Mastering

Mastering used to be the process of processing the stereo track to get it ready before getting it onto the final product which the consumer puts in his stereo system. The basic idea behind mastering is getting the mixed stereo track to sound good on many different types of stereo's, car systems, walkmans and on the media it is used or played on tape/CD or broadcasted on radio/TV.

Mastering effects

To get a stereo track to sound good on a media like CD, processors / effects like: compressors, limiters, equalizers and the latest kind of maximizer or loudness effects are used. These effects should not really introduce it's own sound but should be high quality and that's the reason the analog processors are quite expensive. But then there is the digital world and the line seems to disappear. Not only do programmers include very transparent effect but they also included effects that have the warmer sound of analog processors.

Both?

Now that most people have many effects and also some mastering tools and easy ways of burning CD's what does the mean for mixing and mastering? For instance it opens up a new way of doing both. You can actually hear a little of what the mix will sound like when having it mastered or mastering yourself. Just print all the mastering effects on one of your own mixes with a sample editor like a compressors, equalizers, limiters and loudness/maximizers and listen back how it can sound when it's mastered. You can even put it on a CD and start listening to these semi mastered songs on your car system and other systems. Don't like it? Go back to mixing and see what you can fix.

Or even better put the effects or an effect/mastering processor on your outputs or between your computers soundcard or mixing desk and your monitor system and hook up some stereo systems too. Now you don't only hear the mix you would normally do but you can also hear how it would sound after additional mastering processing and maximizing on both your monitor system and even a crappy stereo system, or multiple.

So now you can both mix and "master" at once, or at least listen to what the mastered version can sound like. So why doesn't it sound like the songs you listen to on TV, radio or CD? Well you need another plug-in. It's called the experience plug-in. Oops.... That one hasn't been invented yet, has it?

The important thing about mastering is that when you already have a good mix you need to listen different than you do with mixing. The changes when made during mastering are much more subtle and with a different purpose. You don't have to concentrate on the individual tracks but you have to listen to the effect of the processing on the mix and have to wonder how it will sound on different systems, speakers, environments. A little different than mixing.

Impossible when you are mixing? Not really, but as many things in life it takes time, practice and experience.

Back to mixing.. err mastering.. mixtering?

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