Online mixing and mastering
Just send us your stems and we send back a finished track. Online mixing and mastering from our Warsaw studio - revisions by timestamp, clear deadlines. Running since 2017.
In short: Online mixing and mastering runs entirely remotely. Just send us the stems and we send back a finished track. A mix with mastering starts from 500 PLN gross with a package of 2 revision sessions. Mastering alone from 300 PLN gross, a vocal mix from 400 PLN. We usually deliver the first version of the mix within 7-10 days of the order. We collect notes as bullet points with timestamps, in the style of “02:37 - vocals louder”. From version 4 onwards we add 100 PLN gross per export.
Even a well written and well sung track can be tiring to listen to when its elements aren’t balanced against each other. Our job is to set the proportions between the layers so the whole thing holds up on every playback system.
We like home recording and have a soft spot for that way of working. If you put the material together at home and want it to sound like a studio record, send us the stems.
We’ve been working out of Warsaw since 2017, but with online mixing and mastering your location doesn’t matter. The whole process runs remotely. For clients abroad we issue invoices in foreign currencies.
What is the difference between mixing and mastering?
Mixing is work on separated tracks. We build on the stems of the beat, set the proportions between the layers, and reach for techniques that give the track its character: vocal comping, vocal chops, spot delay, reverb tails, filter automation. We keep the original style of the recording and the artist’s vision intact, and we add co-production elements only when they serve the song.
Mastering is the final stage. We usually work on the instrumental and acapella combined into one track, which simply means a finished mix. The goal is to make the recording consistent and appealing on every playback system: on headphones, on monitors, on a car radio, and on a phone.
Between the two sits a vocal mix, which means working on the vocal tracks alone, from 400 PLN. If you aren’t sure what your material needs, tell us what stage you’re at and we’ll suggest the scope.
We master in a room built together with Andrzej Lipiński, a loudspeaker designer, on L707A Signature monitors. The signal runs through Ravenna - Merging Horus - AES - Mytek with modified op-amps. That whole signal path matters for what we hear before we send you the file.
When is stem mastering the better choice?
If you’re already used to the first version of the recording, attached to its sound, and mainly want to add power to it, mastering is sometimes the smarter move.
Stem mastering sits between mastering from a single file and a full mix. We work on groups:
- Lead vocal - the backbone of the track, everything else is set around it
- Panned vocals, doubles, and harmonies - the layers that build the width and density of the chorus
- Drums, bass, and instruments - the rhythmic and harmonic foundation of the beat
- Effects - everything that adds space and movement
That split lets us fix the balance between groups without rebuilding the sound you worked out yourself in the rough mix.
How do I prepare stems for a mix?
A mix builds on the stems of the beat, meaning the separated groups of the instrumental. The more we have separated, the more we can fix: the vocal can be lifted against the drums alone, rather than against a whole wall of sound glued into one file.
If the beatmaker sent you only a single file, say so up front when you order. We’ll then match the scope to what’s there - sometimes a mix makes more sense, sometimes stem mastering, which works on groups instead of individual tracks.
It looks different with tracks recorded at our place. Comping and a rough balance happen during the recording session itself, and afterwards we put together a rough mix to listen through together. The material then enters the mix in a form we know inside out.
What does a vocal mix involve?
A vocal mix starts from 400 PLN and covers a narrower scope than a full track mix: we work on the vocal tracks instead of taking the whole instrumental apart. Vocal comping means gluing lines from several takes into a natural whole, so you can’t hear the joins. On top of that come chops, spot delay lifting single words, reverb tails extending the ends of phrases, and filter automation.
This scope suits people who have the instrumental sorted out and need the vocal to sit on it the way it sits on records from the radio. We leave the style of the recording and the artist’s vision untouched.
How much does online mixing and mastering cost?
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Mix/mastering of a music track (+ package of 2 revision sessions) | from 500 PLN gross |
| Mastering of a music track (+ package of 2 revision sessions) | from 300 PLN gross |
| Vocal mix | from 400 PLN |
| Revision session (from version 4 and up) | 100 PLN gross / export |
| DDP files for CD pressing | from 500 PLN |
| Live version of a track | 50 PLN (track from Flightcore) / 100 PLN (from outside Flightcore) |
The price of a mix with mastering and the price of mastering alone both include a package of 2 revision sessions. If the track is going onto a physical disc, we prepare DDP files for pressing; if it’s going on stage, we put together a live version.
How do revisions work and how long do they take?
We usually deliver the first version of the mix within 7-10 days of the order. We collect notes written as bullet points, ideally with timestamps. It looks exactly like this:
- 02:37 - vocals louder
A short list of specifics gives us more than a long description of impressions, because we know straight away where to reach into the session.
From the fourth or fifth version, depending on the case, we let you know about a small extra charge: 100 PLN gross per export. Up to that point revisions are covered by the package.
Why does someone other than the mix engineer do the mastering?
Someone who has spent a few days on a mix stops hearing it the way a listener in a car will hear it. The ear gets used to its own decisions.
That’s why mastering here is done by someone who hasn’t been living with the mix. A fresh ear catches things that have gone stale for the person who mixed it.
Will mastering fix a bad recording?
Mastering works with what it gets. Loudness and tonal balance can be improved on any material, but the character of the recording itself stays the one it was made in.
If the material has problems at the recording stage, nothing set at the final stage will undo them. Sometimes a mix makes more sense than mastering, and sometimes it’s worth talking about re-recording the vocal - sessions with an engineer at our place run at 200 PLN / h, self-engineered at 150 PLN / h.
How do I order online mixing and mastering?
Write to us and send the material: a demo of the track, or the stems if you already have them prepared. Add one sentence about what stage you’re at and what result you’re after.
From that point you’re working directly with the mix engineer, in constant contact, up to the version you’d put your own name on. Part of the team teaches Sound Design at the Warsaw Film School.
Our studio is at Adama Mickiewicza 9/U1 in Warsaw, in Żoliborz, but with an online mix you’ll see it in photos at most.