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A 24-bit WAV at the session's sample rate, master bus processing off, peaks around -6 dB.
Your name, email, references and release plans. Choose the number of songs.
Zip the WAVs and drop them into the uploader, now or after checkout.
Pay by card on the checkout page.
We master the song, encode it with Apple's tools and check the encode for clipping. First version in 2-3 days per song.
Six revision rounds, then the 24-bit master for your distributor.
Apple Digital Masters is Apple’s program for masters made for its own encoder. It replaced Mastered for iTunes, and every Mastered for iTunes release now carries the Apple Digital Masters badge. Apple encodes its catalog to 256 kbps AAC, and Apple Music streams lossless (ALAC) from the same master.
Apple chose AAC over MP3 when iTunes launched because it sounds better at the same bit rate, and it has kept refining the encoder ever since. Encoding is a two-step process: the master is resampled to the production rate as a 32-bit float file, then encoded. That keeps the full dynamic range of a 24-bit source without adding dither.
What the encoder cannot do is fix a master that clips on its way into AAC. Peaks that look clean in the WAV can still go over once encoded, which is why an Apple Digital Master is checked through Apple’s own encoder before it is delivered.
Mastered for iTunes now has been renamed to Apple Digital Masters. The company added some more requirements regarding mastering audio for iTunes but the essence of the term remains the same. The new name intentionally does not mention iTunes to signify that the music will be distributed and have the same standards not only on iTunes but throughout all parts of the ecosystem.
Anyone can master a song for release on Apple Music. What an Apple-approved engineer adds is the Apple Digital Masters badge itself – to carry it, the master has to be made and submitted by an engineer on Apple’s official provider list. In the process of submitting your song, you will need to provide the name of the sound engineer who created your Digital Master copy, they will have to be on the official Apple Masters providers list.
When you receive your mastered record for further release with the Apple Digital Masters badge on iTunes, it should comply with all the requirements. Among them are the following rules and steps:
24-bit source, delivered at the highest native sample rate. No upsampling, and no padding a 16-bit file to 24-bit.
The badge can only be used by approved mastering houses. Major Mixing is an approved Apple Digital Masters provider.
We encode every master with Apple's tools (the Apple Digital Masters Droplet and afconvert) and check the encode with afclip and AURoundTripAAC, inter-sample peaks included.
The deliverable is the 24-bit WAV master itself. Do not convert, upsample or re-export it after mastering.
Your distributor delivers it to Apple. Tell them it is an Apple Digital Master and who mastered it. The same file is used for Apple Music lossless.
Yes. An Apple Digital Master is a normal 24-bit WAV, so you can send the same file to Spotify, YouTube, Tidal and every other store. Each platform converts and normalises it in its own way.
Some points to keep in mind with one master for every platform:
That is why we make one master that works everywhere.
Working on your song, we set the true peak to what the Apple Digital Masters specification requires, so the AAC encode never clips, and deliver 24-bit at the session’s native sample rate. Apple’s Sound Check then turns loud masters down on playback, so we set loudness by what suits the song, not by a number.
A master that passes Apple’s checks is a clean master for every other platform too.
We master Apple Digital Masters releases for independent artists, producers and labels. Your engineer is Max Rayden or Ivan Taiga, each with more than ten years in the industry, and our team has credits alongside labels like Universal Music, Warner Music and Spinnin Records.
Apple Digital Masters mastering costs $89 per song. Stem mastering instead of a stereo master is $50 per song extra on the same form. The first version arrives in 2-3 days per song, with six revision rounds included.
Not sure the mix is ready? Send it for a free track review first, or order regular mastering if you do not need the badge.
Questions before you order? Ask us in the live chat and an engineer will answer.
To release a song with the Apple Digital Masters badge, the master has to come from an approved mastering house and pass Apple’s encoding checks.
Major Mixing is an approved Apple Digital Masters provider. We master your song, check it through Apple’s own encoder and deliver the 24-bit file your distributor needs.
Great service! Very cooperative and have the best quality-sounding recordings
If you want to give life to your sound, here is the best solution!Fast service very good technical support!
Thanks, the song is sounding wonderful. Great customer service and quick turnaround time.
Keep it up!!!
Good and friendly response, satisfying results!
I’m very satisfied with the services of Major Mixing.
Thank you for working on my song
My mix sounded excellent. better than I expected. Nice price and good service.
Awesome service. Very quick and amazing work.
Highly recommended.
Mastering for release with the Apple Digital Masters badge: a 24-bit master at your session’s sample rate, encoded and checked with Apple’s own tools so it stays clean after AAC encoding.
Make an Order*Price depends on the project size — calculate your exact price on the order page. Not happy with the result? See our refund policy.
Bypass all processing on the master bus and keep peaks around -6 dB. Export a 24 or 32-bit WAV at the session’s own sample rate. Do not upsample: Apple asks for the highest native resolution, and converting up adds nothing.
The 24-bit WAV master. That file is the deliverable Apple asks for: your distributor uploads it, and Apple makes the AAC and lossless versions from it.
Six rounds on every order. Most masters are approved after one or two. If revisions start going in circles, we would tell you before quoting anything extra.
No. Any master can be released on Apple Music. Apple Digital Masters adds the badge and a master checked against Apple’s encoder, so the AAC version sounds like the file you approved.
Your distributor flags it when you upload the release. Tell them it is an Apple Digital Master and who mastered it. The exact field depends on the distributor; if you cannot find it, ask their support.
Yes. It is a normal 24-bit WAV and works on every store. If you want a master made with Spotify’s playback in mind, see Mastering for Spotify.
There is no fixed loudness target: we set it by what suits the song and the genre. The true peak follows what the Apple Digital Masters specification requires, so the encode stays clean. Sound Check turns loud songs down on Apple Music anyway, so pushing harder only costs punch.
Yes. Add Stem Mastering on the order form for $50 per song and send stems (drums, bass, music, lead vocal, backing vocals) instead of one stereo file. More on our stem mastering page.
Yes. The order form takes 2% off for every song in the order, so an EP of five songs saves 10%.
Of course! You can contact us via Live Chat on the website,
email: info@majormixing.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/majormixing
instagram: @major_mixing.
A named engineer listens properly and writes back with exactly what is holding the track back and what to do about it. Free, always — no card, no order first, and no obligation to use us afterwards.