For anyone outside of the recording industry, “mastering” is the final step in the music production stage. The processes are recording, editing, mixing, and mastering is last. When done correctly, mastering can be exactly what’s needed to add that ‘professional sound quality’ to your music.
This post will not go over exact processes and steps to master your tracks. There are no set rules for mastering. I’ve heard it said a lot, “Always EQ first, Boost the 5K frequencies, then put some compression on there with a 4:1 ratio, etc, etc”. But do not be fooled into thinking this is the “definition” of mastering. You make your own rules on mastering. Every song is unique and needs certain things done to improve it. It will not be the same for a every song.
The 5 important factors which affect mastering are:
1. LISTEN
This is the most important thing to remember when mastering. You would think this would go without saying but you’d be surprised how many don’t really listen. Like I mentioned earlier, there are no rules in mastering. You can define mastering as what makes a good-sounding mixed-down track sound better. That’s it. There are many things you can do to improve the sound. EQ, compression, limiting, de-essing, ’sonic maximizing’, dynamics, stereo imaging…the list could go on. But you need to decide what you use on any given track and in what order.
2. BE PATIENT
If you’re thinking you can sit down and master a track in half an hour, think again. Mastering takes time. You have to experiment. This could be related to the first tip of listening. If you truly listen, you going to be sitting and staring at your computer screen for hour. The reason for that is because if you really listen, you’re going to find things in your mix that you don’t like and you’re going to want to fix by any means necessary.
Only by experience can the mastering process go at a relatively quick pace. A veteran will know exactly what needs to change in a track and knows exactly how to fix it.
3. EXPERIENCE
The art of mastering can’t be learned in a day. It also cannot be learned from a book. Indeed, you can get an idea of what mastering is from a book, but to truly learn the art of it you need to do it yourself and for a long time.
Sit down at your computer and try it yourself. Most DAW’s come with built-in effects that can be used for mastering purposes. If you have a dedicated sound editor that is ideal. Start experimenting with your latest musical creation. Find out ways to make it sound better. Think the loud parts are too loud and soft parts too soft? Use compression. Does the mix sound a bit muddy? Do some rolling-off of some of the low frequencies (not much though). Experiment with the ’sonic maximizers’ and ‘loudness maximizers’ and whatever else you can think of.
Only by doing it yourself will you learn to do it correctly. If you do begin to master your own tracks, the training you get will effect all other aspects of your production as well. Mastering trains your ear. By training your ear in this manner, your recordings will sound better from start to finish because you know exactly what you want to hear and know exactly how to accomplish that.
4. KNOW YOUR GEAR
Pretty self-explanatory. If you know your gear inside and out, you know exactly what needs to be tweaked in the mastering process in order to obtain the sound you’re hearing in your head. If your track gets too loud and you don’t know how to use your limiter, and significantly decreases your productivity and efficiency when you’re trying to learn how to use it. The same thing applies to any hardware or plug-ins you own. Know your equipment better than they know themselves (figuratively speaking).
5. RELY ON OUTSIDE SOURCES
This covers a couple different things.
- If it’s your music you’re mastering, listen to your favorite bands’ latest album. Basically, get an idea of what your music should sound like based off of someone else’s sound, but you need to make it unique. Do not mimic or copy someone else. That’s not true creativity.
- If you are mastering a client’s tracks, communicate with them to get a vision for the end result. This is something so many people forget. If you don’t get an idea of what the client wants, you end up making something you want, and the client will not truly be happy. If you want success in your endeavors, if you want to stand out from the rest, and if you want to make an impact on the music industry in your area, talk to your customers. You know the saying ‘customers first’? It’s still true in the music business. It’s all about the customers. Give them what they want, and you’ll be a success.
