WHY MASTER?
- Mastering is the final step of your project. Its primary role is to ensure that your project sounds good on all types of playback systems. To do this several things have to happen:
- Overall eq might be needed to pull the mix together, and bring out certain aspects of the mix or even up the overall frequency range where some frequencies are more dominant than others.
- We might need to add some overall compression to the mix. This is often done at the mix stage, using bus compressors, but adding compression at the mastering stage can often calm any rogue transients.
- Mastering can enhance the stereo field of a track, giving it more width and space, useful for bringing out stereo guitars or drums. Extra reverb can be added in places if and where it is needed.
- A master limiter will be added to the mix to bring the overall level of the mix up to professional levels, effectively lowering the dynamic range and increasing the perceived loudness of the track.