Why Master Your Music?
The process of mastering (or more precisely pre-mastering), is the last creative step in the recording process and the first step in CD or album replication (manufacturing). Music mastering is an art and a science and there are NO shortcuts for years of ear training and NO software application which can substitute for years of experience.
For illustration, compare CD mastering to the editor’s job of taking a raw manuscript and turning it into a book. The book editor must understand syntax, grammar, organization and writing style, as well as know the arcane techniques of binding, color separation, printing presses and the like. Likewise, the CD mastering engineer marries the art of music with the science of sound.
As an artist, producer, engineer or independent label you may ask yourself, “Why do I need to master?” Of course this is a valid question, particularly when you are on a tight budget and pre-mastering represents spending more money! There are several reasons for mastering:
- Perfecting the spacing and level changes between songs.
- Perfecting the overall tonal balance of each song that may not have been achieved in mixing.
- Perfecting the dynamics of each song so that the record is at its optimum level.
- Consistency between songs so that transitions sound natural.
- To gain that competitive, world-class sound worthy of comparison to any major label release.
- To acquire a low-BLER master disc, suitable for mass replication, that retains every nuance of your original performance and is truly ready to be accepted by a manufacturing plant.
In fact, many producers often have no idea in what order to arrange the tracks until after all mixes are completed. Track mix down can take anywhere from 4 hours to 4 weeks, depending on the producer’s predilections, the artist’s whims and the budget. Normally each tune is mixed in isolation and rarely does one have the luxury to switch and compare the songs as mixing proceeds. Some mixes may be done at 2 am, when ears are fatigued or at 12 noon when ears are fresh. These things can even happen after weeks in the studio, and the problems sometimes don’t become apparent until the album is assembled in its intended order.
Tending to all these factors will result in a release that is far superior in sound quality to one that has been poorly mastered or not mastered at all. Mastering requires an “accurate” listening environment, specific outboard gear and a mastering engineer with years of experience to do a good job. After all, you are relying upon this person to make final judgments about the sound of your music.
Why spend money on Mastering?
Because it will sound better, of course! But seriously-you’ll prefer the sound of your recording after it’s spent some time in the mastering room. Most importantly, don’t skimp on this stage! You’ll want an objective ear, with years of mastering experience to give your music that “major label” sound.
Mastering facilities won’t change your music unless they have your explicit permission to do so. If you want your CDs to sound exactly the same as your digital master, then all they do is make sure that the highest peak actually reaches -0.1dBfs, that each track starts and ends cleanly and that there is digital silence between the tracks where appropriate. This is usually accomplished on a computer by carefully monitoring the levels to within one-tenth of a dB, then adjusting the overall peak and silence with digital faders; the time taken for mastering is consequently only about twice the program duration. These leave-it-alone jobs are very quick, easy and economic.
However, good mastering engineers know how to make your music sound better. Using sophisticated techniques, they can improve the clarity, definition, and depth of your recording. They can add equalization and limiting, remove hiss, hum, crackles and clicks; they take care of timing problems, dropouts, glitches, and dropped notes. They can even get rid of unwanted words for radio play.
What to look for in a Mastering Engineer
The mastering engineer must have a musical as well as technical background, good ears, and an excellent sense of pitch, sophisticated digital processing tools and the knowledge to use them correctly. They are sensitive to the producer and artist’s needs while treating each project or CD with individual attention. They must also understand what will happen to the CD when it hits the radio, car or home stereo system. Just because the engineer who recorded your music did a good job, does not mean he can master it equally as well.
The engineer should be willing to explain what it is they will do in the mastering process.
There are many mastering studios that claim they have some “magic” technology that is not available anywhere else. Although it would be nice if there was some “black magic” box that would make your music sound incredible, this is simply not true. The quality of mastering is determined by only two things: the quality of the mastering studio and the experience and expertise of the mastering engineer.
Author's biography:
For over 25 years, Grammy-nominated audio engineer Mark Calice of Ardenwood Sound & DVD, has been working as a recording / CD / DVD mastering engineer, production sound mixer and music producer as well as a media artwork design specialist.
