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What Is ISRC / UPC Encoding And MP3 Album Art Embedding ?

      Why do I need ISRC Codes ?  ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is the World wide recognized standard numbering system for audio and music video recordings. ISRC codes are registered with the Recording Industry Association of America or Equivalent for your region.  ISRC is a 12-digit alphanumeric code that serves as a universal identification number that links an Artist to each sound recording. These Codes are used to identify and catalog individual songs/tracks on an album. The ISRC allows you to get paid for music sales by ensuring that your royalties are properly accounted for.  ISRC codes are often necessary to sell your individual tracks via on-line music distributors and for submission to on-line Streaming  Services. If you are serious about your music you will want to obtain codes to  attain global recognition of your recordings.

      What is a UPC code? The UPC (Universal Product Code) Is necessary  if you are planning to sell a physical Disc or Digital Album as a whole. ISRC identifies individual tracks while the UPC identifies the complete album.

      Detroit Mastering  Do not issue ISRC or UPC codes.

We take the codes that You were Provided and  embed them into  your Tracks.  UPC Embedding will identify a track as being  part of an  Album. ISRC Embedding  will Identify a Track/Song as a Single. This MUST be done BEFORE duplication or Placing your Creation for  sale On-Line. This embedding of the codes is a service that we do offer and highly recommend.In Lay terms; So Nobody Can Say That Your Music Belongs To Them And Then They Try To Get  Paid Off Your  Music!. Once you have taken the proper steps to obtain your codes, We then provide the process to Embed them to your Tracks.

      ISRC codes are Needed for SoundScan Registration. Registering with SoundScan is Needed to have your songs participate in Popular Album Charts such as the " Billboard Music Charts"

      Where Can I Get ISRC/UPC Codes ?  Obtaining Your Codes is Easy, There are several resources On-Line where you can obtain your codes. Conduct a search for ISRC/UPC and you will find many options. or click the link below for more.

      What is SoundScan and how do I register with it?  In order to have the ability to make the Billboard music charts, every new release  must be registered with SoundScan using UPC number (for the whole album) and ISRC codes (for the individual tracks). Without registration, the sales figures will not be counted and will remain hidden to the tabulation system. At the time of this Writing, SoundScan registration is still free of charge.

      Mastering is the process of  enhancing a recording it to its Maximum potential. It's the fine tuning that will make your Music sound Professionally  Big and as Clear as possible without sacrificing the quality or feel.  It is at this stage that your Music Will Be Made Loud as Possible Without  Causing Unwanted Distortion. This process makes each song sound individually Big, Strong, Wide, and Clear. Mastering  also makes the album as a whole sound consistent so there is no need to make adjustments from your  volume dial or Eq for different songs as an Album Plays from Track to Track.

      Mixing is Taking the individual recorded components of a song and making various adjustments to allow them to "sit" well and occupy their own place within a song Before  Summing them to one Output to be Mastered.  Frequency Separation, Panning, Dynamic Expansion, Eq, Delay, Exciters, Distortion, Reverberation / Adding Ambiance, Bass Enhancement, Compression, And Other Effects are some of the processes used To Give A Full 3D Like Quality To Your Music.  Proper mixing of instruments and vocals is Key to having a Song that sounds Full like those of your Favorite Artist. Poorly Mixed songs are left sounding flat, dull, and unclear.

      A Single Track  With Us is a fast and easy way to have your audio sound Professional.  This is  for artists who need to get a Hit song or more up to Professional Standards. When You Upload Your tracks, They will be  Analyzed by Our  Engineers. We Feel Your Music !  Then, Your audio is Mixed Mastered Smacked Up Flipped and Rubbed Down using the Appropriates. YES  Analog and Digital Beasts !

      We Are A True Professional Mastering Facility.  We Do Not Use Presets. Each Project Gets Its Own Processing Chain Based on what We Feel is Needed For Your Audio. Were Not Like The Many Budget Mastering Companies out there who Think that Louder Is Always Better With Their Distorted Ways. So these companies simply Process Your Audio Through a Maximizing Limiter or "Brick-Wall" Limiter Plug-in and be done with it . We find that to be  Highly Offensive to charge to do just that, as that is something that can be and is often done by your average "do it yourself" artist.  Virtually all Recording Software comes with a Maximizing Limiter . Yes, One of our goals is to make your audio loud but we wont sacrifice quality for volume level. We love to make tracks Big, Wide Certainly Clear So When There Turned Up This High They Wont Be Hurting Your Ear. We Like to make Masters that distort well. That Means when Someone turns up the volume knob WAY! up To harsh static Overload Range, its still going to come across as clear as possible !

      Your Finished Tracks Will Compete on a level with other Professionally Made Albums. Want your tracks to sound great on Radio? We know the techniques  to get your tracks to be competitive with everything out there. The actual process of Mastering is the perfect combination of Noise Reduction, Stereo Imaging, EQ, MId-Side Processing, Multi-Band Compression, Bass Management, Expansion, Reverberation, Limiting, SRC, Sonic Maximizers, Gain Staging and More.

