Why Should I Have My Track Mastered?

Why Should I Have My Track Mastered?

Although a good mixdown will go a long way, professionally mastering your music will add that final touch to make it stand up against commercial music and be playable on a wide variety of sound systems. With the increase of home studios over the last decade, music production is now available to the masses, however, most will not have access to the equipment that will give you the competitive edge.

Professionally mastering your tracks gives them depth, punch, clarity and volume. It also helps your music translate well to the outside world. Once mastered, your tracks should sound good on as many different sound systems as possible – Ipods, desktop speakers, home hi-fi systems, car stereos, Radio / TV transmissions and club sound systems.

It is also useful to have someone master your music with fresh ears. A mastering engineer will give you an unbiased perspective on your music. When mixing for days on end, you can become too close to your music and it can be hard to listen objectively. A mastering engineer will often hear elements of the mix that need fixing, which can help an artist produce a better mixdown, which in turn produces a better master!

Often overlooked, mastering your music compilation or album can help it ‘flow’ nicely from one track to the next in terms of both overall tone and level.

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