So you're a musician that just recorded your first album. You probably went into a recording studio and played all of your parts a couple of times, with the audio engineer handling all of the technical stuff. As far as you know, they should be able to take all the parts they recorded, burn it to a disc, and then it should be ready to press. While this isn't completely wrong, most professional musicians take their mixed down recording and pass it off to someone else for mastering.
What is Mastering?
Mastering is the final step in the production of an album where the final "polish" is added to the recording. This is done by sonically enhancing the clarity of the mixes, and ensure consistensy from track to track. This makes the compilation of songs sound more coherent and ensures that the mixes sound well in all formats and on all listening devices.
What exactly does a professional mastering technician do when mastering a recording?
There is really far too much to be said about the mastering process, but to sum it up in 3 categories...
1. Loudness Maximization
The first thing one notices when listening to an unmastered track is that it is not nearly as loud when compared to a CD. One of the most important jobs a mastering engineer has is to make sure that all audio is at a healthy "volume", and that the loudness is consistent between tracks.
2. Ensuring a Consistent Balance of Frequencies
This ensures that all frequencies are properly controlled within the mix and the frequency balance is consistent from track to track. For example, the low end may need to be compressed to tame a wild bass, or mid-range frequencies may need to be enhanced to beef up a weak snare drum. Each track is analyzed and treated according to its individual needs.
3. Noise Reduction
This is the process of removing noise from an audio signal. When using analog technology, sound recordings exhibit a type of noise known as tape hiss. This is related to the particle size and texture used in the magnetic emulsion that is sprayed on the recording media, and also to the relative tape velocity across the tape heads. Processes are undergone to eliminate the offending sounds, ensuring your mix is free of unwanted noise.
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