Smart Online Mastering System - FAQ

Commonly Asked Questions:

What File Types Do You Accept?

We master WAV, AIF, MP3, M4A, and WMA audio file types. WAV and AIF files must be 16-bit or 24-bit. For MP3, WMA, and M4A types we recommend 192kbps and higher bitrates for best quality results. For all of them we recommend stereo files for best sounding results. Mastered audio tracks are returned to you as a 24-bit Hi-Res WAV file, a CD Audio standard 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV file, and a Hi-Res 320kbps or 256kbps MP3 file for each mastered song. All three of these formats are included for every mastered track, in each of the 2 genres you select for it.

Can I Submit Any Length Song?

Our Smart Online Mastering System allows tracks of at least 10 seconds in length and no more than 5:30 in length. If your song is a few seconds over 5:30 it will generally be allowed as well. After you upload your files our system will inform you if the file is acceptable for processing. There is also a 90Mb per audio file size limit, so if you upload a 24-bit/48kHz song you may be effectively limited to less than 5 minutes due to file size restrictions.

What Payment Methods Can I Use?

We use PayPal to accept payments for mastering. PayPal allows you to either sign in with your existing PayPal account and pay through any method you have set up with your account, or you can proceed as a "guest" and pay with any major credit or debit card. We don't save or store any of your payment information and the payment process is all handled through a secure system provided by PayPal.

How Long Does It Take To Master My Tracks?

Usually all mastered audio files for a song are ready for download in roughly 2-4 minutes for most average song lengths.

Does CDP Mastering Mix My Song?

No. This is an automated online MASTERING service only, not a MIXING service. For best results from mastering your track should first be properly mixed. Unsure of the difference between mixing and mastering? Check out our What Is Mastering? page, which begins with a brief explanation of the difference between mixing and mastering.
If you think you might need to have your song mixed as well as mastered, we recommend that you check out this Crazy Daisy Productions page that further discusses the differences between mixing and mastering and provides options to assist you with both.

How Will I Receive My Mastered Tracks?

When your mastered tracks are ready you can retrieve them from a "download" button that will appear on the web page upon completion if you choose to keep the website open during the mastering process. You will also be sent an email with a link to access the download page when it is ready so that you don't have to remain on the website during the mastering process if you don't wish to keep the page open during that time. Both the download button and the email will provide access to all 3 mastered audio file versions of your track(s): a Hi-Res 24-bit .wav file, a 16-bit .wav file, and an .mp3 file, for each of the genres you select (so you will have 6 different download links per song, each clearly labeled).

Can I Request Additional Special Features For My Mastered Tracks?

Not with automated online mastering. Tracks are mastered as-is. If you have special requests such as radio edit censoring, fade-ins/outs, added sound effects, looping, etc. you should have a mastering studio with human engineers assist you with your project.
We recommend Crazy Daisy Productions for outstanding audio engineering assistance.

Will My Mastered Tracks Sound Professional?

Yes. Our Smart Online Mastering System will provide you with a professional quality sound. However, if you would like to have your songs officially "Professionally Mastered" you need to have a "Professional Mastering Engineer" master them. Consider: if one of your songs were up for Grammy award consideration and you were required to list the "Professional Mastering Engineer" who mastered your track, what would you enter for that information? You can imagine it would be frowned upon if you were to enter anything other than the name of a "Professional Mastering Engineer". For the purposes of achieving professional quality sound our Smart Online Mastering System is an excellent choice, and the speed and price can't be beat. But if you wish to have an officially "Professionally Mastered" track you need to have a "Professional Mastering Engineer" master it. It is possible and quite acceptable to have both methods of mastering done on your songs, as needed.
We recommend Crazy Daisy Productions if you are looking to have your track mastered by a "Professional Mastering Engineer".

What Adjustments Does CDP Mastering Make To My Tracks?

There are a number of steps involved in the CDP Mastering Process, which are all handled automatically by the intelligent mastering service we designed. We describe these steps, and provide instructions on how to use our automated online audio mastering system on our How Online Mastering Works page.

Does CDP Mastering Work For All Genres Of Music?

Yes. During the final file verification step of the ordering process you will have the opportunity to select two unique sound styles that you would prefer for your song from a list of various styles/genres of music in order to help the program understand your personal subjective aims for the sound. If you're unsure which genre you can also select "general mastering" from the list and the program will choose the best general fit for your mastered sound. We have opted to allow the artist to choose their genre instead of having our program select it for you in order to let you still have personal artistic control over the flavor of the sound. Perhaps you have a hiphop song that you would rather have feel more like a jazz song, or maybe you have an orchestral piece, but it's intended for pop or rock audiences. We've allowed you the freedom to make this choice in the mastering style selection step. In addition, we've allowed you the ability to select 2 genres for each song at no extra charge so that you can listen to both styles of sound and choose the mastered version that best fits your vision for the song, plus optional fine-tuning detail adjustments to volume level, low end, and high end aspects of the sound.

Can I Hear Examples Of What Mastered Songs Sound Like?

Yes. We have several before-after mastering examples you can listen to as a way to hear how our automated online mastering system can help enhance your sound. Check them out at our Hear Mastering Examples page.

Can I Get A Free Mastering Sample From One Of My Own Songs?

Yes! You can upload one or more of your own audio files and test out our instant online mastering for free to hear how it would turn out. You can even select from the list of our available genres of mastering, along with optional fine-tuning adjustments to volume, bass, and treble, and hear the difference each choice of settings makes for your own music. Upload your files for your free online mastering now at our FREE AUTOMATED ONLINE MASTERING SAMPLE page.

How Can I Make Sure the Mastered Track Sounds the Way I Want?

Our automated mastering service offers you an amazing amount of control over your sound. There are 8 different genres or styles to choose from to help direct the mastering system as to what type of sound best fits your audio track. In addition, we offer 3 different optional advanced adjustments you can control: Volume and Dynamics, Bass and Lows, Treble and Highs. By default the intelligent automated system seeks to optimize all of these for your track, but if you would like to hear more or less of any of these aspects you have the option to tell the system to alter its typical adjustments to better fit your personal preferences.
It should be pointed out that mastering is not a "magical cure" for a bad sounding mix. It's still in your best interest to do your recording as cleanly as possible and spend sufficient time on your mix creating a coherent, balanced sounding track that's properly optimized for mastering. This is one of the best ways to ensure your mastered track will turn out sounding amazing. Some hints on properly preparing your mix for mastering can be found at Crazy Daisy Productions mastering preparation page.

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