      Developing The Ear and Resources to Carefully Select  the Out Board Rack Mounted  Hardware And Hi Quality Digital Software  to Professionally Mix and Master a project can be compared to learning how to Play a new instrument well enough to Call Yourself a Professional at it.  We Are NOT the Typical Budget Mastering Company That Is Often One Person On A Laptop In Their Bedroom. We Are A Full Suited Mixing And Mastering Facility. We Are Able To Exist  As An On line Company as It Houses Relatively Low Operating Costs and Is Highly Efficient With Regard To Scheduling. Anyone may have some equipment or some Plugins, but only a professional will know exactly how to use the right equipment and use the equipment right !  For what it takes to get the highest quality Masters that you've heard from Your Favorite Artists over the Years.

      It’s best to master an entire album at once. This will allow all the songs on the album to be referenced and balanced with the same sound in mind. However Single Song Mastering Is Offered For Artists on a Tight Budget.

      Detroit Mastering Are Audio Perfectionists We spend the time that your project deserves. Using professional engineers in the industry is always the way to go when it comes to Mixing and Mastering your Projects. Give your ears a break and leave it up to a Professional Engineer and Hear your Album Rise Up to the Next Level. With all the time you’ve put into your project, you deserve a professional end result.

      Please Allow 3-5 Business Days For Mastering Services.  Allow 7-10 Business Days For Mixing And Mastering Services  Plus Shipping Time If  Ordering  A  Master CD Delivered To Your Location. We Do it Right ! We Use Separate Mixing And Mastering Engineers Who Follow This Guideline; Once A Mix is Finished, It is Closed For 24 Hours  Then Reopened for a Fresh Listen BY Your Mixing Engineer Before It Is Passed To Your Mastering Engineer. Your Mastering Engineer Follows The Same Procedure. Though More Time Consuming, This Method Has Proven To Yield The Best Results.

      We Will Begin Your Project Once We Have Received Your Order Form And Payment. Depending On Our Workload And The Size Of Your Project, It May Take More Or Less Time To Complete Your Project. We Will Notify You If  There Is A Delay.  We Go Back And Have  Another Listen The Next Day  Just Because We Like To Double Check Our Work With A Pair Of Rested Fresh Ears.  We Love Music As Much As You Do!

      Base Mastering Charge of $21 and Mixing Charge of $5 per Session Track Count Are For Tracks Up to 5 Minutes in Length.  $25 Minimum Charge for Mixing Services. Please Add $4.20 Per Minute for Individual Mixing or Mastering Tracks That are Over 5 Minutes. We’re Not Concerned With A Minute Here Or There.  If Your Tracks Are Well Over 5 Minutes, This Charge Will Apply. However If  You Have a Track That Is Just The Same Loop That  You Want To Go On For More Than 5 Min We Are Not Going To Charge More For That . We Are Way Easy To Work With.  We Have This Charge Because Some Single Track  Complex  Compositions Can Go On For over 20 Min  (The majority of Tracks we See are Less Than 5 minutes) . Mastering Included with Mixing Services By A Separate Mastering Engineer.  Includes  Revision If Necessary.

      When Your Project Is Finished, We Will Provide You With A  Secure Link To Download Your Mastered Project . If You Wish That A Password  Be Required For Access To Your Secure Download, Be Sure To Place Your Mobile Phone Number On Our Order Form In The Additional Space Followed By The Word (Password). We Will Then Text You Your Password At The Appropriate  Time.

      Detroit Mastering Are Confident That You Will Love The Way Your Music Sounds And Feels.  You Must Get Back With Us Within 48 Hours Of  Downloading Your Project For  An Included  Revision If Necessary. Otherwise Your Project Will Be Moved To The Bottom Of Our Queue And May Incur A Fee To Be Revised .  After 48 Hours,  Detroit Mastering Will  Deem Your Project As Complete . If You Require Us To Revisit Your Project  Be Aware That  All Of Your Projects Files Are  Automatically Deleted From Our Secure Servers After 90 Days Of Inactivity Or Immediately Upon Your Request.  If You Plan On Editing And Or Expanding Your Project With Us,  Outside Of The 90 Day Time Frame, Make A Request  To Detroit Mastering For Us To Keep Your Files Stored On Our Secure Servers.

      Detroit Mastering Take Pride In Keeping Your Files Safe. We DO NOT And WILL NOT Share, Sell, Trade, Lease, or Give Away Your Files, Music, Email, Or Any Of Your Project Contents And Personal Information Or Otherwise Make Them Or It  Available To Anyone Anywhere With Out Your Expressed Written Permission.  We Only Make Your Files Available To The Email Address And Or  Mailing Address Provided On The Detroit Mastering Order Form Originally Coinciding With Your Payment.

