The term "mastering" was originally used to describe the process used to create stampers for manufacturing vinyl records. Since the advent of CDs, it has referred to the process, at it's simplest, where finished music mixes have been assembled together with specific data coding in preparation for CD duplication.   Today, the term "mastering" could probably best be described as the preparation of music from any recorded format for distribution in any number of possible formats. CD, DVD, Mp3, etc.

      Traditionally, mastering has been done by mastering engineers working in acoustically controlled rooms with highly accurate monitoring. This assures that the final product will sound great on any playback system. See Monitoring Using very high quality audio hardware and software they enhance the sound of music mixes to achieve a great sounding product with a consistency throughout the tracks. Today, with many "mastering" software applications and plug-ins available, users are attempting to do their own mastering with varying degrees of success. See Can You Do It  Yourself?

     The specific processes of mastering depend on the mastering engineer and the project, but in general all may involve the following:

1. Conversion of analog or digital audio files
2. Sequencing of songs with appropriate timings between them
3. Editing between takes
4. Application of audio compression and equalization
5. Modification of fades
6. Positioning of "PQ" or "index" points
7. Application of "Dither" and outputting to proper delivery format

See My Process

     The current "sound" of major label CDs has been produced by talented mastering engineers using very expensive high quality audio gear. They have been able to produce CDs which are loud and vibrant and this sound has become the reference by which all other product is compared. Unmastered projects often sound soft and flat relative to this highly enhanced standard.

      In addition to this high sonic bar, there are several other factors which make mastering more essential today than ever before. Unlike in the past when music was primarily mixed in professionally designed studios, much of today's music is mixed at home or in project studios with poor room acoustics. One of the most persistent myths in audio is that with near field monitoring (close speakers), the room's acoustics don't matter. Music mixed in these environments almost always need low frequency correction during mastering. In addition to this, modern production techniques can enable each song to have a completely different arrangement and can create quite a challenge during mastering to produce a consistent sounding project. Finally, although it's great that more people are making more music today than in any other time in history, many young mixers today lack the experience necessary to create well balanced and open sounding mixes. It's amazing what can be done in mastering to save these less than stellar mixes.

     Of course! There are many choices for software or plug-ins that will enable you to create a CD which can be duplicated. Does this mean your project will sound the best that it could be? To do mastering that competes with professional product, it is essential to have the proper high quality monitoring and equipment, not to mention the experience and skill.  Without good acoustical treatment, few rooms will even enable a monitoring system accurate enough for quality mastering. See Monitoring  In terms of gear, few workstations compare in quality to the Sonic Solutions, the first choice among mastering engineers, or the other highly modified devices I use. Without proper power conditioning, high quality word clocking, and the best digital and analog cabling available, one simply cannot achieve the same results. Working in digital audio without these usually results in mixes which exhibit a harshness or graininess, less depth or spaciousness, and a loss of real bottom. Even burning a master CD without incurring a loss of fidelity takes the proper equipment and experience. Finally, as talented of a mixer that you may be, you probably don't have the experience or "ears" that have been honed in for the mastering process.