At elasticStage, we transfer your content onto media as faithfully as possible, preserving the sound of your uploaded files without making creative or unnecessary changes.

Because vinyl and CD are physical formats, there are technical considerations to be aware of before uploading your audio. This guide explains how to prepare your files correctly for both formats based on how our system works today.

This sets expectations clearly and protects you legally.

We accept:

Files must:

Our vinyl is manufactured using high-quality converters running at 96 kHz / 24-bit.

For best results, we recommend uploading at 96 kHz / 24-bit.

Other supported formats:

Any other sampling rate or bit depth will be converted to 96/24.

CDs are produced according to the Red Book CD standard, which is:

Any other format will be converted to this standard.

To ensure compatibility across CD players:

Why?

Some CD players:

when true peak levels exceed this threshold.

We maintain the relative loudness between all tracks.

If one track is quieter intentionally, it will remain quieter.

We embed metadata as CD Text, but not all CD players support this feature.

Vinyl has physical characteristics not present in CD or streaming formats. These affect:

We do not apply artistic mastering decisions on your behalf.

Unlike traditional vinyl masters:

If tracks should play seamlessly into each other, they will.

If you want silence between tracks, add it to the end of the preceding track (as streaming platforms do).

Vinyl has limited space per side.

There is a trade-off between:

Longer or bass-heavy content:

Quieter or shorter content:

We produce vinyl at a default maximum playback level, but this may decrease if more space is required.

We maintain the loudness relationship between tracks per side.

Toward the centre of a vinyl side:

Very loud high frequencies (such as strong sibilance or aggressive cymbals) may cause distortion.

Common practices include:

These are artistic decisions that we do not make on your behalf.

Common vinyl preparation practices include:

We provide a correlation meter in the Tracks tab.

If the meter stays in the red (between 0 and -1) for extended periods at high levels, vinyl quality may degrade and the risk of skipping increases.

Short red readings at low levels (e.g. reverb tails) are normal.

Vinyl mastering is not mandatory.

Well-mastered content prepared for streaming or CD often works well.

However, vinyl mastering can improve sound quality.

We do not provide a dedicated vinyl mastering service.

Vinyl playback depends heavily on:

Cheaper turntables (typically under $100) are more likely to skip, especially with:

We aim to strike a balance between:

Our manufacturing method allows for lower noise levels, which helps reduce skipping on affordable turntables.

However, no vinyl is completely skip-proof, especially on very low-cost players.

If you experience skipping:

We do not automatically add silence.

To create silence:

This follows the same principle used by streaming platforms.

We strongly recommend ordering a test copy before releasing your vinyl, especially if you are new to the format.

If adjustments are required:

Before uploading your audio to elasticStage, make sure:

Once your audio is prepared, you can upload your tracks individually.

If you're unsure about how to upload your files or manage track layout, see:
→ How to Upload Tracks & Enter Metadata on elasticStage