- It almost goes without saying - Nearly any digital PCM format - preferably 24- bit .WAV, at any sample rate up to 192kHz — Should be in the "FAQ" but this seemed a good place -- What's the ideal digital format? Typically, I'm going to have to say that 24-bit PCM data (.wav, .aiff, etc.) at whatever sample rate you're working in (44.1 or higher preferred), with no limiting or excessive compression on the main buss and *some* amount of "natural" headroom. Could be 1dB, could be 3dB, 6, 10, 20 -- It doesn't really matter. Typical? Maybe around 5 or 6dB of clear headroom (and on a related note, I'd hope that you had at least that much if not twice as much on each individual track when you were recording). It's almost difficult to have "too much" headroom -- It's very easy to have too little. Better to have WAY too much than not enough.
- We are no longer accepting 1/4” & 1/2” analog tape at 15 or 30ips. End of an Era - We’ve sold off our beloved MCI JH-100C deck. It’s now at a studio in New York that loves it as their main 2-track deck.
- Disc Description Protocol (DDP) file set
- Sony Direct Stream Digital (DSD) 1-bit 2.822MHz (via DVD+RW on the Tascam DV-RA1000 high definition audio master recorder)
- Digital Audio Tape (D.A.T.) recorded at 16-bit - 32, 44.1 or 48 kHz
- DVD-A (Stereo)
- HDCD (Stereo)
- SACD (Stereo)
- Blu-Ray Audio (Stereo)
- Mini Disc* (Standard magneto-optical - NOT “DATA” MD)
- Audio CD-R / RW
- MASTERLINK RedBook or CD-24
- DCC Digital Compact Cassette (yes, we actually have a DCC machine)
- Vinyl (33-1/3 & 45 RPM only)
- Standard Audio Cassette*
- MP3 Files:* Please, at LEAST 256kbps for decent sound quality (and only if that's the only thing available).
* NOTE: MP3, cassette, MiniDisc would be considered “last resort” formats - Only use if the only possible version of a project isn’t available in a standard higher resolution format. *IF* the only version is one of these formats, do NOT alter it - Don’t make PCM versions of existing MP3’s, don’t make DSD versions of existing PCM data or CD’s, etc. Changing the format will NOT increase the quality of the source material. In some cases, it can damage it substantially.
If submitting stems (hourly rates apply), it’s preferred to have songs grouped together on the same discs whenever possible.
*Do NOT send project files or proprietary file types! ProTools projects, SDII’s, NPR’s, etc. are not acceptable. If sending digital mixdown files, they must be PCM data (WAV, AIFF, etc.). If in doubt, please contact first!
FTP SERVICE IS AVAILABLE - Files can be transferred to MASSIVE Mastering via FTP via our secure OFMS.