Estúdio Ícaro Support Center

Our standard support hours are Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Brasília Time, GMT-3). We strive to respond to all inquiries within 24 business hours. For urgent project-related issues outside these hours, clients with ongoing projects may have access to alternative contact methods provided by their project manager.

We recommend referring to our detailed 'Track Submission Guidelines' available in the Guides & Tutorials section. This guide covers preferred file formats (e.g., WAV, AIFF), sample rates, bit depths, naming conventions, and secure transfer methods like WeTransfer, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Proper file preparation ensures a smooth start to your project.

Absolutely! We welcome clients to our state-of-the-art facility located at 1570 Rua Augusta, Conjunto 501, São Paulo. However, visits are by appointment only to ensure we can dedicate the necessary time and attention to you and ongoing sessions. Please contact us to schedule a tour or consultation.

Estúdio Ícaro accepts a variety of payment methods for your convenience, including direct bank transfers (PIX for Brazilian clients), major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express), and PayPal for international transactions. Specific payment details and instructions will be clearly outlined on your invoice.

All invoices are sent electronically to the email address associated with your client account upon confirmation of service or at agreed-upon project milestones. If you haven't received an invoice or require a copy, please check your spam/junk folder first, then contact our support team at support@<?php echo $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']; ?> with your project details.

Please bring your own instruments (guitars, basses, specific drum kit cymbals/snare if preferred, etc.), any necessary accessories like picks, capos, drumsticks, and cables you are comfortable with. Also, bring lyric sheets, chord charts, or scores. If you have reference tracks that inspire the sound you're aiming for, bring those too! We provide high-quality microphones, headphones, preamps, and a comfortable, acoustically treated recording environment. If you have specific backline requirements (e.g., amplifiers, drum kits), please discuss this with us during booking.

Our standard mixing packages typically include two rounds of revisions. This allows for initial adjustments after you hear the first mix, and a second round for fine-tuning. We encourage clear and consolidated feedback for each revision round to make the process efficient. Additional revisions beyond the included amount can be requested and may be subject to an additional fee, which will be discussed transparently beforehand.

Mixing is the process of blending individual recorded tracks together to create a cohesive stereo (or surround) audio file. This involves adjusting levels, panning, EQ, compression, and effects on each track. Mastering is the final step of audio post-production. It involves processing the final stereo mix to optimize its overall sound quality, ensure consistent loudness across an album, and prepare it for distribution on various platforms (streaming, CD, vinyl). Mastering addresses the song as a whole, not individual instruments.

Our primary focus is on the recording, editing, mixing, and mastering of voice-over audio. While we don't directly employ voice talent, we have a network of professional Brazilian Portuguese and English-speaking voice actors we can recommend based on your project's requirements. We can also facilitate casting if needed. If you already have your voice talent, we are fully equipped to record them in our studio or process their pre-recorded audio.

While our core podcast services cover recording, editing, mixing, and mastering your episodes to professional standards, we can also provide guidance and consultation on setting up your podcast hosting and submitting it to major directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and others. We ensure your final audio files are optimized for these platforms.

We provide comprehensive sound design and audio post-production services for a wide range of media, including films (shorts and features), television shows, commercials, animations, video games, corporate videos, and interactive installations. This includes foley recording, sound effects creation and editing, dialogue editing and ADR, ambience design, and final mix (stereo or 5.1 surround).

• Check Internet Connection: Ensure you have a stable and reasonably fast internet connection. Large audio files require good bandwidth.
• File Size Limits: Verify if the file size exceeds any limits specified by the transfer service (e.g., WeTransfer free tier limits). Consider splitting very large projects if possible.
• Browser Issues: Try a different web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) or clear your current browser's cache and cookies. Sometimes extensions can interfere.
• Firewall/VPN: Temporarily disable any VPN or strict firewall settings that might be blocking the upload.
• Server Status: Check if the file transfer service itself is experiencing any outages.
• Contact Us: If the problem persists after trying these steps, please contact us with details about the error message you're receiving and the method you're using. We might suggest an alternative transfer solution.

For optimal quality, we strongly recommend the following:

• For Mixing: Submit uncompressed multi-tracks (individual instrument/vocal stems) as WAV or AIFF files. Ensure they are exported at the original session's sample rate (e.g., 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz) and bit depth (usually 24-bit or 32-bit float). All tracks should start from the same point (bar 1, beat 1) to ensure they align correctly. Turn off any master bus processing (limiters, compressors, master EQ) from your rough mix.
• For Mastering: Provide the final stereo mix as a single WAV or AIFF file, again at the original session's sample rate and bit depth. Leave adequate headroom (around -3dBFS to -6dBFS peak) and avoid any limiting or maximizing on the master bus.
• Avoid Lossy Formats: Do not submit MP3s, AACs, or other lossy compressed formats for mixing or mastering, as these formats discard audio information that cannot be recovered.

Please refer to our 'Track Submission Guidelines' for more details.

If a preview file doesn't sound as expected, here are a few steps to check:

• Playback System: First, ensure your playback system (headphones, speakers, audio interface, computer sound card) is functioning correctly. Test with a familiar, professionally produced track to see if the issue is widespread.
• Volume Levels: Check that your playback volume isn't too high, which could cause clipping or distortion in your audio interface or speakers. Also, ensure no software EQs or "sound enhancers" are active on your computer's audio output.
• Download Fully: If streaming the preview, ensure it has fully buffered or downloaded. Incomplete downloads can cause playback errors.
• Different Player: Try playing the file in a different media player (e.g., VLC, QuickTime, your DAW) to rule out player-specific issues.
• Reference Environment: Listen on a system you are familiar with for audio quality assessment.
• Notify Us: If the issue persists across different systems/players, please notify us immediately. Provide as much detail as possible: specific timecodes where issues occur, a description of the problem (e.g., "distortion on vocals," "bass sounds muddy"), and information about your playback setup. This helps us diagnose if the issue is with the file itself or needs further clarification.