The Ultimate Onboarding Guide
Because you asked for the full guide
Yeah, got you interested to read a longer wall of text. Here's more context on the onboarding page, where we share visuals and detailed explanations for each part.
💡 Quick Overview: Need just the essentials? Check out ourTLDR versionfor a condensed overview of all chapters.
Chapter 1: The Creative Brief
The Blueprint for Your Sound
Short lead cycles is how we keep costs low. The more detail on the page, the more accurately we can build your vision.
1.1 How to start
Your demo is the seed from which your final track will grow. It doesn't need to be polished, but it must communicate the core musical idea.
If you don't have one, give us a reference track.
- MIDI File (.mid): The absolute best. It gives us the exact notes and timing, allowing for maximum flexibility with instrumentation.
- MP3 Audio File (.mp3): The most common. A simple recording from your phone or a bounce from your software is perfect.
- Private URL (SoundCloud, YouTube): Easy and effective. Ensure the link is accessible to us.
Pro Tip: Include a "Scratch" Vocal
Chapter 2: The Collaboration
Aligning Our Workflow
2.1 Deliverables: Dry vs. Wet Records
This is one of the most important technical decisions you will make. It determines what kind of files you receive at the end of the project.
A "wet" record is the final, polished stereo file (usually .WAV and .mp3). It has all the mixing and effects (reverb, delay, compression) applied. It's ready for immediate release.
Best for:
"Dry" stems are the individual instrument groups (e.g., one file for drums, one for bass, one for vocals) delivered *without* any effects. They are the raw, unprocessed ingredients of your track.
Best for:
2.2 "I am an artist that just wants a backing track"
We recommend you get both the mastered and mixed versions of the wet instrumental track.
The mixed version should be the one you use for your live performance and recordings. Normally, all you have to do is to just add your vocals to the mixed instrumental track and adjust the levels.
The mastered version is the one you use for referencing the final levels for your mix.
You can obviously still get the dry stems if you want to mix it yourself and have the plugins to do so.
Chapter 3: The Agreement
Understanding Rights & Licensing
Music licensing can seem complex, but it's all about answering one question: "How do you intend to use this music?" Your answer determines the type of agreement we'll need. This section will help you choose the right one, saving you time and money.
3.1 The Three Main Types of Agreements
Use Case: Releasing a song on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. as a music artist.
What You Get: You get ownership of the Master Recording (the final, mixed audio file), but not the underlying composition (the melody and lyrics). This is the standard for most artist/producer agreements.
Use Case: Using the music in a visual medium (film, ad, game, YouTube video).
What You Get: You get the right to "sync" our music to your picture for a specific purpose and term. We (Nelworks) retain full ownership of the music. This is highly flexible and cost-effective.
Use Case: A company's sonic logo, a film's main theme, or any project where you need to own the music itself.
What You Get: You become the legal author and owner of both the master and the underlying composition. This is the most comprehensive and, therefore, the most expensive option.
3.2 "I am / have an artist that will be performing this song"
If you are / have an artist that will be performing this song, we recommend getting the (3) Work-for-Hire and credit the Nelworks' team as the composer to keep the most control.
If (3) Work-for-Hire is not taken, we Nelworks own the master and composition, you are credited as the performer, and you will be granted a short-term exclusive (typically 12-36 months) (2) Synchronization License to use the song for performance or ads. After the exclusive period expiry, you can either renew the license or purchase the full buyout if you don't want us to license it to other clients.
3.2 Exclusivity: The Key to Unlocking Value
Do you really need an exclusive license?
However, for many digital uses (like a social media campaign or a corporate video), a Non-Exclusive License is a much smarter investment. It provides the same world-class sound at a significantly lower cost because we retain the right to license the track to other clients in non-competing industries.
That said, you could risk sharing the same sound with other clients, which could be a problem if you're trying to build a brand identity. By default, the exclusive license lasts for 12 months and requires a renewal.
Always ask us if a non-exclusive option is a good fit for your project. It's the easiest way to maximize your budget.
Chapter 4: The Transaction
Our Financial Framework
Don't pay more than just the price on the print. I'm talking about missed opportunities, missed deadlines, and missed chances to work with us.
4.1 Payment Structure
We operate on a standard 25/25/50 milestone-based payment model.
- 25% Downpayment: A non-refundable 25% downpayment is required to officially book your project into our schedule and for work to begin. This secures your spot and allows us to allocate dedicated resources.
- 25% Project Start: The next 25% is due upon the project start. This is to cover the studio time and resources that have already been allocated to your project. Project start happens when required materials are provided and scope decided.
- 50% Final Payment: The remaining 50% is due upon your final approval of the track(s), before we deliver the high-resolution, unwatermarked master files.
4.2 Cancellation & Dormancy
Life happens, and plans can change. These policies are in place to fairly handle unexpected interruptions.
If you decide to cancel the project for any reason after work has commenced, the 25-50% downpayment is retained as a breakup fee. This fairly compensates for the creative work, studio time, and resources that have already been invested in your project.
Rights Reversion on Cancellation
A project is considered dormant if an invoice goes unpaid for 30 days, or if we are waiting on essential client feedback for more than 30 days. We will notify you when a project enters dormancy.
If the project remains dormant for an additional 14 days post-notification, the contract is considered terminated, and the same rights reversion clause from our cancellation policy applies.
Resuming a Dormant Project
Chapter 5: The Journey
Milestones & Project Flow
Lead cycles. Lead cycles. Lead cycles. The faster we get it done, the lower the cost we can get for you.
Week 1: The Sketch
Our Delivery: A 60-90 second musical sketch outlining the core melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic ideas.
Your Feedback: This is the "big picture" phase. Does it capture the right *feeling*? Is the core emotion correct? This is the best time for foundational changes.
Weeks 2-3: The Full Arrangement
Our Delivery: The full-length track with all instruments arranged, structured, and developed from beginning to end.
Your Feedback: Focus on structure, pacing, and flow. Does the energy build and release correctly? Are any sections too long or short? This is the last chance for major structural edits before we commit to the final mix.
Final Delivery & Revisions
Our Delivery: The first fully mixed and mastered version of your track.
Your Feedback: Focus on small, specific tweaks (e.g., "Can the vocal be a little louder in the chorus?" or "Let's reduce the reverb on the snare drum"). Your project includes two rounds of these reasonable revisions.
5.1 Project Closure
Our journey concludes when one of the following occurs:
- You give your final, enthusiastic approval of the master.
- Your two included rounds of revisions have been completed.
- The 7-day window for providing revision feedback expires after the final version is delivered.