Whilst both mastering studios will produce an exceptional master. Studio A is thought of as our primary stereo mastering studio and Studio B is thought of as our primary mixing and mastering (Dolby Atmos) studio. We recommend selecting the studio based on your experience working with the mastering engineer. If you are new to working with the engineers we recommend selecting Studio A (Nick Burchall).

Studio A (Nick Burchall) is the Audio Animals primary mastering studio and is the studio we always recommend selecting. This studio has one of the world’s best mastering chains installed, costing upwards of £130,000. A truly unique mastering chain with some highly sought after mastering equipment.

Studio B (Paul Ashmore) is the Audio Animals primary mixing and mastering / Dolby Atmos studio. This state of the art studio has a 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos PMC system installed. The mastering chain installed in Studio B costs upwards of £70,000 and has been carefully selected to gain the best possible results from each unit in the chain.

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)
• 5-7 Working Days (returned within 5-7 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 in your account 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.

Whilst both Dolby Atmos mastering studios will produce an exceptional master. Studio B is thought of as our primary Dolby Atmos studio that is equipped with a state of the art Dolby Atmos 9.1.4 PMC System. One of the best sounding Dolby Atmos rooms the music industry has to offer.

Nick Burchall is the mastering engineer for Studio A which is equipped with a 7.1.4 Ex Machina Dolby Atmos system. This studio has one of the world’s best stereo mastering chains installed, costing upwards of £130,000. A truly unique mastering chain with some highly sought after mastering equipment.

Paul Ashmore is the mastering engineer for Studio B which is equipped with a PMC Ci Series 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos system. The stereo mastering chain installed in Studio B costs upwards of £70,000 and has been carefully selected to gain the best possible results from each unit in the chain.

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)
• 5-7 Working Days (mix 1 returned within 5-7 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, a Dolby Atmos mix can be delivered as an ADM File for mastering. We will then take your ADM mix and perform the mastering to the strict guidelines in place for Dolby Atmos delivery.

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 in your account 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.

We recommend specific equipment for specific purposes. The Audiotales Designs 1951/1954 EQ, Vertigo VSM-2 and UnFairchild 670m MK2 are the most commonly requested units for this service.

• Audiotales Designs 1951/1954 – Excellent EQ that has it’s own unique tone and sound. Perfect for vocals, drums and stereo mix.
• Vertigo VSM-2 – The Swiss army knife of saturation. 2nd and 3rd harmonic saturation at it’s best.
• UnFairchild 670m MK2 – The king of compressors. A direct clone of the original Fairchild 670M compressor.

Analogue processing is designed to give our clients access to our high-end analogue equipment within their production and recording process. This service is used a lot for vocal processing as well as clients wanting to add analogue elements to their song for sounds that are a focus point. Drum bus processing is a particular favourite of our clients.

All orders will be turned around within the time frame selected when placing your order. Turnaround time is based on days the 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)
• 5-7 Working Days (returned within 5-7 working days)

Yes, much like our stereo mastering service, we can process the stereo mix through our mastering chain giving you what is essentially a stereo master that can then be tweaked further and a limiter added to it. The huge benefit of this is that by receiving a fully dynamic processed master is that you can change the sound of the master and add any additional processing you desire. This means you can take the processed audio we return back to you and adjust it to sound exactly how you want it, then apply a plugin limiter to achieve your desired loudness and release your own analogue master.

All orders are delivered back to the client as 3 unique versions. The reason for this is so that the client has more to work with and can experiment with which stem works best.

• Stem 1 – The ideal processing type we feel the stem should require for the best possible result.
• Stem 2 – A more exaggerated processing type when compared to stem 1. This could include more saturation, or a more noticeable overall tone.
• Stem 3 – A more subtle processing type that would be considered cleaner, a less night and day difference which is ideal if you want to add additional processing to the stems after receiving them back.

Yes, all stems are delivered back to you with a full dynamic range with plenty of headroom. This allows you to apply any processing you want to apply on your end after receiving the processed stems back and ensure they perfectly fit with your sound. We recommend sending your stems with minimal processing applied. This way you can apply additional EQ, compression, saturation, reverb, delay etc to the stem to make it your own.

The main benefit of analogue processing is that often many producers never add any analogue flavour to their music until it arrives to us for mastering. Using this service our clients are able to now apply analogue processing to the core elements of their song, bringing it to life in ways you just can’t achieve in the digital domain. Combined with our skills and expertise our clients benefit from a professional processed stem that will slot straight into the mix and sound full of life.

Orders / payment must be made before work on your stems begins. This ensures our engineers, take the necessary time and care required to return you the very best service.

There are no revisions included in this service, due to the amount of time it takes to process the stem through 3 unique signal chains.

