Whatever your level of expertise, whether you’re an award-winning, full-time composer or just a self-taught musician, you can always benefit from a good mastering process. While working as a mastering engineer, I’ve come across many artists who are wary of the process, referring to it as a “dark art.” The process of mastering isn’t supposed to be secret, and it’s not only reserved for big-name musicians and labels.
Each and every song that’s ever been recorded deserves to be heard in the greatest possible quality. The merits of mastering, and why you should not be afraid to collaborate with a mastering engineer or learn the craft yourself, will be discussed here.
Ali Stone, an EDM producer, and award-winning production team Alvin Wee and Rendra Zawawi explain why mastering is so important to you as a musician or producer.
Mastering is conceptually distinct from mixing because of the mechanics of mastering.
Recording, mixing, and mastering are the three main steps in the music production process, which you study about in Music Production 101. As we’ll see in a moment, mastery is often considered a distinct step from creation and refinement. Because mastering is done on a separate stage, you are able to produce the sound you want without having to worry about the limitations of loudness or distribution platforms. It’s a good idea to make mixing your main emphasis, since it may lead to more creative output.
Mixing and mastering technologies like Tonal Balance Control, for example, make it possible to smoothly integrate the skill of mastering into one’s own mixing process. Mastering has been a game changer for EDM producer and mix engineer Ali Stone since it has allowed her to fully express her artistic vision.
“The “cherry on top” of my creations and mixes has always been mastering.” My creative approach includes all three phases of production, mixing, and mastering. For every song I write, I have an idea of how I want it to sound when played loudly, so I give each step of the writing process my full attention. I start by producing a wonderful production, and then I mix it to get the final sound I’m going for in the song. Ultimately, I’ve mastered the cohesion, expanding it and making it louder,” he writes.” As cited by Ali Stone:
Ali Stone is an electronic music producer.
Ali Stone, an EDM producer, credits the mastering process with helping her reach her full creative potential.
Mastering offers a broader perspective.
When you’re mixing, you tend to concentrate on the tiniest parts of your sound. The mastering process, on the other hand, entails listening to the recording from a more macro viewpoint, as opposed to focusing on the details. That’s not what I’m looking for!” Engineers may be heard yelling at each other in the recording studios.
This is OK, we’re only looking at the forest as it may appear when it’s finished. What concerns do you have that, if not addressed, may devastate the ecosystem as a whole? Does this need to be addressed now, or is it preferable to wait until the mastering stage to deal with it?
As an example, consider a complex electronic production with a strong emphasis on the bass and kick drums. For example, distortions and a lack of clarity might arise in the mastering process if the low-end buildup was not carefully sculpted and adjusted during the mixing stage. Mastering tools like the Low End Focus module in Pro Tools may help with this, as can judicious subtractive EQ adjustments.
. However, if you’re also the mix engineer in this case, you’re in a unique position to make adjustments and improvements to your mastering chain during the mix session.
When you’re mixing, think about all the things you can tweak in the mastering step to make the music sound even better. Maintaining perspective as you work through these mixing problems is made easier by the Tonal Balance Control plug-context-based in’s metering functions. Putting in the time and effort to complete this task will not only help you develop your production abilities, but it will also help you increase the quality of your mixes and the final masters.
Compression, limiters, and EQ are all tools that may be used in a mastering session without sacrificing the integrity of the song.” I learned a lot through these conquering obstacles, though. For example, I’d notice some aspects of the mix that I’d want to improve upon. When it comes to making my music better, mastering has been a huge assistance.” As cited by Ali Stone:
The process of mastering helps you develop your production and mixing skills
With mastering, you can ensure that your work is consistent and cohesive.
While you’re creating your music, you should put all of your energy into honing your craft and ensuring that it sounds great on all of the numerous playback platforms you’ll encounter. Having your music professionally mixed and mastered ensures that it will hold its own in a streaming playlist with similarly produced songs. In a similar vein, mastering guarantees that your music flows smoothly from the start of the album sequence to the finish.
Every song on an album should be seen as a component of a greater jigsaw, not as a stand-alone piece. It’s your job as the mastering engineer to bring out the finest in each track while also keeping the album’s sound in mind as you make your mastering selections. An album mastering example of cohesiveness in action is shown below.
A renowned mastering engineer helped Alvin Wee and Rendra Zawawi cement their position in Malaysia’s burgeoning music industry. Because of the huge variety of genres and recording methods represented in their work, having a second set of ears capable of critical listening is essential to maintaining a high level of quality and coherence throughout all of their projects
With the support of a trustworthy mastering engineer, producer team Alvin Wee and Rendra Zawawi have been able to cement their position in the Malaysian music industry and beyond.
“A lot of our projects are recorded in various parts throughout the globe” (i.e strings from a concert hall, brass from a less-than-ideal studio, choir from a studio in China, etc). As a result of the mastering process, our recordings are given an additional level of gloss. As cited by Alvin Wee:
To make an album for Alvin and Rendra, a broad range of materials from various recording settings are combined from across the world and then mixed by Alvin Wee in Los Angeles. This responsibility falls to the mastering engineer since Alvin and Rendra’s concentration is on making sure every distinct piece is brought together into a single harmonic, fully completed song.
To ensure complete satisfaction, mastering serves as one last quality assurance check.
Finally, your music will polished and ready for listening. As the last step before releasing your music to a wider audience, this is also the best opportunity to double-check the audio for any problems and maximize the full potential of your work.
When it comes to mastering, editing problems and noise concerns are two of the most common issues that are often overlooked until they are brought to light by a limiter. Adjustments are performed back in the mixing stage when the mastering engineer falls across these scenarios or tools such as be relieved employing
In a previous post, Creative Uses of RX in Audio Mastering, you may learn how RX has been employed in various mastering situations.
“To us, mastery resembles a checkpoint. Listener weariness or the need to adjust particular notes might cause mistakes to sneak through the gaps. As a result, having someone with a fresh set of eyes and ears who can listen critically is beneficial.” As cited by Alvin Wee:
Having your music professionally mastered provides you peace of mind, knowing that you’ve done everything right before releasing it to the public: no corners were cut, and no details were overlooked.
One of the most difficult aspects of mixing and mastering your own music is keeping an open mind after spending so much time immersed in a project.
For this essential step of quality control, you may depend on a number of useful solutions that we’ve explored in more detail before. When it comes to resetting your hearing, you need to give yourself time and distance. Your ears will be able to hear things more clearly when you take a step back and see the music as a whole, rather than just the sum of its parts.
“When we work, we don’t cut shortcuts and offer the whole production a special touch that includes additional care and attention.” As cited by Alvin Wee:
“Mastering is about having the assurance that your music and sound will be reproduced and presented across all platforms in the manner you intend. The mastering process includes, at the very least, finding a skilled mastering engineer in whom you have confidence.” in the words of Rendra Zawawi
To sum up, mastering is not a malevolent practice.
You can’t convert your music into the next big thing by just pressing a button while you’re mastering it. If you want to take your music to the next level, you’ll need to have a good working relationship with your mastering engineer.
There are a plethora of internet tools for those who want to learn more about honing their craft. In the beginning, it may seem difficult to get started, but patience and enthusiasm are all that is required. Having fun is as important as being open-minded and receptive.