Online music mastering has become increasingly popular in recent years, thanks to advances in technology and the rising popularity of independent musicians. If you’re not familiar with the term, mastering is the final step in the music production process. It involves tweaking the mix, adjusting the EQ, adding effects, and overall improving the sound quality of a song, so it sounds polished and professional. Historically, mastering was only available to major label artists with huge budgets; however, thanks to online mastering services, it’s now accessible to anyone. In this insider’s guide, we’ll take a closer look at the world of online mastering programs, how to choose the right service, and how to prepare your material for the best possible result.
Choosing an Online Mastering Service
Before you choose an online music mastering service, it’s important to do your research. Not all services are created equal, and the quality of the mastering varies greatly between different providers. Some relatively unknown but incredibly talented mastering engineers offer their services online, while others have outdated technology and only provide basic mastering services. Check customer reviews and ratings to get a feel for the quality of their work, read through their mastering process and the guarantees they offer. Consider the genres they specialize in to ensure they have the right experience to meet your needs.
Preparing Your Music for Mastering
The quality of the mix you send to mastering will affect the sound that the engineer can achieve. It’s crucial to make sure your mix is as good as possible before sending it to be mastered. Start by checking the basic things such as volume levels, fade-ins, and fade-outs, edit out any background noise, clicks, or pops and ensure you leave around 3-4db of headroom. Export the mix in the highest resolution possible, typically 24-bit wav. A crucial step is to listen to your mix in several playback systems, such as headphones, car speakers, and a reference mixing studio environment, to make sure it sounds consistent.
Online Mastering Process
Once you’ve chosen a service and sent your track to be mastered, what happens next? Typically, the engineer will review your file and start the mastering process. They’ll compare your mix to reference tracks to ensure they achieve the desired sound. They’ll use various tools such as EQ, compression, and limiting to finalize the mix, ultimately producing a master that sounds polished and professional. Normally, the engineer will provide a preview of the new master, so you can hear the difference between your original mix and the new master, allowing you to provide feedback. Keep in mind that the engineer is there to help your music sound the best it can, so don’t be afraid to ask for any revisions you may need.
Understanding the Limitations
Although online mastering services can achieve fantastic results, it’s important to understand their limitations. A talented mastering engineer can often enhance a mediocre mix to sound better, but they can’t work miracles. If, for example, the original mix was badly recorded or produced, mastering will not fix these issues. Similarly, if there are artifacts or distortion on the original mix, these can’t be removed entirely through mastering. So, make sure your mix is as good as possible before handing it over to an online mastering engineer.
Conclusion:
Online mastering has made music production more accessible and affordable to the masses, opening up an exciting era of independence and creativity for musicians. With a little research, preparation, and communication with an experienced mastering engineer, you can achieve a professional and polished sound that will put your music on par with major label releases. Follow the tips above, and you will be on your way to making your songs sound their best discovering just how much music mastering adds that final touch to it all.
