What is Mastering?
Mastering is the final step in the recording process, where all the songs are checked for errors and the album is prepared for retail sale. This preparation can include a number of things, but usually involves some sort of additional processing (or “sweetening” as many places like to call it) in order to make songs sound clearer and better. There are a great deal of personal tricks used by various mastering engineers which in part contributes to some of the mystique surrounding their practices. Processing is almost always done on the final mixes, not individual tracks. An example of said processing would be running a song through a powerful and transparent equalizer in order to properly balance the track. Oftentimes, additional compression and limiting is applied to the final mixes in order to give them a more “commercial” sound. In addition to this extra last check processing, more mundane tasks such as properly sequencing the song orders, crossfade editing, and PQ coding takes place
CD mastering has a reputation as a mysterious art known only to a musical high priesthood. In fact, the right mastering can make a good recording sound excellent, and possibly turn a great one into a legend. Most discs can be made competitive for radio and in-store play. To use an analogy – Every album has a “voice” in which the message of the artist is delivered. A strong performance and good recording technique will set the basic tone for this voice. Mastering can then profoundly affect it’s impact and resonance. How? My guideline is: do what serves the music. A wide range of techniques can bring out an album’s native voice. Depth, punch, sense of air and detail can all be enhanced. Vintage tube processors may work, or the latest technology could be appropriate. The solution sometimes goes against logic. Experience and a feel for the music determine the best path. The process: Most people are familiar with the idea of recording music in a live concert or recording studio. You make ta
Mastering is the final creative process during which the source material is processed using equalization, compression, limiting, noise reduction and other processes. Subsequently, it is rendered to a medium such as CD, DVD or analog tape. The mastered material is also put in the proper order at this stage. More tasks such as editing, pre-gapping, leveling, fading in and out, noise reduction and other signal restoration and enhancement processes can be applied at this stage.
