Cyber Suite (Mastering studio)

There are 2 parts to the mastering process, the first which you probably already know; taking your mixes to the next level, making them sound fuller, and making sure that the entire project sounds great as a whole. We achieve this by using high end mastering equipment selected for superior results.

The second part to the mastering process is preparing your project for both physical & digital distribution, by creating specific versions of a project for high resolution release, iTunes, CD Duplication/Replication and for Digital Release. 

To do this for physical distribution a CD has to be embedded with Metadata (info/data), such as UPC and ISRC codes, and CD Text such as album, artist, and song names. These 3 things are a must have when trying to distribute your music for physical release. 

For online distribution such as iTunes , UPC/ISRC codes are also necessary to upload your music.

More information on physical and digital distribution and how to obtain UPC/ISRC can be found here.

UPS Code/Bar Code - Represents the entire product, as opposed to just an individual track. UPC codes are typically found on the back of a CD’s physical packaging, and are used by physical and online stores to gather and track sales information for the entire product.

ISRC codes – Standard method of identifying digital music for the purpose of rights management and royalty collection

Metadata (CD text encoding) – Have you ever burned a CD and when you pop it in to your car CD player no song names show up, only Track 1, Track2….? Well this will allow you to see all of that information (Song name, Artist name…) when you put the CD into you car CD player or if you song is played on the radio. 

If your music is streamed or broadcasted around the world, your listeners will want to know more about your music! Have you ever heard a song on the radio in your car, and then looked over at the radio's display on the dashboard to find out the name of the song and the artist it's by? That is metadata! Publishing music without metadata is much like taking a test without putting you name on it.

If you decide you want to distribute physical copies of your project, many duplication companies will ask to have a DDPi (Disk Description Protocol image) file uploaded and sent to them. A DDPi file is basically a digital copy of the CD Master that contains all the audio, track ID's, CD text, ISRC and UPC codes. By using a DDPi, duplication/replication companies are able to mass produce physical copies of your mastered CD. Most duplication companies prefer having a DDPi sent to them over a CD because a DDPi is not prone to the same errors that occur with physical CD's such as skips, scratches, and read/write errors.


Preparing tracks for mastering

If the songs you want mastered where mixed else where:

Before Exporting Track:

  • Remove all plugins from the master track
  • The level going into the master fader should be peaking at -6 db (if level is peaking/red lining, adjust the mix, don't just pull down the master fader!)

Exporting Track:

  • Export track at the highest bit depth and sample rate the session was recorded/mixed in.
    • For example, if the session was was recorded at 24bit/48kHz, then export and send us a stereo .wav file at 24bit/48kHz
    • Do not send us .mp3 files for mastering, unless you have no other option as compressed file types such as .mp3 won't produce the best quality results.
  • When naming file, add "TBM" (To Be Mastered) to the end of the file name