What is Mastering?
Mastering is the final stage of audio production, where a finished mix is prepared for release: balanced in tone, set to a suitable loudness, checked for problems and delivered in the right formats.
A mastering engineer, or a mastering tool, usually works on the stereo mix as a whole. Typical steps are subtle EQ to balance the tone, compression to control dynamics, stereo adjustments, and a limiter to set the final loudness and peak level. Each step tends to be small, because big problems are better fixed in the mix.
Mastering also covers the practical side of a release: making the songs on an album sit well together, setting the gaps and fades, adding ISRC codes and other metadata, and exporting the right formats for streaming, download, vinyl or CD.
A fresh set of ears is a big part of its value. Listening on a trusted system, comparing with reference tracks and checking on everyday speakers catches problems the mix engineer stopped hearing.
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