Questions and answers

Here you can find some commonly asked questions. Please contact us if you have any questions which have not been answered here.

How much does it cost to master at Stockholm Mastering?

You can find prices and more information on the page Our services.

In which currency are the prices? What about tax/VAT?

All prices on this website are in Swedish krona (SEK) and not including tax/VAT.

How do I hire your services?

You can find ordering information and prices on the page Our services.

Can I attend the mastering session?

Yes, you are always welcome to attend the mastering session at no extra cost. Please note that we need to know if you plan to attend already at the booking stage to ensure that we can schedule a time that fits everyone involved.

How long is your delivery time?

The delivery time depends on several things, for example how much bookings we currently have. If you send us an inquiry we can give you a more precise estimate. Ususally we can master singles within 1-5 working days and albums within 1-2 weeks.

How do I send files to you?

You can use our YouSendIt dropbox.

What are ISRC codes?

An ISRC code is an unique identification code for each track on a record. These are usually provided by IFPI and can be embedded on the premaster.

Read more at IFPI's webpage. Here is a direct link to IFPI's page about ISRC codes.

What is a production number, catalog number and EAN-code?

Production number, also called catalog number, is an identification code unique for the production. It is decided by the publisher of the production (usually the record company). The catalog number is often placed on the spine of the CD case. The EAN code is the barcode number of the CD and it can also be embedded on the premaster.

What is a premaster?

A premaster is something you need to manufacture CDs at a pressing plant, but can sometimes also be needed for digital distribution on the Internet.

The most common formats for a premaster for CD manufacturing are CD-R Audio and DDP.

• A CD-R Audio premaster, also called Premaster CD-R, is a 'regular' audio CD that is used as the master for all manufactured CDs. Because of this, the premaster CD-R has to be error checked and complete with everything that is to be included on the manufactured CDs (i.e. ISRC codes, CD-Text etc).
• A DDP premaster is a set of files containing everything that is needed to manufacture audio CDs. Usually, the DDP fileset is packed into a zip-file and can then easily be sent over the Internet or burned on a CD-R. Most manufacturers of CDs accept DDPs sent over the Internet.

If your production will result in a premaster it is important for us to have all necessary information already during the mastering session. This ensures that we can focus on your music instead of sorting out administrative work. Please see our checklist for more information about this.

Before we can deliver a premaster, we need an approval of the production from you. You will get a reference media for approval from us, usually a reference CD-R or wave-files with PQ-sheet sent over the Internet. The reference media is an exact copy of the premaster, and it is therefore very important that you listen carefully to ensure that everything is exactly as you want the manufactured CDs to be.

What equipment do you use?

Please have a look at the page about our studio.