ABOUT NEPTUNE
ANALOGUE ENTHUSIASTS. DIGITAL PERFECTIONISTS.
Neptune Mastering offers professional audio mastering services to enhance your music’s sound quality. Whether you’re a music producer, musician or label, trust us to bring your music to life. With access to some of the finest digital and analogue audio equipment available, the studio’s signal path features 192kHz, 32-bit digital capability, along with a meticulously selected analog chain of modified and maintained high-end equipment meaning that your final product will be as carefully scrutinized as our desire to provide you with the very best. The studio also offers top-tier noise reduction/restoration services, utilizing some of the finest tools available today.
WHY NEPTUNE
Why Choose Neptune Mastering?
Our mission is to deliver the highest quality audio mastering services to enhance the sound of your music. We understand that music is more than sound. It’s an art form that deserves to be heard in its best light.
With over 20 years of music industry experience, enable us to recognize details in your music and focus on making your audio sound better, with a personal touch to be sure the results match your expectations and style for your music. We work with music producers, musicians, and labels, providing personalized and professional audio mastering services. Whether you’re looking to improve your sound quality, achieve a specific sound, or make your music stand out, we are here to help.
With today’s digital music market, many producers or labels may not see the need for mastering or opt into a DIY approach with presets or AI tools. However, they forget or underestimate the value a good mastering can bring to a release. Mastering engineers will have a fresh, unbiased ear, equipment, experience and facility to focus on the tiniest details. Contact us today and let Neptune Mastering make your audio better!
- Excellent Acoustics & Equipment
- Experienced Mastering Engineers
- Competitive Rates
- Fast Project Turnaround
- Easy Online Order Management
- Direct Engineer Communication
EQUIPMENT
Equipment, Gear & Plugins
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Cutting Equipment:
- NEUMANN VMS70 Lathe modified by Kaufmann
- NEUMANN SX74 Cutterhead
- NEUMANN SAL74 B Cutting Amps modified by Kaufmann / Studer
- FLoKaSon Pitch-18 Custom Pitch System
- FloKaSon Remain Time Module
SERVICES
Services We Provide
Neptune Mastering specializes in audio mastering, stem mastering, mixing, post-production, audio restoration, studio design and consulting. We love all aspects of sound and catering to independent productions paying special attention to client experience and trustworthiness.
See what we can do for you to make your audio sound better.
Mastering
Neptune Mastering is a professional mastering studio located in Berlin, Germany. We specialize in providing high-fidelity music mastering services to local and remote artists. In addition, we also offer full album CD mastering or master lacquer disc cutting. Our studio design, excellent mastering equipment, and experience allow us to provide outstanding audio mastering services at affordable rates.
Stem Mastering
Individual audio tracks are grouped together to allow for independent control and signal processing of each stem and can be manipulated independently from each other. Stem Mastering should only be used if there are serious problems in the final mix. Preferably you would fix these types of problems during mixdowns. If you can not go back and redo your mix Stem Mastering is the way to go.
Mixdown
Audio mixing skills take years to hone which can be frustratingly difficult when first starting to produce. Sometimes stereo or stem mastering is not enough to reach the outcome desired. This professional mixing service will transform your song into a tight, punchy, well-balanced, fat mix with the correct stereo width that lets all your hard work shine through.
Lacquer Disc Cutting
Lacquer cutting is the process of transforming an audio recording into physically cut grooves on the surface of a lacquer disc via a machine called a lathe. This cut lacquer is used as the master in the electroplating process to create stampers which are then used to press your album. So if you appreciate our special sound but want to handle your pressing yourself, we will be happy to take over the lacquer cut for your production.
Design & Consulting
We offer acoustic measurements, consultancy, custom design studio and home cinema rooms that are tailor-made to fit your setup and acoustic needs.
