Nick Burchall (Studio A)

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 within 5 or more 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 + 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)

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.

+ 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.

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 re-record 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 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.

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.

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
• 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 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

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.

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 (mix 1 returned next working day)
• 2-5 Working Days (mix 1 returned within 2-5 working days)
• 5+ Working Days (mix 1 returned within 5 or more working days)

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.

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.

We can perform a Dolby Atmos master from a stereo mix that is certified as a Dolby Atmos master. However the results will be far better if we use your mixed stems. A more immersive and true to life sound can be created. A stereo mix limits us to using unique techniques to up-mix the stereo file into Dolby Atmos.

Yes, this is a very common practice of Dolby Atmos mastering. We can take your stereo mixed stems and position them into a 3D space. Creating a fully immersive and inspiring Dolby Atmos master. It doesn’t matter if your song is already released in stereo. You can submit your songs mixed stems and stereo master to be matched and delivered back to you ready to release as a Dolby Atmos ADM on streaming platforms.

No, your song can be mixed in stereo and then positioned in Dolby Atmos. Your mix balance and processing is kept the same but with the added benefit of positioning each stem into a 3D space in Dolby Atmos.

There are a few major benefits of releasing a Dolby Atmos master.

• Superior Sound when compared to a standard stereo master. A Dolby Atmos master can achieve a sound that has more space, depth and is overall more true to life and pleasing to the ear.
• More Royalties from streaming platforms. You will earn a better percentage of royalties from streaming platforms when release a Dolby Atmos master.
• Online Algorithms will favour songs that are released in Dolby Atmos as well as stereo, especially Apple Music that say that the preferred format is Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio.
• Future Proofed with Dolby Atmos. 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.
• Better Chance Of Being Playlisted. By releasing a Dolby Atmos master you will have a far better chance of being playlisted on certain platforms. Being playlisted can make or break a release.

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.

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

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

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)

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.

Dolby Atmos 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 £20. This small charge covers the engineers time to reprint the Dolby Atmos master.

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

If work has already begun on your song and you need to replace the stems. 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 £20 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 stems play back correctly and the files you are sending is the mix you intend to be mastered.

Your stems can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form here. Bypass all processing you may have on your master bus. For Dolby Atmos mastering it is very important that the stems playback 100% identical to the finished stereo mix. Please bear in mind that no mixing or volume adjustments are made to each individual stem. All sound design processing must be left active on each stem. Do not normalize stems or change their volume. Playback of your stems should be exactly as your finished stereo mix plays back. We recommend loading your stems into a new DAW session and referencing against your finished stereo mix to ensure playback of your stems is correct.

• File Type: Wav
• Bitrate: 16/24/32bit
• Sample Rate: 44,1kHz – 96kHz
• Headroom: -3db / -6db

If you are only ordering Dolby Atmos mastering you will need to supply your stereo master. It is important that we sync the timeline of the Dolby Atmos master to the stereo master. This ensures playback on streaming platforms can switch between stereo and Dolby Atmos seamlessly.

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 will 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.

Yes, if you are distributing Dolby Atmos you will also need to distribute a stereo master. The two files play alongside each other and need to play in sync with each other too. The reason for this is that on streaming platforms you will be able to switch between the two formats on the fly and by doing so switches from stereo to Dolby Atmos instantly. If in sync your files simply switch from one to the other seamlessly.

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 work with before work commences. If work has already started on your Dolby Atmos mastering and the entire song requires new stems, charges will apply.

A good Dolby Atmos 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 Dolby Atmos mixing and mastering studio working worldwide there is not a genre of music we have not worked with.

All music works well mastered in Dolby Atmos. Some better than others. The more stems you are able to provide the more immersive and spacious your Dolby Atmos master will sound.

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

Yes for Dolby Atmos mastering all plugins must be left active. The playback of stems should be identical to the finished stereo mix and include all plugins and automation. We recommend loading your stems into a new DAW session and referencing against your finished stereo mix to ensure playback of your stems is correct.

For Dolby Atmos mastering all panning must be active and playback of your stems must playback identically to the finished stereo mix. We recommend loading your stems into a new DAW session and referencing against your finished stereo mix to ensure playback of your stems is correct.

100% yes, automation should always be active. Automation is part of your mix and if removed results in an unfinished mix. All automation including volume, modulation, EQ, reverb or delay automation must be kept active. We recommend loading your stems into a new DAW session and referencing against your finished stereo mix to ensure playback of your stems is correct.

For Dolby Atmos mastering reverb must be printed to the stems or delivered as a 100% wet stem. It is important that playback of the stems plays back 100% identically to the finished stereo mix.

For Dolby Atmos mastering delay must be printed to the stems or delivered as a 100% wet stem. It is important that playback of the stems plays back 100% identically to the finished stereo mix.