Many people have heard of Audio Mastering. It is accepted as part of the process of making a Music Album. However most probably have no idea what mastering actually is. In this article I am going to explain what it is, and why its done.
When you play a CD, the reason each track sounds the same volume, the reason some tracks fade out, and others move into the next, is mastering. Its the finishing process of making music. When you put together a mix CD, with songs from different albums, you no doubt notice they often change volume, this is because every CD is a bit different in how its mastered.
You see, different types of music need the emphasis to be on different parts of the sound spectrum. Once everything is ready, the volume of the whole CD is made consistent, and its then burned into a master. The master is then duplicated to make the CD’s that are sold.
Also; contrary to popular misconception, commercial CD’s are not burned like a computer burns one, the information is actually stamped into the back of the disc, and a protective layer is applied, this is why damage to Commercial CD’s can be buffed down. As long as the backing layer (the top of the disc) is undamaged, the information is still intact.
Mastering is an expensive process, involving complex programs and years of learning. Since each album will need to be mastered differently, there is no template, no one size fits all. That is the where the real skill comes in. It is also why most of the mastering for all music albums is handled by a relatively small community of professionals. Another misconception is that’s its part of the studio process, in reality the music is sent out to be mastered, after its been finished.
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