Mastering is the last step before release: it sets the level of the track, corrects the last tonal imbalances and makes sure the song sounds the same on headphones, in a car or on streaming. On Melo you book the sound engineer of your choice directly, at the price shown on their service.
Compare profiles specialised in mastering, their references, turnaround times and listed rates, then book the service that suits your release directly.
Upload the final stereo mix, with no limiter on the master bus, and state where the track is headed: streaming, vinyl, club playback, or picture.
They adjust tonal balance, dynamics and final level, then send the master for approval, usually alongside a comparison with your original mix.
Once approved, you download the files in the formats you asked for, ready to upload to your distributor or send to a label.
Mastering is the last critical listen before release, and the only stage where the track is judged as a finished product rather than an assembly of parts. The engineer works on the stereo mix: they correct the remaining tonal imbalances — a cluttered low mid, timid highs — tighten the dynamics just enough for the track to keep its impact at low volume, and set the output level. They also check what a single listening system never reveals: mono compatibility, sibilance, useless sub energy, transients that clip once the file is converted. On an EP or an album they then align the tracks with each other and set the gaps, so no song sounds weaker than the one before it.
Streaming platforms normalise playback: they bring every track to a similar perceived level, measured in LUFS. A song crushed with a limiter to sound louder will simply be turned down on playback, having given up its dynamics for nothing — it will sound flatter than the next track at the same volume. An engineer mastering for streaming therefore targets a coherent perceived level while keeping enough peak headroom for the track to breathe, and adapts that target to the destination: vinyl, club systems and picture have neither the same constraints nor the same margins. It is a judgement call, not a preset, and it is exactly what you pay for when you book a professional instead of running a generic process.
You receive the master as a high-resolution WAV, plus the derivatives you requested: a file calibrated for streaming platforms, an MP3 for listening and quick sharing, and where relevant an instrumental or a short edit for social media. For a full project, track order and the gaps between songs can be delivered already set. Say up front whether your distributor or label requires a specific format or metadata: it is far easier to build in from the start than to retrofit after approval.
It is the final treatment applied to an already-mixed track, in stereo. It adjusts level, tonal balance and dynamics so the song is ready to be released.
No. Mastering refines, it does not rebuild. If the balance of the song is the problem, the mix has to be revisited: that is where the tracks are still separate.
A stereo mix in WAV, with no limiter on the master and a few decibels of headroom. Your sound engineer tells you the format and level they prefer to receive.
Turnaround is set by each professional and stated on their service. Mastering a single track remains one of the fastest services in the catalogue.
The rate is set by each engineer and displayed on their service. Mastering a single track is one of the cheapest services in the catalogue, and per-track rates often drop when you hand over a full EP or album.
No, and it is best avoided. A project mastered in one pass keeps a consistent colour and level from one song to the next. Book the whole thing as a single service and state the running order.
Export a 24-bit WAV at your project's sample rate, with no limiter or maximiser on the master bus and roughly 3 to 6 dB of headroom below 0 dBFS. Your engineer will confirm their preferences before starting.
Stereo mastering works on the assembled mix. Stem mastering starts from a few separated groups — vocals, drums, instruments — and leaves extra room for correction. It costs more and is only worth it when the mix still needs decisions made.
Yes, with no restriction. Plenty of artists arrive with a mix made at home or in another studio. Just supply the file in the right format and explain what you expect from the master.
The number of included revisions is listed on each service. A master usually settles in one or two passes: feedback concerns overall balance and level, rarely mix details — those belong to the previous stage.