Frequently Asked Questions 1. How much does mastering cost? How long does it take? 2. What can I expect from you? What are you going to do to my album exactly? 3. What do I need to provide to you (file format, etc.) to facilitate mastering? 4. How do we work together if I am not attending my session? How do I deliver files online or use FTP? 5. What are ISRC codes, and how do I get them on my release? 6. How do I make my song titles appear in iTunes or other computer software? 7. Can you help me make vinyl instead of / as well as CD's? 8. What extra services do you offer? What is analog summing and tape layback? 9. Will you make my CD louder than a hydrogen bomb if I ask nicely? 10. What's the deal with the studio? Who works there? 8. What extra services do you offer? What is analog summing and tape layback? In addition to our standard mastering services, we can offer you two options to help improve the sound of your recording. Tape layback involves bouncing your mixes to analog tape, which naturally imparts EQ and compression characteristics that can greatly compliment some recordings. Bouncing to tape is a great way to get things loud, and a perfect antidote to that "digital" brittleness that can affect tracks recorded and mixed entirely within a computer DAW ("in the box".) We can offer layback to 1/4" and 1/2" tape at 15 or 30 IPS. The most economical and effective strategy is to use 1/4" @ 15 ips, which also imparts the most extreme tape characteristics (which is what we are looking for), and sounds incredible on our state-of-the-art, completely rebuilt ATR 102 recorder. A session including layback may take a little longer due to machine setup, but no extra charges apply -- however you do need to buy tape. We normally use ATR Magnetics Master Tape, which we keep in stock. As of this writing the cost is $65/reel for 1/4" and $105 for 1/2", but prices fluctuate, please see the Hotel2tango tape page for current pricing. You need 1 reel of tape per 28 minutes of music. We are also able to offer analog summing via the Hotel2tango. Send us your Pro Tools session or consolidated stems (up to 24 tracks), and we can mix them down for you through the Hotel's Neotek series II console and Lynx Aurora DAC/ADC converters. This is a fantastic way to circumvent the weakest link in most DAW systems, which is the final bounce/summing stage. The cost for analog summing is $350 base rate plus $5 per minute of music. For example, a 40 minute album would be $350 + ($5 x 40) = $550. We can even bounce your summed mix directly to tape and avoid a stage of AD/DA conversion. Please email us if you have any questions about either of these services.