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

If work has already been completed on your stem and you need to replace the stem for a new one. A new order will need to be placed and the work started again from scratch

Before sending your audio always make sure it is correct and the file you are sending is the audio you intend to be processed.

Your audio can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form in your account here. Leave all processing active that you want to keep in the stem. You can alternatively bypass any effects or plugins and add them to the processed audio you receive back.

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

Access Analog is a great service and it gives people access to analogue equipment via the internet. The one issue with this is that the person processing the audio (you) usually has very little knowledge of how to get the most out of the equipment and how to use it correctly. Our analogue processing service works in a different way and allows our clients to entrust us with applying the correct processing for the stem.

3 processed stems will be returned back to you, each with their own unique processing applied. It is important to deliver multiple versions of the processed stems in order to cover all possible outcomes.

Stems 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

Yes, if you have an idea of how you want the stem to be processed then please let us know in your order. We will ensure the stem is processed as close as is physically possible to the details given, and supply you with 3 processed stems that are variations of how we interpret the information supplied. A reference mix can be provided if you have one.

Yes, you can send a screenshot of a plugin emulation or a similar plugin showing the settings you want applied in the analogue domain. We can then copy the settings in or match them accordingly. 1 stem returned to you will include the processing you have requested and the other 2 stems will be variations of these setting with more extreme settings and another more subtle.

Yes, you can send a reference mix or a reference stem that we can reference against. This allows us to get as close as is physically possible whilst ensuring the stem is processed correctly for the best possible sound.

Yes, this is very much welcomed. Having the reference mix minus the audio we are processing allows us to treat the processing as if we are mixing the song into the rest of the mix. This is very helpful for us and allows us to achieve a sound that takes the rest of the mix into account. This is especially helpful when processing a vocal bus, drum bus or instrument bus.

All library music is mastered in Studio A by Nick Burchall. Nick has had the pleasure of mastering music featured in some of Hollywoods biggest films and trailers. Including Frozen 2, Avengers End Game, Avatar, Star Wars and The Fast & The Furious franchise. There’s not a genre of music Nick hasn’t worked with for library music.

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. We understand there are often tight deadlines with library music, 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)
• 5-7 Working Days (returned within 5-7 working days)

Library music, also known as production music or stock music, refers to music that is composed and recorded with the purpose of licensing it for use in various media projects such as films, TV shows, commercials, and other forms of visual content. Composers create library music to be versatile and easily adaptable to different scenes or moods. It is often used as background music to enhance the atmosphere of a particular scene without distracting from the main content.

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 library music mastering is not just the exceptional quality mastering provided for your song but also understanding the clients needs are different from a standard stereo mastering service. Understanding how to print alternate mixes and that mastered stems need to line up correctly with the main mix. By sending large volumes of mixes to be mastered in bulk we are able to offer an exceptional rate due to the administraion involved being far less time consuming.

The main difference is price. Both library music mastering and our standard mastering service are mastered in the same studio, by the same engineer and using the same analogue mastering equipment. The reason we are able to offer such an exceptional rate on library music mastering is due to the volume of music that is being sent for mastering. The administration involved in downloading, setting up and sending back 30 songs all at once, compared to the administration of 30 individual songs, is far less time consuming. The time we save is the main contributor to why we are able to offer such an affordable rate on library music mastering.

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.

• 30 second mix
• 1 minute mix
• 1 minute 30 second mix
• Solo strings
• Solo drums
• Instrumental
• Acapella

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.

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.

Library music mastering includes 1 revisions. Mastering revisions give you the peace of mind that the end result is going to be exactly as you want it. If you exceed your 1 allocated revision, 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 mixes can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form in your account 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.

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

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 TV and film mixing and mastering is performed in Studio B by Paul Ashmore. Studio B has been fitted 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos system including Trinnov optimisation for perfect audio playback.

Turnaround time greatly depends on the project and how much is involved. We always recommend leaving at least a month for the entire process to be completed on larger film. Revisions can often take some time depending on the film. If you have a deadline please contact us beforehand to discuss if the deadline is possible.

We do not limit the amount of revisions you can make with film and TV projects. We understand after working on various film and TV projects there are often a lot of revisions required by multiple different people and departments within the project. For this reason we don’t feel it is helpful to limit the amount of revisions.

Yes, before we start your project we can discuss anything you may need to talk about, over the phone or via a Zoom call. A full list of contact information can be found here.

Yes, we understand different films have different budgets and that projects need to stick to a certain budget. If you would like to discuss your project and budget please contact us using the contact form here.

Your stems can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form in your account here. Leave any processing you may have active if it is part of the film.

• File Type: Wav
• Bitrate: 16/24/32bit
• Sample Rate: 48kHz – 96kHz
• Headroom: -3db / -6db

It is important to separate stems as much as possible. We advise each actor has their own stem and no audio overlap. A typical small film will break down as follows.