- Reduce Room Modes
- RT Frequency Analysis
- Open & Neutral Sound
TESTIMONIALS
What Others Have To Say
HOW NEPTUNE WORKS
From Start To Finish
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ORDER A SERVICE
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Digital Mastering
Fast! In The Box- Quick Turnaround
- In The Box Precision
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
- 2-5 Business Days
Hybrid Mastering
Best of Analogue & Digital- Analogue Mastering
- Digital Precision
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
- 3-5 Business Days
Stem Mastering
Greater Control in Mastering- Analogue Warmth
- Digital Precision
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
- 3-7 Business Days
Disc Cutting
Master Lacquer Cutting- Analogue Warmth
- 12" or 10" Lacquers
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
- 5-15 Business Days
Podcast Mastering
Get Broadcast Quality Streams- Broadcast Compliant
- Add Clarity & Warmth
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
- 2-5 Business Days
Mixdown Service
Have Us Mix Your Music- Analogue Warmth
- Digital Precision
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
- 3-7 Business Days
Mix & Master
Have Us Mix & Master Your Music- Analogue Warmth
- Digital Precision
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
- 3-7 Business Days
Audio Restoration
Give New Life in Old Recordings- Specialised Software
- Removed Noise
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
- 2-7 Business Days
Mix Advice
Get Feedback to Your Music- Mixing Advice
- Credit Voucher Given
- Constructive Feedback
- 1-3 Business Days
Studio Credit
Give the Gift of a Voucher- Credit Voucher
- Direct to Any Email
- Makes for a Great Gift
- Satisfaction Guaranteed
UPLOAD
Upload Your Files To Us
You can send your labeled ZIP or RAR file using our link with
This can take a few moments depending on your internet connection or use any other file transfer service you wish to send us your music.
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch through email or the contact section below.
CONTACT
We are happy to hear from you & always ready to talk about music
DISCOGRAPHY
Past Projects & Sample Work
An ever-growing list of projects completed at Neptune Mastering. Links, artwork and examples are updated as they are available.
You can also visit our page on Discogs or on MasteringCredits, which are continuously being updated.
Selected Works
All songs are level matched
Client Discography
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions & Tips
Stem Mastering is the process of level balancing and editing multiple consolidated groups of instruments during the mastering process. It allows the engineer to get much deeper into a mix and has the possibility to allow for more control over the final master.
In addition to our standard mastering service, we also offer stem mastering for clients who want our mastering engineer to have the most control during the mastering process. For the majority of projects, standard stereo mastering will provide excellent results, however for artists who prefer to give our engineers the most possible control over their mix we also offer stem mastering. Mastering from stems allows us to dive deeper into the mix and more finely adjust frequencies and levels. It also allows us more control to correct problems in the mix that might otherwise be impossible with a single stereo file.
When mastering from stems you will submit multiple stereo tracks that have consolidated instruments. For example, an artist might submit 4 stereo WAV files ( One containing all lead synths/guitars, one with lead vocals, one with drums, and one with background vocals, etc). Our engineers would then work with each stem to set frequencies, adjust levels, and correct any imperfections. When they finish, the stems are combined and the final song is then mastered. Since we have access to separated groups of instruments there are more options for the engineer to make finer adjustments and correct issues.
Audio Mastering is the art of giving your recording a cohesive & professional sound. It should sound its best in a variety of different listening situations; such as on a home stereo, the radio or internet, in the car or through headphones. Naturally, it should be able to stand up in comparison with other productions.
The resulting final files must be technically perfect and free of artifacts or clippings. Aesthetic considerations aside, the main purpose of audio mastering is to ensure the most optimal sounding production possible.
When preparing your mix for mastering you’ll want to do a few things.
First, you want to make sure that each track and the master bus peak levels are between -3db and -6db. This ensures that there are no clipping peaks nor clipping inter-sample peaks. The volume should sound low, we’ll raise it during the mastering process.
Secondly, you’ll want to remove any processing such as limiters or compressors from the master bus unless they are there for “your sound” signature.
Third, you will want to make sure that you submit a high-resolution WAV or AIFF file.
You can read more about preparing your mix for mastering.
No but yes if there’s no other option. We can master from an MP3, however we highly recommend using WAV or AIFF files as the resolution is usually much better.
If you only have access to MP3 versions we can still achieve passable results, but you will get a better final master using high quality files.
MP3 audio is known as lossey audio because audio information is missing from the original recording in order to provide a smaller file size.
Our standard turnaround time is based on studio workload, but generally you can expect to have your songs back within 1-5 business days depending on how many songs needing to be grouped together.
DDP: Disc Description Protocol, also referred to as DDPi (DDP Image) or DDP File Set. An error-protected delivery format that has become industry standard for reliable CD & DVD replication.
Advantages of DDP include:
Integrity Of The Recordings. DDP files are not subject to manipulation and end up exactly as the artist intended. An audio CDR, for example, can influence the sound of a recording when used as a master due to errors and other effects of different dyes used in the disc itself.
Delivery Speed. DDP can be transferred using any medium including over the internet which speeds up the production process. Many organisations now only accept DDP, as they are faster and more reliable to work with.
Replication Errors. Using a DDP Image with MD5 Checksum will ensure accurate replication unlike an audio CDR.
