What Is 'Mastering'...and When Do I Need It?

These are questions that many musicians, songwriters, bands, and recording artists ask at some point in their recording career. At one time in 'recording history', the process of 'mastering' was a direct part of any recording.  The majority of recorded product was... a 'record', and making one required the talented mind & hands of a skilled 'mastering engineer'.   When the CD (and other digital media) came along, this changed.  It was possible to separate the processes of recording, from any creation of finished media, and the task of 'mastering' could be placed in the hands of nearly anyone.  While this may seem a good thing in certain situations (you know... 'power to the people'!), there can be some pitfalls in assuming that experience & specialized equipment is no longer relevant.

Regardless of how you intend to accomplish it, one should raise the issue of mastering early in the planning and budgeting of any recording project. In the case of a recording being produced in the home or project studio without label support, mastering may go un-addressed, with the result being that the finished product falls well short of its potential sonically.

So... what is 'mastering'? Mastering can be described as, "The last step in the creative process, and the first step in the manufacturing of, a recording." Mastering is, most importantly, the opportunity to have a set of impartial, experienced ears evaluate your work.

When we say 'the last step in the creative process', we are saying that we make adjustments to the final mixes, edit the varioius pieces, and assemble the final 'master'. The adjustments may include the following processes:

• spectral refinement and correction (EQ etc.)
• dynamics enhancement and optimization (compression, expansion, limiting)
• stereo image enhancement (balancing and/or expanding the left/right image)
• song editing, sequencing, spacing, fading (creating the playlist that defines how the audience will hear your music)
• PQ coding (setting the start and stop times that locate the beginning & duration)
• CD-Text (song title & artist info that may be displayed by a set-top player)

There is often a considerable metamorphosis from a set of good mixes to a great sounding master when handled with the proper care and tools of a professional mastering engineer & their facility. Not every project requires a great deal of processing. Each piece of music calls for its own identity, and fits into the grand scheme of the entire album. Great mastering can transform a group of musical pieces into that album.

The first step in manufacturing?   This is a critical point which is crucial to maintaining sonic quality.  Professional mastering is a technical checkpoint for your recording. Once all creative work is complete, and the music is communicating exactly what you intended, it must be meticulously transferred to the master media. Reference and safety copies need to be generated from that master. That master must be checked for data integrity and viability for replication, to ensure that there will be no issues that may result in missed deadlines or producing defective discs.  A professional mastering facility will likely insist on providing a safety master, as well as an archive of all work and documentation to enable recreation of the master.

"I'll just master it myself or use the recording studio to master it."

This is a strong temptation as many studios have acquired digital audio workstations and mix processing boxes. There is a fundamental problem with this approach. The same engineer who tracks, mixes, and masters an album, using the same room, the same set of ears, and the same perspective can end up compounding problems that may not be apparent until the work is complete. Inferior monitoring may mask problems in the recording.  Budget workstations will brutalize the sound of the music, and "all-in-one-boxes" can be inadvertently overused.

Professional mastering rooms are configured specifically for mastering, and differently than a typical recording studio. While a recording/mixing room is designed to accommodate lots of gear and the aesthetics for the musicians to capture their ideas, the mastering studio may resemble the environment where the finished music will be played...more like a great sounding, calibrated living-room. The opportunity to have the music worked on in this space is invaluable. Perspective is extremely important to proper mastering.

Good recording engineers & producers recognize the value of quality mastering and develop a collaborative working relationship with the mastering studio. The improvement in the sound of the music, and the piece of mind that brings, are what make a quality professional mastering job invaluable.