Mastering
The final stage that turns a mix into a release, matching tone and loudness
Related
Mastering is the final stage after mixing: turning one track or a whole album into a release, matching tone and loudness, setting track spacing and producing delivery formats. It sits between the work and its release, owing fidelity to the mix while making sure it holds up on systems.
The work includes small EQ moves, bus compression, limiting and loudness normalization, but the real value is judgement: whether the low end is too heavy, the vocal too far forward, the top too bright next to a reference. Engineers receive a stereo mix or stems and work in a calibrated room; loudness targets depend on the platform.
The usual mistake is to expect mastering to rescue a bad mix. It can refine what the mix provides; if the mix is unbalanced, mastering fixes the problem in place.
Related → LUFS
Sources
- 母带工序与响度，参 Bob Katz, Mastering Audio 与通行母带教材；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.