Music Guy Mastering now offers stem mastering services.
Refer to my Mastering Rates page for my latest special rate on stem mastering.
To submit a song for stem mastering services from MGM, simply include all of your stems in a compressed folder and submit via WeTransfer (further instructions on sending via WeTransfer are located on the free test master page).
What is Stem Mastering?
Stem mastering is a bit of a hybrid of mixing and mastering. In it, individual tracks are grouped together by type (vocals, drums, guitars, etc.) and sent to the mastering engineer.
Once received, the mastering engineer processes the audio just like they would in the mastering stage, but there’s more control as mastering can be done on each grouped stem.
Let’s talk more about the pros and cons of stem mastering.
Pros
There are two major pros of stem mastering.
First, it gives the mastering engineer more granular control over the mastering process. Instead of just having the finished mix-down to work with, the engineer can master individual group of tracks. This greater control can lead to better results in the final master.
Secondly, it’s a lot more cost effective than paying for full mixing services. This is ideal for artists who don’t have a huge budget and whose music doesn’t need a ton of mix level fixes.
Cons
There are a number of catches which come along with stem mastering.
For example, you’re still responsible for providing a good mix for each stem group of instruments. This means effective individual processing and level setting on every instrument in relation to the others in the group.
Failing this, stem mastering won’t yield great results, just like turning in a bad mix for conventional mastering.
Stem mastering also costs more than conventional mastering but without don’t get the benefits of a full mixing job, either.
Is Stem Mastering For Me?
The best way to decide if stem mastering is for you is to get a free test master from me first so there’s no commitment.
If you’re not getting the results you want from it, then we can move forward with stem mastering or even a full mix.