Why do I need mastering?
Understanding the art of mastering

Mastering is a term that a lot of people throw around without having any real idea of what it actually is. You hear people tell you to "do your own mastering", which could be the most detrimental thing you could possibly do, as it can affect the quality of your final mix greatly. What exactly is mastering then?

Wikipedia defines mastering as "the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master); the source from which all copies will be produced (via methods such as pressing, duplication or replication)". Mastering is an integral part of the recording process, and deserves to be treated as such. Wikipedia goes on to describe mastering as a process where "the source material, ideally at the original resolution, is processed using equalization, compression, limiting, noise reduction and other processes. More tasks, such as editing, pre-gapping, leveling, fading in and out, noise reduction and other signal restoration and enhancement processes can be applied as part of the mastering stage. This step prepares the music for either digital or analog, eg. vinyl, replication. The source material is put in the proper order, commonly referred to as assembly or (track) sequencing"

With this in mind, in my own opinion, it is never a good idea to master your own tracks unless you have no intention on actually pursuing a professional career in music production or performace. Even if it's for personal use only, and you want the best possible results from your efforts in recording your music, it is always better to have a professional mastering engineer process your creation.

Be aware though that there is an extremely high percentage of people who offer mastering services, who do not have the skill and/or equipment to be doing mastering, so make sure to do a thorough investigation of the studio you choose to perform the services. There are also a large number of studio that perform these services with great skill and care, and charge relatively small fees for doing so.

In coming articles, we will explain how your understanding of mastering can have a negative impact on the way that you mix your tracks. Stay tuned..