Digital Mastering and Audio Restoration
Digital Mastering is the process of taking a song or recording that has been mixed and preparing it for various distribution formats. These formats can range from vinyl and Compact Disc (CD), to digital streaming services (such as Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, etc). The primary goal of digital mastering is to do no harm to the masters, instead we work to enhance the recordings to translate as well as possible on various systems and formats. We at Well Made take pride in offering services to best prepare digital masters for clean and accurate transfer to the vinyl LP format, in addition to standard digital mastering services for CD and digital distribution.
Our workstation is predominantly computer-based, although we have access to some of the finest digital reproductions of classic analog mastering equipment. This in-the-box workflow allows for easy revisions and exact recall of settings from prior sessions.
As a standard for any given project, the final delivered product will consist of several sets of digital audio file sets. For each track, we will provide the following audio files:
-A native bit-depth/sample rate WAV file of your provided mixes (from 44.1kHz-192kHz)
-A 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV file for use with certain online distributors/CD manufacturers
-A 320kbps MP3 file for use to upload where smaller file sizes are ideal.
We recommend uploading only the highest-resolution audio files possible to the various online streaming distributors. Please feel free to message for any specific questions.
We can also additionally generate high-resolution vinyl cutting master files, cassette tape masters, and also DDP file sets for CD manufacturing purposes if requested.
Our Digital Mastering rig consists of:
(1) Windows 10 Magix Samplitude Pro X3 Suite DAW Workstation
(1) Lynx AESe16 and Lynx Aurora 8 (AD/DA Conversion)
(1) Universal Audio UAD-2 QUAD PCIe Card (for UAD-2 Plug-in Processing up to 192kHz)
Software: iZotope RX 7, UAD-2 Powered Plugins, HOFA DDP Player,
XRECODE3, NUGEN Audio MonoFilter
Amplifier: 2 x Bryston 4B NPB Power Amplifiers
Monitoring: 2 x Waveform Mach 10 Loudspeakers by Ötvös Industries Inc. with customized Active Crossover Unit commissioned from Bryston
Room: Acoustically treated and insulated from outside noises.
Digital Mastering Rates
In regard to preparation and remastering of audio for the vinyl LP format specifically. Please contact us for more info.
Single Rate (1-3 songs): $60/song
$55/song (4-6 songs)
$50/song (7-9 songs)
$47.50/song (10-12 songs)
$45/song (13-17 songs)
Special Rates (Please Contact Us): (17+ songs)
Master Revision Policy: Two free rounds of revisions are free of charge after delivery of the first master for auditioning purposes. Any additional revisions after the second round are subject to an additional $10/fee per number of tracks revised. [i.e.: an additional $30 for the revision of 3 songs] This policy does not apply to newly supplied mixes (see below).
Mix Revision Policy: In the event that a client wishes to provide a new mix for processing, an additional $20/fee per number of newly provided mixes will be charged. The Master Revision Policy fee would be waived in this event.
Both the “Master” and “Mix” Revision Policies should be disclosed to the client prior to the receiving of any audio so client is aware of potential fees at a later date.
Additional Digital Services
DDP File Preparation for Compact Disc Replication: +$35
Master CD Copy for Compact Disc Replication: +$25 + shipping
CD Reference Copy (Non-Master): +$10/disc + shipping
Alternate Versions (i.e. instrumentals, clean versions, etc.) +$20/song
Additional Format Masters (i.e. vinyl, cassette)
1-3 songs +$25
4-6 songs +$30
7+ songs +$40
Audio Restoration Services: $50/hour (de-noising, click removal, etc.)
Expedited Mastering Fees (Defined as less than a two-week agreed upon timeframe between reception of finished mixes and provision of finished masters (first round).
1-3 songs: +$40
4-7 songs: +$60
8-12 songs: +$85
13+ songs: +$110
Podcast Mastering (includes WAV and MP3 export files)
01-20 mins. of content: $30
20-40 mins. of content: $60
40-60 mins. of content: $90
60-80 mins. of content: $120
80 mins. +: Please Contact
Interested in getting a Digital Mastering project started? Please fill out the form
below and we will be in touch with more information shortly. Thanks!