Delivery specs
What to send so mastering can start straight away. If anything here does not fit how you work, get in touch before sending and we will work it out.
Audio files
- WAV or AIFF, interleaved stereo.
- The sample rate and bit depth your session was made at. 24-bit or 32-bit float is preferred.
- No conversion, resampling or dither.
- Full length, with a little silence at the start and end. Please do not trim tight; tails and room tone matter.
- Fades: print them if they are part of the arrangement, or leave them to us with a note.
Headroom and the mix bus
- No clipping anywhere in the chain. There is no need to hit a specific peak level.
- Keep bus processing that is part of the sound, such as glue compression, saturation or EQ.
- A limiter is fine if it is part of the sound, but the mix can often be improved without it.
- Not sure? Send both versions, with and without, and we will tell you which works better.
File naming
- Track number, artist and title:
01_Artist_Title.wav - Alternative versions use the same name plus the version:
01_Artist_Title_Instrumental.wav - Please leave words such as "final", "master" or mix numbers out of file names.
- One folder per release, zipped.
Release information
- Artist and release title: exactly as they should appear.
- Track order: every track in order, with the A and B side split marked for vinyl or cassette.
- Release formats: digital and streaming, CD, vinyl, cassette.
- Gaps and transitions: any spacing or crossfades you have in mind.
- ISRC and UPC/EAN codes: send them before mastering starts so they are embedded in every master. They cannot be added once CD production begins.
- Editing notes: noise, count-ins and anything else to keep or remove.
- References: optional, plus a few words on the direction you want.
- Deadline: your release or manufacturing date, if you have one.
CD, vinyl and cassette
- CD: all metadata must be supplied at the time of mastering so it can be encoded in the DDP.
- Vinyl and cassette: include the running time of each side, and tell us which pressing or duplication company you plan to use.
Sending your files
Email a download link to info@oxbowmastering.com with your notes in the same message, or ask us for a secure upload link. We confirm once the files are received and checked.
See how a session works for what happens next.