What is mastering?
Mastering is the last stage in the audio production process where a song’s finished mix is prepared for distribution across different streaming platforms. The process aims to enhance the song’s overall sonic quality, coherence, and consistency. It involves adjusting levels, EQs, stereo imaging, and applying limiters to ensure the song translates well across a range of different playback systems.
In recent years, mastering has evolved significantly due to technological advancements and changes in music consumption habits. DAWs offer mastering engineers a wide range of powerful tools and plugins, allowing for more precise control over the mastering process. Moreover, streaming services have become the most common way people consume music. This has influenced mastering practices to ensure the music sounds good on lower-quality playback systems like mobile devices and headphones.
Modern mastering engineers must face the challenges of optimizing audio quality for lossy compression formats like MP3 and AAC while preserving as much fidelity as possible. Apart from that, loudness normalization algorithms created by streaming platforms have caused engineers to reconsider traditional loudness levels and dynamics processing to ensure a consistent listening experience for albums and EPs.
AI integration
Many professionals in the music industry use iZotope’s Ozone, a highly-regarded audio mastering software suite. It provides mastering engineers with various advanced tools, such as multiband dynamics, EQ, stereo imaging, and exciters, enabling them to shape and enhance audio recordings with precision and creativity.
Ozone consists of several modules, each with unique features. For instance, “Clarity” helps to expand the mix of a song without adding any harshness. “Stem Focus” utilizes AI to add processing on vocals, drums, and bass individually, using tools like equalizers. With AI integration, Ozone can analyze audio content more intelligently and support engineers in making informed decisions during the mastering process.
With its user-friendly interface, Ozone is accessible to both seasoned professionals and aspiring engineers alike. iZotope also provides extensive educational resources and tutorials to help users develop their mastering skills and stay up to date with the latest best practices in audio production. In summary, Ozone is a revolutionary tool in the realm of mastering, and I am certainly eager to explore its capabilities through its free trial.
Reference list
Hodgson, J. (2010). Understanding Records. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Katz, B. (2013). Mastering Audio: The Art and The Science. New York: Focal Press.
Savage, S. (2014). Mixing and Mastering in the Box: The Guide to Making Great Mixes and Final Masters on Your Computer. Oxford University Press.
Mixdown Online (2023). iZotope OZONE 11 – The Future of MASTERING? – All You Need to Know. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dN6raXIkR0.