Here are some of the more commonly asked questions about Crazy Daisy Mastering. If you don't find the answer you're looking for, just email us and we'd be happy to answer your question for you.
MASTERING FAQ's
How much does Crazy Daisy Mastering cost?
Download our current pricing in pdf format.
Since I won't be there in-person, what assurances do I have that I will be satisfied with the results?
A VERY GOOD QUESTION!! Our job, first and foremost, is to make sure you are satisfied with the quality of your mastered cd. There are many ways in which we help to ensure this. If you request it, we provide you with the mastered versions of your tracks to audition as soon as they are ready - we upload mastered versions of your tracks to our web server and give you web access so you can download them and check them out without having to wait for a CD to arrive in the mail. If you feel anything could be adjusted to make it closer to the sound you want to achieve, just let us know. We're not going to charge extra to give you the sound you want. After all, that's what you paid for and that's what we aim to achieve. This process allows for any tweaks that may need to be made in the mastering to get it just right for you so that when you receive your Master CD you'll know it's exactly how you want it. We also have a clearly written Service Guarantee at the bottom of our order page that states we will make changes if necessary to get your sound right for you.
Of course, it's quite likely you're going to be very happy with the first mastered version as our success rate has proven. Check out our testimonials or some of our mastering samples from past clients or get a free sample from your own song and you'll see that we know our business. Also, we strive to maintain good, timely, professional communictaion with our clients and with anyone wishing to speak with us. If you have a question or concern, please call or email any time. If we're unavailable, leave a message and we WILL get back to you as soon as we possibly can. We have found that the more communication we have with our clients, the better we are able to meet or exceed their expectations so we WANT to talk to you! PH: (541) 517-1458 EMAIL: info@crazymastering.com.
How do I go about ordering Crazy Daisy Mastering for my CD?
Instructions and order forms are available on our ordering page.
How can Crazy Daisy Mastering provide so many features and effects for such a low cost?
Because we employ an intelligent computer algorithm to accomplish some of the basic mastering tasks, much less human operator time is required. Lower overhead costs means lower cost to you. And the best part is you get high-quality, professional sound for your album using fabulous state-of-the-art technology.
Feel free to compare us to other mastering facilities. You'll find that no one can supply the level of service for your songs that Crazy Daisy Mastering provides for anywhere near the price that we offer. They simply can't because it's not cost-effective for them to do so. Only Crazy Daisy's own partially automated system - painstakingly developed and perfected through the combined input of a team of performing and recording musicians, producers, recording engineers, a physicist, a psychologist, and computer programmers - can provide this level of service without having to charge you for hours and hours of human operator time to achieve the desired level of performance from your album.
Can I request special features such as cross-fades, "hidden" tracks, etc?
Yes! And most of them we're happy to do at no additional charge, but be sure to inquire at sales@crazymastering.com first to double-check with us. This will allow us to confirm and clarify your special requests, too.
What if I need my project rushed
We offer a "rush" service option for an additional fee. We even have a "24-hour rush" option where we ship out your fully mastered CD less than 24 hours after we receive it! You certainly won't find many other full-service mastering facilities that can do that! For more details, check our order page.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept personal or business checks, cashier's checks and money orders, and Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express through our online service purchase system. Be aware, if you pay by personal or business check we must wait a minimum of 3 days for the funds to clear the bank and so we do not accept personal or business checks on "rush" or "24-hour rush" orders.
Can I get a 'volume discount' if I submit a bunch of albums at once?
YES!! You get a $50 discount on each full album submitted at the same time as one paid at full price. This is very useful if you plan to have both a full version and a performance or instrumental version of your album mastered at the same time.
What constitutes an "album" for the $279 mastering cost?
Basically, as many tracks as can fit on a typical audio CD — up to 80 minutes worth of material, including pauses between tracks. Check around: You'll find this is quite an exceptional deal considering the level of service your songs receive.
What media formats can I submit for mastering?
We can extract songs from CD's, DAT's, reel-to-reel or analog cassettes (There may be an additional fee for transferring from media other than CD, so be sure to inquire first to verify your project.) You provide your best 2-channel mixes in either analog or digital formats and we return your original media and a Gold Reference CD master ready for duplication.
How do I prepare my audio tracks for mastering?
Assemble your best 2-channel stereo mixes on CD (or other media — see previous question), preferrably in the correct playback order. Be sure that there is no clipping (distortions due to levels surpassing the maximum limit of your recording system). If you're unsure, set the volume levels between -1dB and -3dB in your final stereo mixdown. See our hints for preparing your audio tracks for CD Mastering for more help. You can send the audio to us as a standard Audio CD (such as you would play in any CD player) or as a data CD or DVD containing WAVE or AIFF files at 16, 24, or 32 bit depth and 44.1kHz, 48kHz, or 96kHz sample rate.
Are there any audio samples available?
Yes. Click here to hear samples of songs before and after mastering by Crazy Daisy Mastering. We're always looking for more samples to add to this page. In fact, you can save an additional $10 off the cost of having your album mastered if you release a 30 second sample of one of your songs for us to use on our samples web page. See the order page for more details.
If I'm not happy with the sound of my 2-channel mix, can I submit it to Crazy Daisy Mastering and expect it to still come out sounding good?
