Preparing your audio

File format and resolution

• File format: uncompressed PCM WAV or AIFF. Do not deliver MP3, AAC or another lossy format.
• Bit depth: 24 bit preferred; 16 bit accepted. Do not send 32-bit or 32-bit floating-point files.
• Sample rate: at least 44.1 kHz. Keep the project’s native resolution; upsampling does not restore missing detail.

Sides, file names and playing time

• File structure: one stereo file per record side, with the final track order, pauses and fades included.
• Naming: start with the side letter, for example A_artist_album.wav and B_artist_album.wav. Use clear version numbers for revisions.
• Playing time: maximum 22 minutes per side under the published Hanaton guideline. Discuss the actual duration, record size and 33⅓ / 45 RPM speed before mastering; level and bass content affect what can be cut.

Low frequencies, phase and filtering

• Low-frequency stereo: frequencies below 300 Hz should be mono. Avoid flanger, chorus and excessive stereo widening in the low end.
• Phase correlation: the Hanaton reference range is +0.5 to +1.0. Check the material in mono and remove problematic antiphase low-frequency content.
• Spectral limits: the published starting guideline is filtering below 10 Hz and above 16 kHz. Agree the final filter settings with the cutting engineer; no universal slope is specified.

Dynamics, levels and high frequencies

• Dynamics: retain transients and avoid heavy limiting or maximization. −12 RMS is an approximate working reference, not a compulsory normalization target or a LUFS target.
• Level and peaks: no digital clipping, overloads, clicks or truncated fades. Do not normalize peaks to 0 dBFS. Agree master and limiter output settings with the cutting engineer before final export.
• High-frequency detail: check sibilance and harsh cymbals. Discuss bright, dense or unusually loud material before delivery, especially near the end of a side.

Cue sheet and documentation

• Documentation: attach a cue sheet matching the delivered audio: side, track order, titles, start times, durations, pauses and intended speed.

Create cue sheet ↗

Before you send the files

Listen to the exported files from beginning to end, including every transition and fade. Confirm the side split and cue sheet. Upload the final files through the delivery link supplied for your order; ZIP packaging is fine, but do not recompress the audio with a lossy codec. We confirm cutting suitability during technical review.