Mastering...

C

Cageofmind

New member
Okay, So I know this is a really stupid question, and I am sure it has been answered a million times in this forum, but what the hell is Mastering? What is the actual process you go through to Master a product? I am so confused. I am really just trying to get a better understanding of all this. Help me! Thanks!
 
It's basically the last adjustment to a final mix before it is released. It's different from normal mixing since it's usually (though not always) done on a 2-track master mix of each song. Some basic editing tasks are typically performed, including fade ins/fade outs; and the songs are arranged for final printing to CD, with the order set and gaps between songs established. In terms of sound, the level is generally raised through compression/limiting to increase the average volume to commercial standards; and oftentimes the EQ balance is adjusted somewhat if the mastering engineer (ME) thinks it needs it. Oftentimes is does as the compression and limiting used to raise the level can change the tonal balance of the mix, requiring it to be readjusted.

Oftentimes mastering is carried out by someone different from the person that mixes the record. This is generally to provide a fresh set of ears listening to the mix. Also, ME's are generally folks with lots of experience listening to and mixing records; and in a professional sense typically have better gear--included finely tuned rooms and monitoring systems that they know very well and have faith that the mixes will translate well onto a variety of consumer audio systems.
 
Thanks!

Thanks for the input AlexW. That makes sense. I was wondering if you knew of any articals (Preferably found online) or books that go into greater detail on how this is accomplished.
 
Cageofmind said:
Okay, So I know this is a really stupid question, and I am sure it has been answered a million times in this forum, but what the hell is Mastering? What is the actual process you go through to Master a product? I am so confused. I am really just trying to get a better understanding of all this. Help me! Thanks!
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There really isn't a set process to mastering anymore than mixing. Basically it can be broken down to:

1. Critical listening to the material.

If it's an analog source this will come from a tape machine, for digital it's usually loaded into a DAW first so that the ME can listen through his set of converters.

A pro studio will have a very accurate room and monitoring system to ensure that what they are hearing is not colored in a negative way.

2. Deciding what needs to be done in order to make the music translate well across audio systems, and to be "competitive" with other commercial releases. This can be nearly any type of processing needed but usually consists of EQ, compression and limiting, dither, and on some occasions more specialized processing like spectral enhancement, M/S processing, automation, de-essing, and others.

It's critical that the processing used be of a high enough quality that few remnants of the processing are introduced, otherwise the "cure" may be worse than the "disease".

3. Performing the processing and loading into a workstation (if not done already).

4. Editing the content (fades, intro, etc.) and assembling the final CD. The final "premaster" (the master is what the dupe house creates) can be created on a CD-R, DDP tape, or ocassionaly one of the older formats.

5. Creating any documentation needed and performing quality assurance for the premaster.

There's more involved, but someone could write an entire book on it, and has. For more info check out Bob Katz "Mastering Audio - The Art & Science".
 
masteringhouse said:
...someone could write an entire book on it, and has. For more info check out Bob Katz "Mastering Audio - The Art & Science".
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pdadda said:
A great book on the subject is Bob Katz's "Mastering Audio-The Art and the Science."
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I hear there's also a great book on the subject by Bob Katz called "Mastering Audio - The Art & The Science". But I could be wrong...

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
I hear there's also a great book on the subject by Bob Katz called "Mastering Audio - The Art & The Science". But I could be wrong...

G.
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hey you forgot mine! i linked to that book before both of those dudes haha. :p
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
I hear there's also a great book on the subject by Bob Katz called "Mastering Audio - The Art & The Science". But I could be wrong...

G.
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Did you ever get the feeling of deja vu?
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Originally Posted by SouthSIDE Glen
I hear there's also a great book on the subject by Bob Katz called "Mastering Audio - The Art & The Science". But I could be wrong...

G.
Click to expand...

Did you ever get the feeling of deja vu?
 
Oh see now you guys did all this playing around and now I've forgotten the name of the book I was going to tell you about. It was some book on the art or science or mastering or something... :( I know the author liked cats....

G.
 
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