      Users of this website may find advertising or other content on our Site that Have a Click-able link to the sites and services of our partners, suppliers, advertisers, sponsors, licensors and other third parties For  Your Informational Purposes. We do not control Nor is Detroit Mastering Responsible for the content or links that appear on these sites. Detroit Mastering are not responsible for the practices employed or content of websites linked to or from Our Site. In addition, these sites or services, including their content and links, may be constantly changing or become unavailable. These sites and services may have their own privacy policies and customer service policies. Browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link to our Site, is subject to that websites own terms and policies.

      Our website may use "cookies" to enhance user experience. User may set their web browser to refuse cookies, note that some parts of this website may not function  as quickly.

      Detroit Mastering have created this website from a blank page free of template based web design tools as an effort to provide our users with a unique experience free of undesired aspects. We make every effort to offer a website that operates efficiently on all devices. Users will experience different upload and download speeds depending on their Internet provider and user device Signal. Please note that typically, upload speeds are significantly slower than download speeds. We use a third party with  Encrypted Secure Servers for file transfers and storage.

      Detroit Mastering Do Not Condone Misuse Of Our Publications Bearing The "Detroit Mastering.Com" Logo. Our Publications Are Intended For Personal Private Property In Which Bearer Of Said Publication Retains Ownership. We Ask That You Always Respect The Property Of Others. Please Get Permission From Property Owner Before Placing Our Publications.

      Detroit Mastering Will Not Be Held Responsible For Any File Uploaded To Us That May Infringe Upon  Any Copyright Ownership. You Agree That Any File Uploaded To Be Mixed And Or Mastered By Detroit Mastering Will Be One That Is An Original Sound Recording Or Work Of Art That You Created Or  Ones That You Have The Expressed Written Permission And Clearances From Said Copyright Owner(s). You Are Responsible For the Content  Provided  To Detroit Mastering.

Please Add $4.20 Per Minute for Individual Mixing or Mastering Tracks That are Over 5 Minutes. We’re Not Concerned With A Minute Here Or There.  If Your Tracks Are Well Over 5 Minutes, This Charge Will Apply. However If  You Have a Track That Is Just The Same Loop That  You Want To Go On For More Than 5 Min We Are Not Going To Charge More For That . We Are Way Easy To Work With.  We Have This Charge Because Some Single Track  Complex  Compositions Can Go On For over 20 Min

How To Export Tracks / Stems For Us To Mix

Please Click The Appropriate Link Below For A Tutorial . CREATE A BACKUP COPY OF YOUR SESSION TO PRESERVE THE ORIGINAL STATE OF YOUR SESSION

Disc Description Protocol (DDP) is a Set of Formated Files That  Accurately Specifies   All Content on a CD and DVD. The Contents of The DDP File Help  to  Ensure that there are No Errors During the Duplication Process. DDP is  a proprietary format and is the property of DCA.

A DDP File Folder  Must Contain  These 4 files.

1. Audio image  .DAT file

2. DDP Identifier (DDPID)

3. DDP Stream descriptor (DDPMS)

4. Subcode descriptor (PQDESCR)

5. (Optional) Pause-Cue sheet or "PQ"which is a plain  text document that contains information about the identity of the Tracks,  Artist,  the duration of each audio track and Pauses between tracks.

DDP is commonly used for delivery to  duplication Providers. Depending on the Duplication provider, a DDP file folder may be uploaded or Mailed on a CD or DVD. This is a Standard Format for Delivering to Duplication Plants .

What Did He Just Say ! ? .. Thats Disgusting !  Yes, Editing for Radio Will Replace Your Explicit Content With  Any Of The Following : Direct Lyric Replacement ( Provided By Artist  With A Track To Be Mixed ) , Muted, Reversed, Sped-Up, Slowed Down, Chopped and Delayed (echoed) and other Creative  Ascetically Pleasing Edits When Possible Depending on If Track Is Mixed & Mastered or  Just Mastered .

Provided as a Separate Mastered Track in Addition to Regular Version

MIxing Services Must Be Previously Selected In Order To Add On This Service To Create Different Versions Of A Song. For Example, An Artist Wants The Chorus or Hook Lyrics Audible And The Verse Lyrics Muted For Their Live Performance Of The Song. We Will Design To Your Specifications

Provided as a Separate Mastered Track in Addition to Regular Version

The Security of Your Files Is of Paramount Importance Here At Detroit Mastering. We Use Encrypted Servers For File Transfers . That Means Every Byte Of Information Has An Associated Random Code Cerated for it During Digital Delivery (Up-loading & Downloading)  . The Secure Server Then Provides The Secret Code For Each Byte To Decipher The Information ( Decryption )  When These Files Need To Be Accessed. This Sort Of Security Keeps Your Files Safe From Cyber-Attacks or  Even Psychical Theft. We Provide Our Clients With A Link To Access And Download Their Files. If Requested We Can Create a Password Required To Download The Files And Send The Password Via Text Message To Your Device (Text Messaging Provider  Fees May Apply ) Please Request This When Placing Your Order.

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