No! Sorry, but we must be brutally honest about this. There are many steps in the chain to making a really great sounding album. First, of course, you need good songs. Then, you need them performed or created by good musicians or producers. The equipment used and the studio they are recorded in must be high-quality and the engineer must be experienced and knowledgeable. Finally, the 2-channel mix must be your best 2-channel mix. If you submit a great 2-channel mix to Crazy Daisy Mastering, you will be happy with the improvements to the volume levels and the sweetening effects that Crazy Daisy Mastering provides. If you're not happy with your 2-channel mix, there's a good chance that you still won't like it after it's been mastered. Please be sure that you've seen to it that every step of your song creation process has been completed to the best of your ability. Then you can be confident that the final mastered album will truly be the best it can be.
Do I need to ask for my songs to be mastered in a special way to make them radio ready?
No. The Crazy Daisy Mastering system includes processes that set the volume level and dynamic range appropriate for radio play, as well as television and film soundtrack scores, and other media play.
Can I have a single song mastered?
Yes, but it's a much better value to have an entire album mastered. We charge $45 for your first song and $30 for each additional song submitted at the same time(as long as each is under 5 min. in length) if you only want to have one or just a few songs mastered. Since it's only $279 to have an entire CD mastered, people usually choose this if they have 9 or more tracks to master at one time since it becomes more economical that way. If you are wanting to have a single song mastered to check to see how your song sounds after mastering by Crazy Daisy Mastering, you should consider emailing us an MP3 or WMA version of one of your songs (or mail a song to us on CD with a note asking for a free mastering sample), which we'll use to make a short sample mastering clip for you to hear how it sounds after mastering by Crazy Daisy Mastering.
Do I have to add printed credit in my CD sleeve listing Crazy Daisy Mastering as the Mastering Facility?
We don't require that you do this, but it is considered professional practice to do so. We suggest that you use this simple entry:
Mastered by Crazy Daisy Mastering
www.crazymastering.com
DUPLICATION FAQ's
I only see prices for quantities up to 300. Do you offer higher quantities?
We only offer short-run CD duplication up to 300 copies through our in-house duplication services. However, we do offer a referral service to assist you with getting your CD duplicated, regardless of the quantity you require. The CD Manufacturing facility we put you in touch with is a leader in the industry with many years of experience and a wide range of duplication and packaging options to suit the needs of large-scale replication projects (500+ copies). We can forward a copy of your mastered CD directly to them, if you would like, for a very small additional fee, to assist with a smooth transition from your recorded audio tracks to final mastered and duplicated product. So, feel free to contact us regarding duplication, regardless of the quantity you desire.
What is the difference between duplication and replication?
While often used interchangeably, there is technically a difference between the two methods. Duplication generally refers to methods involving burning to a CD-R that has dye that reacts to the laser in the burning system. Replication typically means that a cutting "master" (not the same as "mastered" audio tracks) is made from an original audio source and then this is used to stamp out copies of itself into a reflective metal plate, such as aluminum, which is then covered with the plastic layers that make up a standard CD.
Here at Crazy Daisy Productions, we offer short-run CD duplication. This means your CD's are burned to high quality CD-R's using a computer-run duplication machine. We also print directly to the surface of your CD-R's with this system (we do NOT use stick-on labels). This is a fast and cost-effective way to produce professional looking and sounding copies of a CD for the first few hundred. Beyond this quantity, it becomes more worth your money to use stamped CD replication methods with silk-screen surface printing. The reason is because the replication/silk-screening methods require a tooling setup fee that is too expensive to justify when only purchasing a small quantity. But, at about 500 or more copies, it starts to become worth the added expense as it gets divided into so many CD's that it's a negligible additional cost compared to the total project price tag.
Are CD's duplicated by Crazy Daisy Productions considered "retail ready"?
CD's duplicated by Crazy Daisy Productions appear nearly identical to CD's you would purchase in any retail store in almost every way, with a couple exceptions. First, the printing on the CD surface is not as moisture and scratch resistant as silk-screened CD's. Second, we use shrinkwrapping as opposed to box wrapping -- both are a sealed plastic wrap, but shrinkwrapping is one continuous solid seal while box wrapping looks as if it's been wrapped in folded plastic. The artwork we provide is full color laser printing on 100lb. glossy stock, just as any large-scale manufacturer would use. The jewel cases are industry standard, too. Many independent CD stores are happy to carry CD's for local bands and CD's manufactured by Crazy Daisy Productions should meet their standards for CD's they retail. Our duplicated CD's are also excellent for selling at shows, selling through distribution websites such as CD Baby, and giving out as promos. For CD's that meet the strict requirements for sale in National chain CD stores, we can put you in touch with a contact at a nationally recognized CD Manufacturer who can assist you with large quantity replication orders that include silk-screened disc surface printing and box wrapping, in addition to the other required characteristics which Crazy Daisy Productions duplicated CD's also provide.
Can I get a UPC bar code symbol on my CD?
Yes. Visit www.buyabarcode.com or other site authorized to resell UPC bar codes and purchase your code. They should send you an image file, along with your bar code number, that can then be placed into your artwork image. Be sure you keep your artwork at the same resolution as the bar code image so that the size stays consistent or it won't scan properly. If you would like us to insert your bar code image for you, we are happy to do this for a small additional fee. Just call or email to inquire and we can provide instructions for paying the additional fee and for providing us the information regarding desired placement of your bar code image in your artwork.
Can I order rush service on duplication just as with mastering?
Yes, we offer a rush option on duplication both separately and with mastering services. Details are given on the order form and price sheets for duplication and mastering+duplication packages if you visit our CD Duplication web pages by clicking the navigation link at the top of this page.