1. Where possible, remove unwanted pops, clicks, dropouts and other noise.

  2. Unless you're mixing into a master buss compressor, avoid adding dynamic processing (especially limiting) and EQ to the final mix / master bus – these issues will be addressed during the mastering process.

  3. Keep the mix level low – ideally with true peak levels at least -3dBFS to -6dBFS and do not apply any limiting. Dynamics and overall levels will be optimized for the appropriate format during the mastering stage.

  4. If submitting stems, please ensure all stems are time-stamped to ensure that they all start at the same point and all stems are equal length. 

  5. Ideally, leave 0.5 sec ‘handles’ at the beginning and end of each track.

  6. For digital mixes, when bouncing the mix to a stereo track for mastering, bounce the track using the same sample rate and bit depth as the rates used in the mix.

  7. If the mix sample and bit rate is higher than CD-quality, do not burn to audio CD. Instead, send a high resolution digital file via internet delivery.

  8. Preferred digital formats are uncompressed WAV or AIFF files.