What is Mastering? The Most Important Step in Music Production

What is mastering? The difference between mixing and mastering can be complicated. In this video, Isabelle interviews Daniel Rowland to explain the role of a mastering engineer. They discuss the basics of what is mastering, how it has evolved, and why it's important in music production. Learn about music mastering in this easy-to-understand video. Mastering is the final step of audio post-production. The purpose of mastering is to balance the sonic elements of a stereo mix and optimize playback across all systems and media formats. Traditionally, mastering is done using tools like equalization, compression, limiting and stereo enhancement. Mastering is the final polish that turns a finished mix into a release that’s ready for listeners to experience on all devices—from tiny iPhone speakers to massive dance club sound systems. The term itself comes from the idea of a master copy. All copies or duplications of the audio come from the master. The mastering pvrocess ensures that those copies can be optimally played back whether they end up on streaming services, CDs or a vinyl record. In addition to that, mastering helps keep an album sounding consistent and cohesive between tracks. Ultimately, mastering creates the ideal presentation of your audio for release. Master a track with LANDR: https://bit.ly/2QJb9cC Hire a mastering engineer: https://bit.ly/32FV4ad Learn more about mastering: https://bit.ly/2QIbXyp 00:00 Introduction 00:32 Who is Daniel Rowland? 01:00 What is mastering? 01:55 RIAA EQ curve and corrective EQ 02:30 Is mastering necessary? 03:24 What does mastering actually do? 04:07 How is mastering different from mixing? 05:21 What decisions will a mastering engineer make? 06:15 Loudness 07:51 Should you master your own music? 09:03 How does online mastering work? ------------------ Try LANDR now: https://bit.ly/2WppOwI Subscribe to LANDR on YouTube: https://bit.ly/2BcY9US Follow the LANDR blog to get the best tips, tools and tutorials for producers: https://blog.landr.com/ Instagram:   / landrmusic   Twitter:   / landr_music   -------------------- #mastering #onlinemastering #landrmastering