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.

+ Mastered for iTunes or Mfit is Apples new specification for iTunes. It aims to deliver the best sound by removing imperfections in the master and obtaining the best possible resolution when encoded to Apples's AAC format. Please be aware that this is in no way essential for music to be released in the iTunes store. The benefits of getting a track mastered for iTunes is that once uploaded to iTunes, playback of the downloadable mastered for iTunes version is optimised to playback within iTunes perfectly. All mastered for iTunes orders include both 16 and 24 Bit 44,100kHz wav masters as well as a 320kbs mp3 which are not mastered for iTunes.

+ Mastered for vinyl uses a similar approach to standard stereo mastering but requires very careful adjustments to the mastering chain, that will ensure playback of the vinyl is correct. A track mastered for digital release will not translate well when pressed to vinyl. If you are planning on pressing your track to vinyl it is essential that you have your track mastered for vinyl. All mastered for vinyl orders include both 16 and 24 Bit 44,100kHz wav masters as well as a 320kbs mp3 which are not mastered for vinyl.

Yes you can order mixing without mastering. Simply click the drop down menu at the top of this page to select mixing only without mastering.

Yes at the request of the client we can bounce mixed stems whilst printing the finished mix. Mixed stems when imported back into your DAW will play back exactly as the finished mix plays back.

Mixing takes roughly around 4-7 days. Depending on if any edits are required to be made mixing can take longer. On average both the mix and master is completed and signed off within 7 days. If you require your track back by a certain date please let us know when sending your files and we will make sure your tracks are back to you mastered before your deadline.

Payments must be made before work on your track begins. This ensures we as paid engineers, take the necessary time and care required to return you the very best masters. We do not believe in performing a sub par mixing and mastering service and this would be exactly what you would get from a service that doesn’t require payment for their services.

A hybrid setup is the combination of using both digital plugins and analogue hardware within both the mix and master. Analogue has it’s positives and so does digital. Combining both positives and not limiting yourself to only one, allows the engineer to achieve the best possible results.

Yes and No, you can bypass your compressor if you would like. What I always tell the artists I work with is if the processing you are applying to your track is part of the sound design and important to the sound you have created leave it active. If however the compressor is for mix purposes only, you can by all means bypass the compressor.

Yes dry stems are perfectly fine to send. Working with dry stems gives us a far better basis to build from. All we ask is for any processing that you have applied and intend to stay in the mix such as sound design or automation must be kept active even in the dry stems.

For mixing a reference mix is required. A reference mix is the mix of your track balance in the way you have envisioned it. The reasoning behind this, is due to the client not attending the session, the engineer needs to hear how you have produced the track with regards to balance and placement. For instance the engineer will reference to the reference track to establish the correlation between the pads and the rest of the track.

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.

Yes, if you would like to credit Audio Animals for the mixing and mastering of your music you can do so. Please credit Audio Animals Ltd. This is not required but is greatly appreciated.

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.

Yes the centre piece of the Audio Animals mixing and mastering studio is a 36 channel Solid State Logic analogue summing console. Various different EQs compressors and other processing equipment can be inserted on to each channel of the summing console. By having a hybrid mixing and mastering suite we are able to insert A class mastering grade EQs and compressors into the mix. Resulting in a truly unique world class sound.

SSL / Solid State Logic is renowned for providing the mixing community with the very best super analogue mixing consoles. By using an 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.

File Type : Wav / Flac / Aiff
Bitrate : 16–24–32 bit / 44,100 khz - 96khz
Headroom : -3db / -6db

No, mixing is an incredibly time consuming process that can not be rushed. If you are serious about having your track mixed but are unsure you will receive exactly what you are after, contact us via email or phone to discuss your project.

Master (24bit 44,100kHz wav)
CD Master (16bit 44,100kHz wav)
MP3 (320kbs mp3)
Instrumental (at the request of client)
Acappella (at the request of client)
Radio Edit (at the request of client)
Extended Edit (at the request of client)
Mixed Stems (at the request of client)
Mastered For Vinyl (ordered additionally)
Mastered For iTunes (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.

Simply get in contact with us via email, quoting your order number and we will replace the file. Please be sure to get in contact with us ASAP to ensure we have the correct files to mix before work commences.

A good mix engineer will not be able to work with one genre of music but not another. At Audio Animals we work with all genres of music. There is not a genre of music we have not worked with.