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Unlike audio CDs, DDPs can be checked to ensure that the data is 100% accurate. For this we insert a code known as an ‘MD5 Checksum’. The MD5 is created at source and is based on an analysis of the DDP Image data. When the code or is opened by the end user the data is analysed once again and a comparison is made to the existing code. Any difference whatsoever will result in a rejected DDP master. Audio CDRs do not provide this level of assurance from errors. Many CD players will also execute error-correction on playback of your audio CDR and may mask any issues with your disc. These errors may therefore not be identifiable until you hear them on your final disc run!
A DDP Image is recommended for all customers who are replicating CDs of their project.
Untreated rooms have uneven frequency responses, which means that any mixing decisions you make are being based on a sound that is ‘coloured’ because you can’t accurately hear what’s being played. In short, you can’t possibly tell how your mix will sound when played back anywhere else.
It isn’t just an issue for mixing, though, because any recordings you make of acoustic instruments will bear all the hallmarks of the space in which you record them. That may be a good thing if the space in question is Ocean Way or SARM West, but probably preposterously bad if it’s your living room or bedroom.
If you want your mixes to transfer well, and your recordings to be free of room ‘honk’, you need to pay attention to the acoustic properties of your environment – no matter how good the gear you’re using.
MASTERING
The final process in preparing music for release is mastering
This is a crucial step for a number of reasons. The goal of mastering is to enhance the overall sonic clarity of a song as well as make sure that individual songs are level balanced to maintain a consistent sound and volume level. In addition, correct mastering will ensure that your songs are set to the correct frequencies and levels for digital distribution and radio play. In the simplest terms, cd mastering is what makes a group of songs sound like a commercially released record. For clients who do not need a full album or EP mastered we also offer our standard per song online mastering service.
Using specially designed equipment, software, and speakers to assess and correct issues within each song. During the mastering process, there are many adjustments that are made depending on the musical genre, instruments, and mixed levels. Some of the functions the mastering engineer will provide include:
- Adjusting Individual Frequencies
- Balancing Left and Right Stereo Channels
- Equalising The Sound of Each Track
- Compressing and Limiting the Overall Sound Level
- Automating Compression and/or Equalisation
- Adding Dithering
- Add or Correct Improper Fades
- Set Spacing Between Track
- Using Noise Reduction and Sound Restoration if Needed
- Adding ISRC Codes for Distribution Rights
- Adding CD-Text Information (Artist, Title, Track Names, etc)
- Create DDP, BIN, or CUE Files for CD Replication or Duplication
- Creation of a Master Disk
Neptune Mastering Clients are invited to use WeTransfer to upload their projects; which are secure since they auto delete within a week. Although any uploading service you wish to use is acceptable. In addition, we use our personal DropBox to share the finished masters with you.
STEM MASTERING
Mastering with more control of the mix balance
In addition to our standard mastering service, we also offer stem mastering for clients who want our mastering engineer to have more control during the mastering process. For the majority of projects, standard stereo mastering will provide excellent results, however for artists who prefer to give our engineers the most possible control over their mix we also offer stem mastering. Mastering from stems allows us to dive deeper into the mix and more finely adjust frequencies and levels. It also allows us more control to correct problems in the mix that might otherwise be impossible with a single stereo file.
When mastering from stems you will submit multiple stereo tracks that have consolidated instruments. For example, an artist might submit 4 stereo WAV files (One containing all lead synths/guitars, one with lead vocals, one with drums, and one with background vocals, etc). Our engineers would then work with each stem to set frequencies, adjust levels, and correct any imperfections. When they finish, the stems are combined and the final song is then mastered. Since we have access to separated groups of instruments there are more options for the engineer to make finer adjustments and correct issues.
Preparing a mix for stem mastering involves grouping your instruments into individual stems. We accept up to 8 stems per song, and as a general rule, you want to group similar instruments together. An example set of stems would be: Percussion, lead vocals, backup vocals, rhythm guitars, lead guitar, kick and bass. The stems you submit can be separated in any way that will give our engineer the best options to work with for your project. As with all mastering projects you should leave -6db of headroom and remove any master bus processing from each stem. Stems should all be the exact same length and start and stop at the same time (this is crucial so the tracks line up when they are mixed together).
MIX DOWN SERVICE
Mixing your music with the best tools possible
Our mixdown service brings you to stem mixing at an affordable price. We will ensure that your track is mixed down from your supplied stems to the professional standard and sound that you need. Audio mixing will ensure your music is mixed by a professional engineer who will bring a fresh pair of ears to your project and use the best technology to ensure a final mixdown that will give your track a professional edge that’s ready for mastering.
