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What is mastering?

Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of fusing the collective sounds in your audio mix, maintaining balance across the entire recording, and preparing the finished music project for distribution.

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So what is mastering an album and why do I need it? In the studio you record one song at a time, resulting in songs that all peak at different levels and have different EQs. A mastering engineer can unify your album with skillful use of EQ, gain, and compression to give it a consistent sound from track to track. This process also allows the mastering engineer to pump up the volume of your overall album so it’s as hot as can be and make it sound incredible. You’ve poured your heart and soul into your music. It deserves that huge sound you’ve been dreaming about.

What can audio mastering do for your music?

  • Raises the overall volume level.
  • Evens out song levels and EQs individual tracks for cohesion.
  • Corrects minor mix deficiencies with equalization.
  • Enhances flow by changing the space between tracks.
  • Removes pops, clicks, and other unwanted noises.
  • Gives your music consistent playback on different sound systems.

Why is mastering audio important to you?

Mastering is one of the last and most critical stages in determining the overall quality of your music release. It’s a standard requirement for all major-label releases, whether it’s for radio play, selling on iTunes or a vinyl reissue. Most importantly, mastering music is done objectively by a proficient engineer, capable of noticing issues and providing solutions. The mastering engineers at the SoundLAB at Disc Makers can give your music the soaring highs and booming lows it needs to compete against all the other releases out there. After you’ve spent weeks or even months in a recording studio listening to your CD over and over again, our audio mastering engineers can offer you a fresh pair of ears to help put your project into perspective, and let you know whether your CD will benefit from audio post production, unlike some of our competitors who only offer algorithm-based automated mastering services. After all, you only have one chance to make your music sound its best.

audio mastering

Music Mastering Next Steps – How To Order

Adding Mastering To A CD Project:

  1. When you place an order in our online quoter, be sure to select a Mastering option when you get to the mastering page.
  2. When you enter the "Project Center" you will be able to upload your artwork and audio.
  3. You will then be asked to complete a Mastering Questionnaire, which will give us all the details we need to properly master your audio.
  4. When you upload your audio, please upload mixed down, stereo masters in hi-resolution format files such as WAV or AIFF.

Ordering Mastering Without A CD Project:

  1. Go to our online quoter and choose “Mastering Only.”
  2. Choose the number of tracks you want mastering for.
  3. When you enter the "Project Center" you will be able to upload your audio.
  4. You will then be asked to complete a Mastering Questionnaire, which will give us all the details we need to properly master your audio.
  5. When you upload your audio, please upload mixed down, stereo masters in hi-resolution format files such as WAV or AIFF.
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Ready to take your sound to another level?

Let our professional mastering engineers from The SoundLAB listen to your music and give you our analysis for free. Call us at 800-468-9353 or get a custom quote.

Get a custom quote