Uploading a track
Supported formats and limits, the SoundCloud import, naming your project, and why you get asked for your favourite 30 seconds.
#What you can upload
Drag a file onto the card or click it to browse. Mastering accepts the usual suspects and a few unusual ones:
| Type | Formats | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | wav mp3 flac aiff aac alac m4a ogg opus | WAV or high-bitrate MP3 give the best result. Lossless is converted to WAV before mastering, so nothing is lost. |
| Video | mp4 mov m4v webm mkv avi 3gp | Single mastering only. The audio track is extracted and mastered; you get audio back. |
| Size | up to 1.5 GB per file | Bulk uploads are audio only and take up to 10 files. |
#SoundCloud import
Under the upload card there is a SoundCloud Import button. Paste a public SoundCloud track URL and it is pulled in as if you had uploaded the file. Handy for mastering something you only have online, less handy for private tracks, which it cannot see.
#Name your project
The first thing you see after choosing a file is a name box (1 to 50 characters). It becomes the project title in Projects and the base of your download file names, so "Final Mix v7 REAL final" is allowed but you will regret it.
#Tell us your peak moment
Next comes a waveform with a 30-second window. This is the section every revision will be rendered on, and it is what you will A/B against the original. Choose the densest, loudest part, usually a chorus or drop, and press Start Mastering. The whole track is only rendered once you finalize.
#Seed / Prompt at upload
The Seed / Prompt slot on the upload card lets you skip a step. Type a prompt ("bright and loud, club ready") and the Default Revision is already shaped by it. Paste a mastering seed copied from another master and the new track starts with the same settings, which is how you keep an EP consistent. You can even paste a seed and add words after it.
#What happens after you press Start
- Your file is analysed: loudness, peaks and genre, from a listen to the middle of the song.
- Based on genre and loudness, the mastering is tuned to your track. A quiet folk mix and a hot techno mix do not get the same treatment.
- The 30-second window is cropped losslessly and mastered with the balanced settings. This is the Default Revision.
- You land in the workspace with the engineer welcoming you. From here, prompt away.
#Single or Bulk
The Single / Bulk toggle switches to batch mode for up to 10 tracks with one shared prompt or seed. It is a Plus feature and has its own page.
Can I upload a track that is already mastered?
You can, and sometimes a light touch on top works. But if it is already limited hard, most options will have little room to move. Uploading the pre-limiter mix is always better.
Does the sample rate change?
No. Mastering keeps the sample rate of your upload (44.1, 48, 96 kHz). WAV downloads are 24-bit; MP3 downloads are 320 kbps.
My upload says "converting"
FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, OGG, AAC and video files are converted to WAV before mastering. It adds a few seconds and nothing else.