If you are struggling to get that polished professional sound on your mixdown then this service is for you!
Tracks are generally returned to the customer as stereo 16bit 44.1kHz WAV files with -6db of headroom ready for mastering. If you would like your track supplied with more or less headroom than -6db please feel free to add this as a note to your order.
Audio mixing is the process of taking recorded tracks and blending them together. Tracks are blended using various processes such as EQ, Compression and Reverb.
The goal of mixing is to bring out the best in your multi-track recording by adjusting levels, panning, and time-based audio effects (chorus, reverb, delay, etc). The aim is to sculpt your arrangement to make sense of all your tracks in relation to each other.
A multitrack recording is anything with more than one individual track (also referred to as stems). There’s no right or the wrong number of tracks. The final output of a multitrack recording is also known as the mixdown. The mixdown is the final step before mastering.
- Send only the tracks you want to be mixed. Besides the many benefits of digital recording, one of the downsides is that we don’t make decisions because we have seemingly uncapped amounts of storage. We keep multiple vocal takes or guitar solos or whatever arrangement decisions we don’t make. However, sorting through your takes is not considered part of the mixing process. Comping a final take is part of the production process and should not be left for the mixer to do unless you are also hiring them to help you with these decisions. Another practice is keeping ideas or parts that we ultimately don’t think fit in the song. These should not be sent to your mixer either. This point is especially important if you are sending your project session folders because keeping them clean of unwanted takes, clips, and tracks will save you hard drive space and ultimately a headache sorting through your files or uploading.
- Clean up your tracks. This means removing unwanted noises between performance parts. Sometimes you want to leave a vocalist’s breath for emotion or a guitarist or drummer’s noises, communicate that to the mixer. Other noises include improper edits that cause clicking, popping or other artifacts. Crossfading at edit points fixes most of this, but, a good measure of this is to hear if you can identify your edits with the track soloed and your eyes closed. All these little things that may not be heard before mixing will most likely show up in the master after loads of compression have been added.
- Pitch and time correction. Not every mixer includes these services in their rates. You are safer to do it yourself than trust it is included. Be sure that all your stems line up and are of the same length. Be 100% certain that what you are sending to your engineer is your final version. You are generally billed for work completed by an engineer.
- Turn off your processing; or not. This is probably the most subjective point. The reasoning behind not sending heavily processed tracks to your mixer is so they aren’t inhibited by the compression and EQ or other effects you have “printed” or bounced to the track/stem you are sending. However, in some cases, you’ve worked hard to define and shape a special sound and that shouldn’t be ignored by your mixer. It is beneficial to send this to the mixer as well as some premixed material such as background vocals and drum loops. Still send the unprocessed file in case something isn’t working. Most engineers like to have your rough mix as a reference. With all of your processing on, bounce a mix to include. Rough mixes help your mixer hear your emotional response to the song. Logistically, do bounce or print your rough mix and include it in a track in the session.
- Label your tracks clearly! Preferably in English. Short and simple is usually the best. Titles like Kick In, Kick Out, Snare Top, Lead Vocal or abbreviations like Kick O, Snare T, Track 1, and Vox (vocals) are common names and help easily define what instrument the track is. The shorter the file name the better. There is no need to include the song title in the track name. Labelling your tracks clearly during recording will save you from having to rename mislabeled tracks later because most DAWs will automatically name and catalogue your files according to your track titles.
- Track consolidation and export. Many DAWs have different processes for performing a track consolidation task and call them different names but, in short, it is a process that takes all of your edits on a track and creates a continuous region/clip. It is advised that you have all of your tracks start from the session start (begin all at the same exact point) so to ensure they will line up when being imported into another session. After you have consolidated/flattened your tracks, you can delete all of the unused regions/clips from your session and hard drive to free up space. When your tracks all start from the beginning of a session and are continuous to the end of the parts contained in that track, they are ready to export to a separate labelled folder for your mixer.
- Export folder and other info to include for your mix engineer. Properly labelling your folder is simple and can be done with just the song title and indicating they are the files for mixing by including “multi tracks for mix” or similar, the most efficient includes other information that your mixer would want to know. These are good practices for any project whether you are sending them to another engineer, archiving or migrating to a different system. They will save your mixer time and expedite mix turnaround. Most professionals are happy to guide you through this process if you are unsure. There are many videos and materials online to help you navigate your software to help you consolidate your tracks, clean up your edits or just about any other process. If you have any questions about preparing or sending your tracks, send us a message and we’d be happy to help.
