You’ve probably heard of mastering and know that this concept applies to the world of music. Nowadays, you can’t do without mastering when creating modern tracks. It is a very important stage, without which you won’t have a finished music track.
If this topic is interesting for you, you can read more about it here https://www.majormixing.com/mastering/. At first glance, this process may seem complicated. After all, not everyone can understand music production very well. So let’s get started
What is mastering in music?
In simple words, mastering is the process of processing an already finished and whole track in order to add final changes and improve its quality on different levels.
It involves working with EQ, amplifiers, compressors and other tools that help process the song.
Mastering affects the overall sound of the album, it is necessary to ensure that all the tracks are at the same level in terms of sound quality, that there were no differences in volume and that the album sounded as a whole and all the tracks in it were in harmony with each other.
One of the main purposes of mastering is to adjust the track to such parameters so that the sound sounds equally good on any device and sound resources.
In general, everything must be in balance. Some people mistakenly think that mastering is responsible for volume, but it is not. Rather, it’s more about musical integrity and the balance of different effects.
Mastering is the next step after mixing, so don’t confuse these notions. This is the stage where the final adjustments and track finishes are made.
What affects the quality and correctness of mastering?
Every professional working in the field of sound recording knows that there are a number of conditions for quality mastering. In brief, the results of mastering directly depend on:
• quality equipment
• mixing quality and completeness
• the use of basic mastering tools
• specialist professionalism
To be satisfied with the results of the mastering, you must have high-quality and up-to-date equipment. For example, a digital signal router has become a reliable companion for engineers, and monitor speakers help you better evaluate the sound quality. Powerful hardware allows engineers to do mastering fast enough, using all the necessary tools.
As for the mixing, it should also be at a high level, because mastering will not be able to fully correct the mistakes that were made in the process of mixing. In spite of the fact that this is the final stage, where the last adjustments take place, the material should still be as close to the finished track as possible.
The main mastering tools are compression, equalization and maximization.
Compression is the process of changing the dynamics of a sound, leveling its volume, making a loud sound quieter. A compressor is essentially an automatic volume control.
Equalization is the process of correcting the Amplitude-Frequency response of the finished track.
Maximization is the process of correcting loudness and peaks.
And of course, the quality of mastering depends on the experience and professionalism of the engineer. A person with good hearing and delicate musical taste will be able to create an amazing balance between all the elements and bring the sound of the track to the expected ideal.
