Converting

Sharkeye

New member
Hey guys,

I just recieved my mastered tracks (from Sola Mastering, US) for my upcoming EP, but they were 24 bit, so I need to convert them to 16 bit. How to do it?

Alt. 1. The easiest way is to use an online coverter - surely there must be some dithering involved here, right? Can I rely on it?
Alt. 2. Uploading the 24 bits into a new project in my DAW and mixdown to 16 bit using my Steinberg dithering plugin - any chance the files might clip? Should I use a limiter as well??

Any comments/answers will be much appreciated!

Cheers, Geir from Norway
 
If you are putting together a master for cd replication, the mastering engineer should provide you with a production master. A DDP file would be best.
 
I agree, and I asked for it, but they replied that it wouldn't be any different if I did it or they did it? I got no DDP file, just the tracks.
 
Last edited:
I agree, and I asked for it, but they replied that it wouldn't be any different if I did it or they did it? I got no DDP file, just the tracks.

That's BS. The DDP 2.0 file set is the master. It contains all the finished audio laid out with correct spacing, index markers, meta data etc. for CD replication. You might be able to figure it out, but isn't that what you paid them to do?
 
Unless you have the ability to create the ddp file, it isnt the same. I suppose it wont sound any different, but thats not the point. Mastering is the act of creating the production master from the individual mixes, not just making everything loud.

Did you give them the song order? Part of their job is also to make the album flow from one song to the next. The transitions between songs are an important part of what they should do.

It sounds like they gave you an albums worth of singles. Unless thats what you asked for, or you gave the album to them a couple songs at a time, they didnt do their job.
 
I just recieved my mastered tracks (from Sola Mastering, US) for my upcoming EP, but they were 24 bit,

....but they replied that it wouldn't be any different if I did it or they did it?

Good to know, they're too lazy to do a simple conversion for their customers. Won't be using them in the future.

and this is from their website

Sola Mastering Website said:
-Creating DDP, BIN, or CUE Files for CD replication or duplication

and Google Earth shows their place of business to be an apartment complex. Noice!!!
 
The thing that always gets me is stuff like:
Trained professionals with amazing equipment. Our engineers are experienced working with top gear and top artists on Grammy winning, industry shaping projects.
and then it names none of it. None of the experienced engineers (when I'm looking for mastering I start with the engineer), none of the Grammy winning, industry-shaping projects, none of the amazing equipment.

I mean, that's pretty freaking important information.
 
"Trained professionals" and "amazing equipment" probably refers to Hamburger University and Fryolator. Grammy is probably their grandmother.
 
Just go back to them and say you need a complete CD master, with the songs in order to red book standard.

The only thing I could think of is that you did not tell them the song order so they haven't done it. If you did point out to them they have not finished the job.

Alan
 
Sure, I told them the song order, so there's no excuses for not giving me what I've paid for - according to their web site.

Just to clear up: The EP will mainly be sold digitally (via CD Baby) - but also a small amount of CD's. Duplications though, so I guess I don't need the ddp file? And I am so naiv that I believe they mastered an EP and not just four singles ;)

Heads up though for all you mixers out there looking for cheap (relative) mastering.

Thank you all! Great forum :)

Geir
 
Last edited:
Duplications though, so I guess I don't need the ddp file?

At least they should have provided a duplication-ready CD-R, and failing that an ISO file. If someone's going to offer mastering services they need to actually provide something that qualifies as a master. If there's more than one song meant to be together as one release then individual song files don't qualify.
 
If I could jump in here, I am one of the engineers at SOLA Mastering. We really enjoyed working with you Geir! I would just like to clarify and say that we did provide everything Geir needed for CD Baby. We would have been MORE than happy to provide Geir with anything else he needed. We work with CD Baby all the time and they prefer getting 24bit, 44.1 WAV files. We provided that as well as mastered this project song by song. All Geir said he needed was some 16bit masters. We thought we would show him how to convert on his end for future reference by explaining to him the way we convert as well. All in all, it was great working with Geir and it disheartens me that there is so much attack on this board. We are always here to help and provide anyone with the best quality mastering possible.

In regards to our address, because we get so much traffic, we opened up a PO Box downtown to facilitate all of our mail in orders.
Geir, I hope you were happy with the quality of the masters like you told us you were. We were grateful to work with you!
 
The last time I went to an outside mastering house (Airshow) there was comprehensive paperwork covering all that stuff. They made it pretty near impossible to have miscommunication about the client's needs.
 
If I could jump in here, I am one of the engineers at SOLA Mastering. We really enjoyed working with you Geir! I would just like to clarify and say that we did provide everything Geir needed for CD Baby. We would have been MORE than happy to provide Geir with anything else he needed. We work with CD Baby all the time and they prefer getting 24bit, 44.1 WAV files. We provided that as well as mastered this project song by song. All Geir said he needed was some 16bit masters. We thought we would show him how to convert on his end for future reference by explaining to him the way we convert as well. All in all, it was great working with Geir and it disheartens me that there is so much attack on this board. We are always here to help and provide anyone with the best quality mastering possible.

In regards to our address, because we get so much traffic, we opened up a PO Box downtown to facilitate all of our mail in orders.
Geir, I hope you were happy with the quality of the masters like you told us you were. We were grateful to work with you!

Well replied, I also understand the address thing as my studio's actual street address is not advertised anywhere and regularly my home address or Post office box shows up in online searches.

Alan.
 
Dear engineer, your jump in here is very much appreciated, it clarifies a lot. As I told Molly, your sales rep., I was truly happy with the result! And it's good to know you enjoyed working with me. I was a little dissapointed though, and I told her, that there was no communication between me and you, the engineer working with my stuff. I believe that is important. And I was a little confused when she told me to convert the files myself. The fact that CD Baby actually prefer 24 bit is good news, I didn't know. Thanks again for your work and for jumping in here.

Geir
 
Last edited:
... it disheartens me that there is so much attack on this board.
As you already know, there are hundreds of "mastering businesses" set up in many mom's basements all over the world, being run by people who are completely unqualified and do not even understand what a mastering facility is supposed to do..

So, when someone posts a question about how to convert the 24 bit files that they just got back from their mastering house, it raises a bunch of red flags. Within the context of what he said, it really sounded like he went to some useless guy in a basement somewhere that either didn't know how to, or didn't want to provide proper 16 bit files, DDP or master disc.

Then, when we went to your site, there is talk about great equipment and grammy award winning projects, but none of them are named. More red flags.

The idea wasn't to attack you, but to protect him from what really seemed like a bad deal from a fly-by-night operation.
 
In defense of the mastering facility, shouldn't any questions about the process, end result, or conversion be directed at them? The business performing the service?

For sure, there are shoddy, fly by night businesses operating in this 'on line economy'. But.......there is an equal amount of 'customers' who 'whine' on internet forums instead of taking up concerns with the company they actually have a relationship with and are doing business with.
 
Back
Top