Lacquer Cutting
Getting your music on vinyl
Lacquer cutting is the process of transforming an audio recording into physically cut grooves on the surface of a lacquer disc via a machine called a lathe. This cut lacquer is used as the master in the electroplating process to create stampers which are then used to press your record. The lacquers are send directly to your pressing plant.
When ordering lacquer cutting you can choose to have us master your music or provide your own mastered files.
We highly recommend having us master your music for cutting your Lacquer Discs.
We have all the experience and settings on hand to make sure your music will be perfectly matched to the NEUMANN VMS70 Cutting Lathe used.
When using Neptune Mastering, we can be sure that the end results will provide you the best possible results in making your audio better.
If you choose to provide your own masters for Lacquer Cutting, here are some tips for a great sounding record:
- Provide a file at the best quality you have (24-bit is recommended) without digital clipping or extreme limiting.
- Keep the headroom under -1db True Peak and with a loudness of at least -11LUFS.
- Avoid stereo effects or phase effects on the bass frequency range, your song should have a mono bass to get the best result on vinyl.
- Pay attention to the “S” (sibilance) in the vocals and the high hats. If are too harsh, they can distort on vinyl. It is better to use a de-esser on a single channel than in the whole mix.
- Frequencies above 16 kHz can be attenuated, especially on songs closer to the centre of a disc. Pay close attention to those areas when sequencing your record.
PRE MASTERING TIPS
Getting your music ready for mastering
There are a number of audio mastering tips that will help you prepare your mixes before working with a mastering studio. It’s important to know how to prepare and submit your mixes so you can get the best sound for your songs. The mastering engineer wants to start with a clean slate, primarily on the master bus and will need to have the proper file type and format to get the most from your music.
As you go through your mix eliminate any noise or pops that may be in each track. Use fades as necessary to cut out any spots that may just be containing recorded noise. If this is done in the mix stage within each track it will keep the overall noise level down when the mastering engineer begins to equalize and compresses the mix.
Overusing processors especially dynamic processors (compressors) on the master bus can destroy a mix and make it difficult, if not impossible for the mastering engineer to make a great master. Unless there’s a specific sound of a master bus processor desired for the mix, it’s best to keep the master buss free of outboard processing or plugins. If master bus processing is used make sure to notify the mastering engineer of its type and settings.
The loudest part in a mix should peak at no more than -6db on the master bus. Also know that dynamic range is not the same as peak levels on your mix. Dynamic range, in simple terms, is the difference between the loudest part of your song and the quietest. Try to aim for about -16 to -12LUFS or less in your pre-master. Use a Dynamic Range Meter to see your results (Youlean Loudness Meter). A standard meter will not show you the results you need to know.
There should never be a limiter set on the master bus. Final dynamic control and level should be left to the mastering engineer. This allows the engineer to create the proper dynamic level for radio play, CD, or mp3 duplication.
Only one song per order, please. Full versions and edited versions are considered as two songs, no matter how similar they might be. Equal amounts of work still need to be done for each song in mixing and/or mastering.
Some terminology to know:
- Lossless file – Files that contain the exact data to be reconstructed and retain audio quality (WAV for example).
- Lossy file – Files that contain an approximation of the data to be reconstructed and degrade audio quality (MP3 for example).
Lossy file formats should never be used when submitting an audio file for mastering.
The two most popular file types for mastering are WAV and AIFF. Both of these file types are lossless (non-compressed/converted), and either file type is excellent for a mastering engineer to work with. AIFF files are normally used on Mac systems while WAV files are traditionally PC. Make sure your mastering studio is able to work with the format you have.
Additional to using WAV or AIFF file types. When submitting a mix for mastering. The file should be kept in the same resolution as it was mixed in (no down conversions).
For example a song mixed at 24bit 96kHz should be submitted as a 24bit 96kHz file (WAV or AIFF).
Submitting any previously done mixes or masters of the songs to be worked on, along with a few different reference songs that have a similar sound desired is excellent for giving the mastering engineer an idea of your musical vision. This could be a reference to bands/releases that inspire you, or who have a similar sound you like.
Mastering from stems is becoming a more common practice. This is where the mix is consolidated into a number of stereo stems (subgroups) to be submitted individually. We accept up to 8 stems per song. For example, you might have different tracks for Kick Drum, Drums, Bass, Keys, Synths, Effects, and Vocals. This gives the mastering engineer excellent control over the mix and master, allowing for the absolute best sound possible. However, it’s a substantially more involved process. If a mix from stems is desired, following the same steps listed above is best for each stem.
Note: When submitting stems, each file must start at the same time in the song even if each of the stems’ audio regions starts at different times.
