Frequently Asked Questions About Mastering?
Is mastering essential?
In a world of volume wars on streaming platforms and an infinite number of consumer listening devices, mastering is highly advised.
Can mastering fix a bad mix?
As with everything in audio, the final result will only be as good as the weakest link in the chain. If your performances are poor, the recordings are bad, the mixing is bad, and so on, mastering will not be able to fix these issues.
Just the same as mixing can not polish turd audio.
Just as quality recording can’t make up for badly performed parts and bad songs.
You get the idea…
Can the same person do both your mixing and mastering?
Where budgets permit, it can be advisable to get a third-party person to master your track for their fresh perspective and trained ears. Mastering engineers typically work in acoustically treated rooms with very high-end monitoring to hear every detail of your mix. A skilled mastering engineer will specialise in only mastering and will be able to deliver a better result than your average mix engineer.
However, budget restraints may dictate that you employ the same person to do both jobs and it is becoming more common for mixing engineers to also specialise in mastering. Such as myself, I offer both services together and separately.
How should I deliver my song for mastering?
Please deliver a stereo 24bit .WAV file at the same sample rate as your DAW mixing session, ideally 48kHz, but 44.1 is also acceptable.
What about IRSC codes?
PROFESSIONAL MIXING & MASTERING SERVICES
Want to take your music to the next level? Ed, a professional mixing and mastering engineer based in West London, is offering a free, no-obligation sample master to help you hear the difference a professional touch can make.
How It Works:
1. Send your track: Email a .WAV file of your mixed song to Ed@EdThorne.com.
2. Hear the results: Receive a high-resolution 30-60 second before-and-after sample via MixUp.Audio, where you can directly compare the mixes.
3. Decide for yourself: If you’re impressed, purchase the full master with delivery options including 24-bit/44.1/48/96k formats.
Ed’s 25 years of experience as a musician and sound engineer ensure your tracks will shine with taste and authenticity. He combines high-end analogue and digital gear to bring your musical vision to life. Turnaround for the sample is typically 5-7 working days, depending on studio schedules, with one free sample offered per person or artist.
Get your free sample master today and discover how Ed can help elevate your music!
For more details, to get started and hear before and after examples,visit the MIXING or MASTERING pages of this website.
