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A mix is where all the separate tracks of a song are balanced and blended into one cohesive whole. Mastering works on that finished mix (stereo or Dolby Atmos). It's the final step before a release and covers things like quality control and matching several tracks to each other.

• Learn more:What is mastering?

Mixing is the stage where a song's individual tracks — the multitracks — are shaped and balanced into one cohesive whole mix. It's about more than just balancing levels. The work that goes into a mix is often overlooked: careful preparation, editing, vocal tuning, timing corrections, and everything else needed to make the track sit right. Most importantly, mixing is about bringing the artist's vision to life. A mix isn't finished until everyone involved is happy with the result. That's why we don't cut corners. We put real value on communication and take the time to understand what each song and artist actually needs.

Stems are basically another name for a song's individual tracks. The word can also mean submixes, where related parts are bounced together as a group, such as all the drums, all the music, or an instrumental. In everyday use, 'stems' and 'multitracks' are treated as much the same thing.

It really varies from project to project — it depends on things like deadlines and how booked an engineer is at the time. When someone's busy it can take a little longer, but when time is tight, things can move fast. The best thing is to share your timeline up front.

Mastering is the final step before a track goes out, and it's all about letting the finished mix reach its full potential. Beyond fine-tuning tone and dynamics, it covers quality control, making several songs hang together as a coherent album, and getting the track into the right technical format. Streaming, for instance, has different demands than a vinyl or CD pressing, each of which brings its own technical requirements.

• Is AI mastering good enough?

Yes. You can book mastering on its own, with no mixing involved.

A bit of headroom never hurts — and the fact that you're even asking is a good sign. What really matters is not clipping while you record: once a take clips, it's clipped for good, and turning the file down afterwards won't bring it back. Past that, don't get hung up on a number — clean tracks that don't clip are all you need. The one thing to avoid is going extremely quiet, since at 24-bit or below the faintest detail simply drops out.

Yes. Bundle rates for EPs and albums are common: with several tracks in one project, the per-song workload tends to drop a little, and that can show up in the price. It doesn't mean cutting corners — every track still gets the same care. For an actual quote, it's best to share the scope — how many tracks, mixing or mastering — and ask directly.

They stay entirely yours. Mixing or mastering transfers no rights in your music — you keep the exploitation rights: reproduction, public performance, and the right to approve adaptations like remixes. Signing over master or composition rights is the exception, not the rule; that only happens through a separate agreement, typically in closer collaborations or where the mixer takes a larger stake (for producers it often works differently). You alone decide on release, licensing and everything else — none of that changes.

In the music world, it's common to credit everyone who worked on a track, and that includes the mixing and mastering engineer. It comes down to fairness: they shape a big part of the result and make real decisions for the song along the way. These credits usually live in a release's metadata on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, and often in places like YouTube descriptions or social posts.

Always. Your unreleased music stays confidential — that's simply how we work, on every project.

Just send us a message and we'll get back to you soon. The quickest way is through the contact page.