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4–5 day turnaround · Unlimited revisions

Mastering · By Charlie Crown

STEM MASTERING

Mastered with stem-level control. Tighter, louder, more transparent than stereo mastering.

Submit your mix as stems (drums, bass, vocals, etc.) and I'll master each independently before the final glue. Used by labels for finished tracks that need surgical polish.

$147

USD · One-time · Per song

Single or 5-Pack

  • 4–5 business days
  • Unlimited revisions
  • 30-min onboarding call

Secure checkout via Stripe. Apple Pay + Google Pay accepted. After payment, you'll receive an intake form to submit your files via Dropbox or Google Drive.

01 / The why

WHEN STEREO ISN'T ENOUGH.

Stem mastering gives me surgical control — every element treated independently before the glue. The kind of polish labels use on vinyl releases.

02 / What you get

EVERY SESSION,
THE FULL PACKAGE.

No upcharge for the deliverables most engineers charge $50–$150 extra for. They're standard.

  • ✓Stem-level mastering — each group processed independently
  • ✓Mastered WAV (24-bit, 44.1kHz)
  • ✓Mastered MP3 (320kbps)
  • ✓Mastered instrumental version
  • ✓Mastered acapella version
  • ✓Mastered stems delivered back to you
  • ✓30-minute onboarding call
  • ✓Notion client portal with delivery + comms
  • ✓Unlimited revisions

03 / The process

FROM BOOKING
TO RELEASE.

01

Submit

Pay → intake form arrives → drop your stem folder (Dropbox or Drive link).

02

Onboarding call

30-minute call to walk through your stems, vision, and references.

03

Master the stems

Each stem group treated independently — EQ, compression, saturation, width — then unified through the final mastering chain. 4–5 day turnaround.

04

Revise + deliver

First-round delivery, unlimited revisions until you're happy. Full package lands in your Notion portal.

04 / Prep checklist

PREPARING
YOUR SONG.

Follow this checklist before submitting. Files prepped right means faster turnaround and a better result on the first round.

  1. 01Bounce stems at 24-bit WAV, 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz
  2. 02Each stem starts from the SAME sample 0 — drag in a DAW and they line up exactly
  3. 03Leave 6 dB of headroom per stem — no individual stem peaking above -6 dBFS
  4. 04Stem groupings: Drums (or kick / snare / hats / cymbals / drum bus), Bass, Synths, Guitars, Vocals (lead / harmonies / ad-libs), FX
  5. 05Remove ALL bus processing from your master output
  6. 06Reference tracks (1–3 commercial songs) + brief notes on your direction
Full prep guide →

05 / Why Charlie

THE WORK
BEHIND THE NAME.

Stereo mastering treats your mix as one signal. Stem mastering treats it as a system.

When I have your stems — drums, bass, vocals, FX — I can EQ the kick without touching the snare. I can widen the synths without smearing the vocal. I can pull the bass forward without muddying the low end.

The result: a master that's tighter, louder, more transparent. The kind of polish you'd expect from a label mastering engineer on a record headed to vinyl.

Same Charlie Crown chain — same 50M-stream-grade processing — but with surgical control your stereo bounce can't give me.

Best for: finished mixes where you want every element to shine independently. Tracks heading to vinyl or sync. Records you want to compete sonically with the top of your genre.

06 / FAQ

QUESTIONS
ANSWERED.

Why is stem mastering better than stereo?

Surgical control. With stems I can fix one element without affecting the rest. Result: tighter low end, cleaner mids, more transparent loudness. Worth it on finished mixes you want to take to the next level — overkill on rough demos.

How should I group my stems?

5–8 groups is the sweet spot: drums (or kick/snare/drum-bus split), bass, synths, guitars, vocals, FX. Full breakdown in the prep checklist on this page.

What's the difference vs Full Mix + Master?

Stem mastering assumes your mix is essentially done — I'm polishing, not rebuilding. Full Mix + Master means I'm mixing the song from scratch using your raw multitrack stems (typically 15+ tracks). Different services, different prices.

Turnaround + revisions?

4–5 business days, unlimited revisions, same as stereo mastering.

How do I send stems?

Bundle them in a single folder, zip if you want, upload to Dropbox or Google Drive, send me the share link via the intake form.

Can I send fewer than 5 stems?

Yes — minimum 4 groups is fine. Fewer than that and you're basically paying for stereo mastering with extra steps; I'd recommend the stereo service instead.

Refund policy?

If I can't deliver a master you're happy with after the first round + one revision, full refund.

Further reading

BEFORE
YOU BOOK.

Service comparison

Stereo vs Stem vs Full Mix + Master

The decision tree for picking the right service for your track. Three questions, four services, no ambiguity.

Pricing breakdown

Online Mastering Cost in 2026

What you should pay across the four tiers — AI, freelance, professional, Grammy — and how to spot the differences.

File prep

Stem Mastering Prep Guide

Bounce specs, common mistakes, naming convention, and the pre-flight check that prevents revision rounds.

Self-mastering

The Chain I Use on Every Demo

The exact mastering chain and 8-macro workflow I use on demos and label submissions before they go to an engineer.

07 / Ready

SEND ME
YOUR SONG.

4–5 business days · Unlimited revisions · Full deliverables package · 30-min onboarding call included.

Book Stem Mastering