• Atmos (2 Stems)
• Backing Noise
• Foley (3 Stems)
• Sound Effects (3 Stems)
• Music
• Dialogue (10 Stems)

We advise taking the mix as far as you can so that you have a finished draft of the movie ready to mix.

Yes, we will need the finished film as a reference for where to pan sound and to be able to fit the audio to the mood on the on screen visuals. The film must not be subject to change once mixing has begun.

Yes, as long as they do not ever overlap with another stem. This allows you to keep the stem count to a minimum.

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.

Your mixes can be uploaded safely and securely via our upload form in your account 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

Stereo masters are returned in the following formats, if you require any others, please let us know: 

• 96kHz 24bit wav
• 48kHz 24bit 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.

Yes, this service is strictly for Audio Animals clients only. If you do not intend to have your song mixed and or mastered by Audio Animals this service can not be used. A mix evaluation is supplied to our clients as a way of ensuring their music is ready to be worked on prior to us working on it.

When you place your order for mixing and or mastering you will receive an order number. We require this order number for your mix evaluation so that we can confirm that you are a client with an active order processing.

Yes, by ensuring all submissions for mix evaluations are by clients who have active orders processing with us, we are able to establish instantly who is a genuine client and who is not. If you do not have an active order you can submit a mix evaluation without adding an order number. However we will create dialogue with you via email to check you have the intention of becoming a client of Audio Animals before listening to your song. It is important that our time is spent working with our clients in efficient manner.

We listen to your song in detail and establish if there are any fundamental errors in the mix that need to be addressed before your song can be mastered. We do not give advice on production as this is subjective and down to personal preference. We do however advise you on fundamental changes that should be made in order to achieve a better mix.

Yes your song should be finished and in it’s final state ready for mixing or mastering.

Yes you can submit as many songs as you need to be mixed or mastered.

For clients who add their order number and have an active order processing with us, we aim to perform all mix evaluations the next working day. If you do not have an active order processing with us and can not supply an order number with your mix evaluation, you will be put into a queue. Our paying clients must always come first over potential clients who have not yet paid for the service.

There are many reasons. The number one reason is that it is very helpful for you to have a professional pair of ears listen to your music and advise you on fundamental errors in your mix before mastering. We are monitoring in a state of the art Dolby Atmos studio that is one of the most accurate rooms in the UK. What we hear in this room is 100% accurate to how the song sounds. We will hear things you wouldn’t necessarily hear in your studio. Listening to your music from a fresh perspective for the first time, we will instantly pick up on things you won’t because you have listened to the song on repeat a thousand times.

No, we do not want you to send a link to sites like Soundcloud as the audio streams are very low quality. We need to be able to download the files in full quality and import them into a session to visually see the waveform and analyse the audio.

You can upload your files to a file sharing website such as Dropbox, WeTransfer or Hightail and paste the download link into the submission form. Please make sure you send the mix and not the master. We want to hear your finished mix that you are planning on sending us for mastering.

You have two ways you can upload your files.

Option 1: If you have already uploaded your files to a server of your choice such as WeTransfer, Dropbox or Google Drive etc. You can use the form on the upload page to fill out the required information and add your own download link.

Option 2: You can use the Audio Animals WeTransfer server to upload your files directly to us. Click the “Upload Files To Us Directly” button on the upload form to be redirected to our WeTransfer server. Here you can upload any amount of files to us safely and securely.

99% of the time file transfer is of a good speed and will complete as it is designed to. On the odd occasion the server may slow down for a number of reasons that are out of our control. If this is the case and your files are not sending using the Audio Animals WeTransfer server, then you can always wait and try again later or add your own download link to the upload form.

When your files have uploaded using the upload form, you will receive a confirmation email confirming your files have been sent. Once received, we will download your files ASAP and send you a personal confirmation email. This email will state that we have downloaded your files and if there are any issues with the files, we will contact you. If you do not hear from us please get in touch.

Yes, an order should be placed before uploading your files. This ensures you will receive an order number and are able to input this into the upload form.

Your order number will be emailed to the email address provided when placing your order. Alternatively, your order number can be found within your Audio Animals account.

An order number is a unique code given to each order. We need your order number in order to link your files with your payment/order.

Your order number is quite simple to find in your confirmation email or in your Audio Animals account. If however, you can’t find your order number, you can email us at studio@audioanimals.co.uk explaining you can’t find your order number and need us to find it. To find your order number we will need you to inform us of the name and email address associated with the order.

Using the Audio Animals WeTransfer server you can upload an unlimited amount of data. Multiple files can be uploaded at once or you can zip your files and upload the zip file.

If this is the case and you have not left a message explaining what the files you have sent are for, we will have no idea what order the files correspond to. We receive a lot of files on a daily basis and to ensure we know what each file is linked to, we need either some information about the files you are sending, your order number or an email address that is linked to the order.