Mastering

What is Mastering?

Mastering is the final sound processing, the optimization of a master whether it is a piece or the whole record, before it is released in production. But why does a master from the studio need some editing?

Let's look at some reasons:

* First of all from the mixing process which can last 1-2-3 or more weeks, it is very normal to have differences from piece to piece which can be differences in frequencies, dynamic range, amplitude stereo image etc.

* Still, comparing the mixes with some reference recordings we see that they may lag behind in transparency, liveliness, sense of spatial distribution. Some of these elements could possibly be improved with a new mix. But this is not certain, especially if in some mix we have achieved a wonderful balance between the various instruments and the voices.

* In some other places, we may have unwanted noises, and blowing deformations that need to be removed.

* Also, many studios have neither the excellent listening conditions nor the quality of some of the top machines that offer the best mastering studios. But the most important thing is that an experienced sound engineer listening to the material with a clean ear, away from the pressure of the studio and in controlled conditions, will give the final touches that will lead it to its aesthetic completion. The mastering engineer, in addition to excellent knowledge of the instruments and the process, must have the musical knowledge and sensitivity that will allow him to understand the character of the composition and the musical style so that he can have an opinion on the technique and aesthetics. improvement of the master, without altering the primary work of the composer, orchestrator, producer, and sound engineer but on the contrary, to improve it.

Many believe that mastering is a standard process, often useless or even dangerous for the final condition of the material. Thus, aiming at low cost, they trust the product of their mixing to a cheap workstation for the standard coding process and any corrections, reaching the phenomenon many times, the final CD sounds much worse than the master. On the contrary, a proper mastering process on the one hand ensures the excellent listening conditions of the material, on the other hand, with devices and workstations that cost ten times more than the previous ones, but mainly with the experience of a sound engineer mastering the quality, frequency balance, analysis, dynamic range as a whole but also the microdynamics, are improved - if of course this is needed - to the point that many times the feeling is created that a new mix has been made. This does not overemphasize the importance of mastering which is always a comparative work.

 Simply, as important as it is to have good material, good musicians, good orchestration, good sound engineer, good studio and good mix, it is just as important to have a serious mastering to complete an album. Those who work in this field know that even a simple transfer is not an easy task. It is very common for production CDs to end up not only not better, but much worse than the original mix. For these reasons mastering should be considered the necessary last stage of the recording process and not the first stage of production