Can You Master Your Own Mixes?

"Hey man, I need someone to mix and master my record." Wait a sec—is that even a thing?? Justin Colletti discusses.

For more masterful mixes of your own, try Justin's "Mixing Tips From Your Mastering Engineer":

[mattcarter]

Started out looking for advice on mixing my music and then suddenly became so relaxed I forgot why I came here.

[carpaltullar]

You make so much sense. Why can't normal people explain things like this?

[stilloptimist]

Great and unbiased explanation! Good listening!

[iamdretaylor]

subscribed because he was teaching at SAE when i attended!

[darz_k.]

That's such a great point about the value of another person other than the mixing engineer listening to the tune, on top of the actual mastering added.

[MikeHeebz]

Awesome information & knowledge dropped as always Justin. Thank you! =)

[proverbalizer]

5:30 here's where having great reference mixes is a plus though. If you make your mix sound about as "bright" or "dark" as the references on your speakers you should be pretty good. What about mixing in really great headphones vs. really great mixing speakers... you eliminate the room resonance problems right there... of course speakers and headphones both have their pros and cons

[stevehansen]

This is a good explanation for mix engineers, and I totally agree that separate mastering step is very valuable. Problem for me as a producer, mixer is to convince clients that they should spend the extra money for mastering. They don't understand all the technical reasons for mastering - so I just explain to them in simple terms - that their record will sound clearer and punchier and of course more competitive in loudness and shimmer. I call it the final veneer.

All the "mastering" plugs from Izotope and the like are really not a good substitute for proper mastering in my opinion.

[Fagapperd]

I'd love to listen to some of your masters. You explained  in only 13 min with total clarity what others do in several videos. I think the state of mine and the ears do a lot too. Great vid I enjoyed.

[QuabmasM]

What are some things to look for when seeking an inexpensive but good mastering engineer online(who isnt necessarily local)? When seeking an inexpensive mastering engineer for a full length album for unsigned rap music, whats a good budget one should have already saved up for starts? Is it unheard of to have an album mastered for around $300?

[lunarlabaudio]

Love the videos! I was just checking out “Mastering Demystified” and I noticed there isn’t a unit on the “non-musical” things a mastering engineer does, metadata and all that. Do you have any videos where you cover that stuff?

[SonicScoop]

If you're liking Justin's instructional videos here on SonicScoop, you might like his new video course on mixing, called

[InnerCitySlickersTV]

Is it possible to have a mix sound relatively the same on my two set of speakers - Rockit 5 and Yamaha 5? Thanks MM

[InnerCitySlickersTV]

I am mixing on two sets of speakers, Rockit 5s and Yamaha 5s. When I play a commercial song and listen on both sets of speakers, there is a change in the sound, but they both sound equally good. When I am playing my mixes on them, the difference is major. Good on the Rockits but not on the Yamahas. What can I do to help get my mixes to sound equally good on both sets.  Thanks MM

[cateador]

How you look the same younger 8 years later? need that mixing tip xD

[proverbalizer]

9:10 and what if you're fortunate enough to mix in a super-quality high-budget studio where you can also hear things in such detail and clarity. What actually is the difference between "mastering speakers" and "mixing speakers"... aren't they designed with the same intent- to give you great detail and a flat, accurate frequency response?

[maciekkk]

I think that as pictures can say thousands words Sound Examples can convince more people to mastering.
Why Mastering studios don't post before and after examples of mixes to listen online on consumer grade speakers or headphones.. ? End user don't need to be in mastering studio to hear the difference of the end product - it should be noticeable on the consumer grade gear.. the difference what you want pay for.. I think..
Master engineers can say or write anything on their websites and not everyone want to engage into deal with unfamiliar engineer and studio..
On top of that, there is many of mastering studios and engineers to choose..

For me I would like to hear some other peoples music before/after examples online (a few different main genres-similar to demo reel) before I would go to test the place with own music..
Similarly.. these days we rarely download and install some audio plugins, without listen to online audio examples before..

[Hexspa]

Hey Mr. Colletti, are you an Aries? Moon in Aires? Thanks for the advice.

[SickBoyTV]

So if you decide to make music, since you master other peoples songs, are specialized in that aspect of the recording process, and you have the devoted space to master the track, would it still be "Genuinely impossible" for you to master YOUR track?

Who masters the master's mixes? '''\(O.o)/'''

[renejrhodes]

If your record sounds as good as a professional record on your low budget speakers then it's fine. If it isn't then that's due to you not hearing, not due to the gear. Of course there are limits of earpods and such but Andrew Scheps does fantastic work on tanoids and that's it. Seems to me like it's more about learning to use your ears and use decent equipment rather than using fantastic equipment and room which most of us are never going to have anyway.