If you are reading this then hopefully the question of “Should I get my Sound Mastered” has been answered. If not, then this article will briefly discuss this issue. If you are asking this question to begin with, then your answer is more than likely “yes” . Mastering is just as important as your recording and mixing process. Here is a question? Your music is recorded, did you mix it yet? If yes, why? Is it because you wanted it to sound better? Well, what if I told you that the improvement you made from the recording to the mixing is the same type of improvement you will hear from the mixing to the mastering process. Yes, you heard it correct. Your sound will be so much harder and crisper you and your buddies will all be amazed.
- Now, you are convinced to get your music mastered, but the professional part has not been talked about.
- Well, let us discuss that issue right now.
- Let me paint a picture for you. You are 55 years old and worked on a great job all your life.
- You have 2 beautiful grown kids and 4 grandkids.
- You and your spouse are making a huge decision today about the rest of your lives.
- You are deciding to retire after 30 years service from your company.
- Now, your goal is to live off your 1 Million dollar nest egg you have built up over the past 30 years.
- That may seem like a lot of money, but consider the fact that you are used to living off of $60,000 per year.
- Being as smart as you are, you calculate the math and realize if you put that money in your bank or try to play the stock market, your savings may only last for 16 years.
- That means when you are 55 years young, you are out of money. Not to mention, inflation.
- So, is this picture clear enough for you? My question to you is, would you rather gamble with your life savings and be a do it yourself member in the market, or would you rather give this problem to a professional and have them fix it?
- Do you know anything about beta, dollar cost averaging, rebalancing?
- Can you see the importance of getting a professional?
- If you answered yes for a professional, then you are on the right track.
- If not, then best of luck in your musical journey.
Think about your music in the same way. If you do not get it mastered by a professional and you are as serious about it as you think you are, then you are potentially flushing your money down the toilet. You are an artist and are probably good at what you do or you would not be reading this. Mastering engineers are just like you, good at what they do. They would not pick up an instrument and try to show you how to play your song. Their expertise is in the studio making your music sound even more hard and crispclear. Use them, that is what they do and that is what makes them so valuable. Have I made my point yet?
Not many people are fortunate enough to have an audio engineer that can mix and master at the same time, but if you are, then a straight transfer might do fine. If not, you need to consider getting your audio mastered by a professional. Some facilities do their mastering in house and some studios have to send it off.
Usually a lot can be done to improve the mixes. There is a huge demand in this market. Now, if youre reading this, then you are probably wanting your disc to be competitive in-store play, homes of consumers, and in radio markets, it has to be perfect sonically. Think of it like a brand new car -without a good wash and wax, few people will appreciate how great it looks. Also, since the mixes were recorded at different times of day over a week or more, you end up with differences in level and tone. Mastering creates a seamless whole out of a collection of individual tracks.
The mastering studio has ultra-clean processors that are made to handle stereo signals. Obvious as this may be – it is one thing to run a guitar through a limiter and equalizer, and another thing to run your whole mix through it. A finished mix is an intense balance that can be made worse as easily as it can be improved. Its worth using the best equipment available.
