and master.
No, any processing that is part of your sound design must be applied to the stems. Anything you have applied in your mix that is intended to stay in the mix must be applied to the stems. All plugin automation must be applied to the stems. When playing back your summed stems, we should hear almost identical playback of your rough mix / reference mix. If you are unsure what stems to send. You can by all means print a folder of wet stems and a folder of dry stems. For the best mixing results, print your stems with all plugins active in your session. We can then take your rough mix and build from this.
If you have set your panning how you intend it to be, then by all means print the panning to your stems. Alternatively leave your panning off and send us panning mix notes. We will need as much details as possible. Including stem name and pan position. Such as "Lead Guitar Hard Left" and "Rhythm Guitar 30% Right."
100% yes, automation should always be active. Automation is part of your production and sound design. To bypass automation would be to send a half finished song for mixing. 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. Any specific reverb you want 100% exactly the same as you have it in your mix, must be printed to the stems. 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. You add delay specific to your taste and how you want delay to sound. 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 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 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 vocals 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 as an additional service.
100% yes, this is essential when working with an online mix engineer. The rough mix will be used to establish that the stems you have sent play back correct as well as include all automation and necessary processing. The rough mix is also used to correctly establish the balance you intend each stem to have in the mix. By listening to the rough mix we can establish at what volume you intend a certain stem to be and where you intend it to be panned in the mix.
The engineer will always print a full mix, instrumental and acapella with every mix that includes vocals. Alternate mixes can be sent free of charge such as extended DJ edit and radio edit. To print alternate versions you will need to supply the stems. Stems must be the exact same volume as the stems in the full mix in order for them to both run through the same mix session.
SSL / Solid State Logic is renowned for providing the mixing community with the very best super analogue mixing consoles. By using a SSL console we are able to achieve a spacious, separated mix that is otherwise unachievable in the digital domain. The SSL console we use combines 36 channels of summing as well as both 9000 K-Series and 4000 E-Series channel strips.
Your stems can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form here. Bypass any compression / limiting you may have on your master bus. We advise leaving all sound design processing active on each stem. Do not normalize stems or change their volume. Playback of your stems should be exactly as your rough mix plays back.
File Type : Wav / Flac / Aiff
Bitrate : 16–24–32 bit / 44,100 khz - 96khz
Headroom : -3db / -6db
Full Mix (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Instrumental Mix (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Acapella Mix (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
Live Mix (at the request of client)
Radio Edit Mix (stems must be supplied)
Extended Edit Mix (stems must be supplied)
Mixed Stems (ordered additionally)
Whilst many artists believe mixing is subject to the artists taste, a good engineer can establish the vibe and tone the artist is wanting to achieve and build upon that. Resulting in the track being taken to the next level. Working with a trained engineer and high quality analogue mixing equipment, a track can be transformed into a masterpiece. A trained engineer can assess a track and iron out any issues the artists has not previously heard, often due to the fact they have either heard the track too many times and can't make an accurate decision or that their ears are not trained in the way a professionals are.
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 work with all genres of music. There is not a genre of music we have not worked with.
Yes, if you would like to credit Audio Animals for the mixing of your music you can do so. Please credit Audio Animals and Paul Ashmore as the mix engineer. This is not required but is greatly appreciated.
MIX EVALUATION FAQ
We listen to your song in detail and establish if there are any errors in the mix the need to be address before your song can be mastered. We do not give advise on product as this is subjective and down to personal preference. We do however advise you on changes that will improve the mix and ultimately achieve a better master.
Yes your song should be in it's final state ready for mastering when you submit the mix for evaluation.
Yes in you can submit as many songs as you would like to submit.
We aim to perform all mix evaluations the following working day. We roughly have about 15 - 30 to do each day so it does take some time to go through them all.
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 mix changes that will improve your song. We are monitoring through Lynx Aurora N converter and ATC monitors in a perfectly acoustically treated room. We can guarantee that what we are hearing can be overlooked on other systems as it isn't as detailed and apparent. Our ears are highly tuned and we are listening to the music from a fresh perspective for the first time. We will 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 at 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 above. if you have not sent a file along with your request we request that you reply to the email we send you with a download link, so that we know which file belongs to which person. As you can imagine we have hundreds of files being sent to our email for various different studio services. If you send the file directly to our email without any information, we will not know what the file relates to and it will be removed.
Yes, but we will contact you before downloading and booking your files in. The reason being is that we like to send back an email reply to you, just so we can confirm you are a real person and the email address you have provided is correct. The last thing we want to do is spend time evaluating your song and then have the email bounce back because it was written incorrect.
We would always recommend sending your song in wav format 44,100kHz 16-24bit.
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 by all means, use the external upload form to share your files with us. Using the external upload form, means whilst inputting all required information you will need to paste your file download link into the required field.
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 within 2 days 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.
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 Audio Animals account. If however, you can't find your order number, you can email us at info@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 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.
SAMPLE SHOP FAQ
On each of the sample pack product pages click the add to cart button. Next view the cart and proceed to checkout. Once checkout is complete you will be redirected to a download link within your account. The download link will also appear in your Audio Animals account as well as in your provided email address.
Sample packs can be downloaded in a variety of formats including VST instrument, kontakt sampler and wav sample pack. All formats are inclusive of the price and you are not required to choose either or.
Yes all sample packs are 100% royalty free and free to use as you please in any way shape or form within your music.
All samples are recorded and processed at 44,100kHz 24bit wav. This file format ensures full compatibility with all major DAWs and samplers.
Yes all official paid sample packs are 100% recorded from the original source at the Audio Animals studio.
Yes a number of products will be on sale or discounted each week. A full list of discounted sample packs can be found here.
No this is strictly prohibited and voids your licensing agreement.
If this is the case you will not be licensed to use the samples within this sample pack. Resulting in the music you create using the samples not being royalty free. This may result in you or the publishing company you have released your music with being required to pay royalties for using the samples.
Sample packs can be downloaded as standard up to 5 times. If however you exceed this limit for some reason please contact us via email and the download limit can be reset.
A download link will be active in your account until you reach your download limit of 5 downloads. Simply log into your account to retrieve your download link. Alternatively you can find a download link within your emails by searching the sample pack name.
No there are no restrictions on any of our sample packs. You are free to use all samples within your productions and compositions any way you see fit.
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 stem mastering.
No, store credit is for the purpose of purchasing studio services only.
MERCHANDISE FAQ
Turn around time from placing your order is around 7 working days. We do not hold stock and all T-Shirts are custom made by our supplier to your order. On the rare occasion we are not able to keep to a 7 working day turn around do not worry your order will arrives ASAP.
No, due to rising international shipping costs we only supply our merchandise to the United Kingdom. If you do wish to purchase merchandise to be shipped overseas please contact us using the form below.
tel: +44 (0) 7415 17 55 30
email: studio@audioanimals.co.uk
