Frequently Asked Questions

Be Sure Your Mix Is Ready For Mastering

At Blue Oak Mastering, Yukon believes that a song’s mix is finished only when everyone on the production is beyond excited with how it sounds and feels. The mastering engineer's role is to clarify that excitement and energy, so that everyone who hears it - feels it - connects to the music and loves it!

Send whatever is considered to be ‘part of the mix.’

If that seems vague - here are some tips on how to prepare mixes for mastering:

- Mix files submitted for Mastering should be .wav audio files of the final stereo mix and any alternate mixes; at the same sample rate as the mix session.

- Remove any “brick wall” limiters or other plugins on the mix buss that are inserted just for the sake of loudness. Mix engineers will sometimes apply quick and rough clipping/limiting plugins to the master fader for mix approvals, and to hear how the mix might react to mastering. If necessary, please include this version for reference.

- Please include any mix buss processing or any limiting that is considered ‘part of the mix.’ Please do not change something for mastering.

- Check for bad edits or missed crossfades that can cause clicks or pops in the mix.

- Make sure the song starting and ending is not cut off. If in doubt, leave for Yukon to edit the tops and tails of the record.

- Clearly label files and use names that are easy to comprehend or understand.

If you have any questions about your music, mix, or how to submit mixes for mastering...

Consider This

  • More than ever people are looking for quick fixes to complex problems. So when trying to finish a record it is easy to reach for an all in one limiter plugin or AI mastering software and call it done. But at Blue Oak Mastering, Yukon is using a mastering studio that is dialed-in, with several different audio devices, chained together and selected for how they interact with your music. More importantly, Yukon knows how the sounds he hears in the studio will translate into real-world listening environments. His ears are tuned to hear where dynamic overload and sonic buildup is affecting the clarity and impact of a mix.

    Mastering goes beyond making something loud. It accents the details, focuses the musical energy and assures creators that their productions are finished and ready for release.

  • -20 LUFS to -12 LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) is a good target that will allow a record's dynamics to move while still giving the mastering engineer headroom to work with. Blue Oak Mastering knows that every music production is different. So give us dynamic room to work with but if it makes sense for the song to be loud; don’t hold back for mastering.

  • Blue Oak Mastering understands that an album or collection of music is intended to flow and feel cohesive. Part of mastering is ensuring that the song masters are not only in the proper sequence but are spaced together in a way and at a pace that feels right for every song transition. Even the space between the music has to be musical!

  • ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a globally recognized standard numbering system for audio and music video recordings. It comprises a 12-digit alphanumeric code and functions as a universal identification number for each sound recording.

    ISRC codes are primarily used to identify and catalog individual songs (tracks) on an album. The ISRC allows you to get paid for digital music sales by ensuring that your royalties are tracked properly. ISRC codes are necessary to sell your individual tracks via iTunes and other online music distributors. They are also required for any songs that you plan to offer for streaming on Spotify and other streaming services.

    You need to get ISRC codes in order to have your songs participate in the Billboard charts. In order to have a chance at making the Billboard music charts, your release must be registered with Nielsen SoundScan using your ISRC codes for the individual tracks. If you do not register then your sales figures are not counted, and you remain invisible to the system.

    If provided, Blue Oak Mastering encodes ISRCs into the final masters.

    Get ISRC Codes here or through DistroKid, TuneCore & CDBaby

  • Both analog recording equipment and digital music software serve their purposes in modern record productions. Yukon’s experience mastering music with both digital and analog recording equipment has shown that working with the best music and mastering plugins offers a better sound with much less noise, more consistency and greater flexibility to meet the needs of today’s music productions.

    Most modern music projects come from digital recordings and usually end up in a digital delivery system (ie: Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music, CDs, etc). If something in the mastering chain doesn’t work for the song, it is easy to find a plugin flavor that does; without adding a lot of math from converting digital audio into analog sound and then back again.

    The signal processing technology used at Blue Oak Mastering always meets two criteria: Does the music call for it and is that device inherently making the record better?

    Blue Oak Mastering also works with a handful of vinyl cutting engineers; all of which require digital audio files.

  • At Blue Oak Mastering everything is energy. The sound we are working with. The emotions in the music we work on. The messages our clients are communicating. It is all energy. Created and manipulated to impact the listener in the desired way.

    So why would a creator trust the refining of that sound energy to anything other than an experienced ear? Especially with mastering where technical nuance combines with emotional energy.

    We at Blue Oak Mastering do understand today's industry and that sometimes budget constraints factor into how projects are completed. Yukon is always happy to help any way he can. Even with tight budgets!