Sound quality and level are two important factors for to consider. Listeners today have a huge selection of music at their fingertips, and to turn those listeners into fans, your must sound as good as possible. So, you want your sound recordings to be well and .
The purpose of mixing and mastering is to ensure that the various recorded that contribute to the sound recording are all blended and balanced individually to fit within the context of the whole sound recording.
What is mixing and mastering?
Mixing and mastering are the final processes of creating a sound recording.
Of the two processes, mixing comes first and is where a blends the different sounds captured during the recording process. Once done, the mix engineer sends the mixed recording, sometimes called the final mix, to the .
The mastering engineer enhances the final mix using different techniques to create a professional end result, known as the master sound recording or the mastered version. Mastering ensures the sound recording is perfectly optimized with the right levels for different listening applications and formats.
Head to our Recording topic to learn about mixing and mastering engineers and their roles.
Quiz
Test your Mixing and Mastering knowledge
Image credit: Eric Ivar Persson, Parapix