SERVICES:

Hello and welcome. Dark Spider Audio is a state-of-the-art mixing/mastering studio based in East Switzerland. We provide professional mixing and mastering services for electronic music. The mission is simply to bring out the best in your electronic music productions and deliver a finished product that goes beyond your expectations. We gladly invite you to contact us directly so we can discuss your project.

We Pride Ourselves On:

• Good communication.
• Feedback-oriented mastering.
• Understanding your goals and requirements.
• First-class engineering and craftsmanship.
• Focused quality control.
• Guaranteed satisfaction.

The Tools:

Dark Spider Audio is a DSP-based studio.  Apart from analog summing, we do not process audio with any analog hardware but instead, apply a proudly digital workflow utilizing the finest quality software, plugins, and technique . A digital process provides great precision and quality as well as many benefits in flexibility. Reference class digital-to-analog conversion from Dangerous Music and RME ensures perfect representation of the audio we work with. The monitoring system consists of a pair of 3-way ADAM Audio A77H active midfield monitors.  Monitoring is calibrated to the room with Sonarworks Sound ID Reference and the room is acoustically neutral. 

The Technique:

We may not have fancy racks full of expensive analog outboard gear like many other mastering studios but what we do have is an intimate knowledge of the analog-emulation plugins in our arsenal and a solid understanding of how to get the most out of them in order to achieve a very high level of audio quality.  Our whole approach is about achieving that “expensive sound” by way of skill and attention to detail.

How to Proceed:

01. Email Us About Your Project

Email us at ralph@darkspideraudio.com. Tell us about the project you have in mind. We’ll get back to you to confirm the cost and schedule. We’ll also figure out any questions you may have.

02. Submit Project Details and Files

When everything is confirmed and clear, you can…

submit files via this link >>>>>> Stems_inbox

We will listen to the material. We prioritize working through feedback when possible. If we think better results could be achieved by changing something in the premasters, we will let you know (no extra costs are involved before processing has begun).

• We recommend rendering files in 32 bit float WAV format. A correctly rendered 24 bit format works too, but 64/32 bit float files have more margin for safety.
• 16 bit files are not preferable for mastering. We can probably work with them if better quality is not available.
• At 32 bit floating point resolution, dither is not required when rendering. If rendering to 24 bit format, use 24 bit dither.
• Render using the same sample rate that you work in (typically 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz). This prevents degrading the sound by resampling with sub-par algorithms or settings (which some DAWs have).
• Aim for a peak level of anywhere between -4 dBFS to -10 dBFS (approximately).
• Be mindful about any processing on your main mix bus. If it’s an important part of your sound, do what you like. Just keep in mind it leaves less options for the mastering engineer.
• You can provide alternative versions for us to choose if you like (for instance – one version with mix bus processing and one without).
• You can also render reference mixes if you have a specific kind of sound or processing in mind for the master. We have a wide array of quality tools available for achieving different things.
• Name files clearly so we know what everything is.

If everything is in order, we will begin processing the masters.

03. We Will Send You The Masters

We will send you the masters for approval. You’ll be able to download the masters or stream in lossless format. After everything is approved, we’ll email you a download link for the final package.

This is what we deliver by default. These formats are always included in the mastering cost. If you need something different, just let us know.

• 16 bit and 24 bit 44.1kHz WAV for digital distribution.
• 24 bit 96kHz WAV for high res use cases, archiving & future proofing.
• Artwork will be embedded in the files if provided.
• All files are tagged with metadata and ISRC/UPC codes if provided.
• PDF report of the project

Additional Info:

Mixing

100 CHF per song // discounts for albums with more than 5 songs

• Turnaround is usually 3-8 business days depending on the scale of the project
• All files are privately and securely stored and accessible on Dropbox.
• Please upload stems with dropbox using this link >>> Stems_inbox

Mastering

25 CHF per song for stereo mastering // 40 CHF per song for stem mastering (up to 8 stereo tracks per song)

• Turnaround is usually 3-8 business days depending on the scale of the project
• All files are privately and securely stored and accessible on Dropbox.
• Please upload stereo files / stems with dropbox using this link >>> Stems_inbox

If you have questions or would like to know more please don’t hesitate to get in touch.