A summary of the Album-Making Process:
1) Record Play (express your musical ideas) 2) Mix Place (effect good relative levels and overall sonic shape) 3) Master Polish (creatively and technically polish your sonic program) 4) Duplicate Procreate (make copies)
From the final mix which is generated at the end of the mixing session, the mastering engineer performs some or all of the following tasks during the Mastering Process:
What does mastering accomplish?
- Put tracks in order (sequence).
- Edit within the music.
- Remove unwanted pops, clicks or other noises. (Colossal Mastering uses the cutting-edge technology of Spectral Design AudioCube.)
- Add sound effects such as crowd noises or cheers.
- Place appropriate ID's and spaces between songs.
- Make album or program sound consistent (equalize, compress).
- Maximize music so it is as powerful as possible (fairy dust).
- Create duplication master to meet technical requirements of final format(s).
Mastering serves both the creative and the technical needs of the final audio program. During the mastering process, an album is made more powerful, polished and professional, always with the artist's vision in mind. If mastered properly with the assistance of specialized equipment, ears and expertise, the final version of an album should be competitive both on radio and disc with the levels and overall sonic fingerprint of the industry's major albums.
What is a master and why do I need one?
At the end of the mastering session, the mastering engineer creates a duplication master. This master represents the culmination of all the creative aspects of the recording process. The artist's performance and vision must, at this point, be fully captured. This master must also be technically prepared for duplication. The duplication house will make a glass master for pressing large quantities of discs, but if duplication is performed properly, every copy ever made should sound exactly like the master created at the end of the mastering session. (Say no more, right?!)
