Chris,
You should definitely keep a copy of the mixes as hi rez. If you begin shopping now for the right facility to master your project, they may ask for it to be delivered in a certain format. No sense renting gear and incurring that expense until you know if it’s even necessary….

Thank You Doug,
Do you think that I should ask the mastering facility to give me a free demo of my song (let's say a minute in length) so I can hear if they "hear" right?

tnx,

chris

This is probably more important if you're not going to attend the session. If you hear a few things they've done, and you like the sound, then you can drive a little bit in an attended session. If they're a good mastering house, you should get what you want. If, on the other hand, you're just sending it in, then it's more important that you agree mostly with their first gut reactions, because they're going to be left a lot more to their own devices.

It's reasonable to ask for a chunk of a song. Give them as much input as you can when you send it.

Originally posted by 3dchris:
Thank You Doug,
Do you think that I should ask the mastering facility to give me a free demo of my song (let's say a minute in length) so I can hear if they "hear" right?

tnx,

chris

Originally posted by 3dchris:
Do I rent/buy highest possible D/A converters, rent a DAT or CDR that is capable of storing this format and put it there?

DAT and CDRs are both digital formats - you wouldn't need the D/A converters. I think the most convenient means for transportation would be a CD-R with the wavs burned to them as 96/24 .wavs on a Data CD (NOT AN AUDIO CD!). Of course, like other people said, it also depends if the mastering house wants a specific media.

Hey

Here is what I tell my clients. If you have a 24bit/96K mix that is what should be used for mastering. No good reason to decimate it down. I want the highest quality. (and the original mix)

Now how to send that:
An easy and inexpensive way is to get (rent) a Masterlink. You can record 96/24 into it and then burn that to data cd's. Send the data cd's for mastering.

You could send the 96/24 wave files to. A lot of artists are getting a cheap fire wire drive copying the files to that and just sending the hard drive. It works very well.

I suggest 1 of these 2 ways. This will get the most out of your hi res. files.

Give me a call if you have any other questions.

Thank you very much guys!
Joe, how much do you charge for mastering? :)

tnx,

chris

P.S....approximately how long does it take to master a CD?

Chirs,

Give me a call at 212-262-3300 and we can discuss your project. You can also email me at Joe@ClassicSound.com but it's better if we can talk about the specifics of your record. As for time, it's usually a full day for a 10 to 12 song project.

Thanks,