What Do Mastering Engineers Actually Do?

What Do Mastering Engineers Actually Do?

Mastering is a job that is widely misunderstood and misrepresented. Can it really turn lead into musical gold? Or is it just a waste of money?

To complement Sound On Sound's recent in-depth series of mastering video tutorials, Editor in Chief Sam Inglis explains why mastering engineers are necessary, what they can do for us, and whether we can really replace them with plug-ins!

And here's the series of video tutorials that Sam refers to:

Mastering Essentials: The SOS Techniques Guide

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction
01:23 - Mastering When Cutting To Vinyl
02:41 - Mastering Digital Audio
03:20 - 3 Things Mastering Engineers Do
05:41 - Why Work With A Mastering Engineer?
06:30 - What Mastering Engineers Don't Do
06:57 - Mastering Plug-ins Vs Mastering Engineers
08:57 - Outro

Follow Sound On Sound on Instagram: @soundonsoundmag

[StephenAnderson]

The best advice doesn't come until the last 30 seconds. "make a good mix then the mastering engineer doesn't have to do anything!" Solid Gold

[kickbiker]

I quite like his sardonic wry delivery. It makes it surprisingly very listenable.

[conanliquid]

Thank you. If you don't mind, I will be sending this video to my clients that just need a little reminder of what I actually do and more importantly don't do.

[lambda]

Thanks now im starting a career as Mastering Engineers on craigslist. i just do nothing and tell the Artist that's because there mix was already perfect.

[sorenrv]

Wow! Apart from the very wise advice offered, Mr. Sam Inglis has the best, and most understated, sense of humour I have had the pleasure of experiencing in a long time. Sitting alone in my home office watching the video, I found myself laughing out loud several times ... The side note on Geri Halliwell was one of those moments (even if I really enjoyed the Spice Girls music with my two daughters when they were growing up). Thanks a lot to Sound on Sound!!

[joedocmusic]

FINALLY! Thank you for reminding this buzzword-happy world that "mastering" simply connotes "optimizing a master recording for the end medium of presentation". There is a special skill set required for this process. When you've mixed a song/album it is quite likely far better for one's own productivity and sanity to entrust the work of creating a final master to someone who specializes in the process!

[eman]

There are a lot of Audio Engineers out there that they claim that they mix and Master your song but really they are just Mixing Engineers. It's like trying proof read and edit your own mistakes. A great Mastering Engineer only does Mastering because they can acutally tell you what's wrong with your clients mix.

[donnythompson]

The only other thing I would add to this exceptional video, is that a pro mastering engineer also provides a fresh pair of ears, which is priceless, when as recording/mix engineers, we can get pretty burned out from having listened to songs and mix passes so many times... and through that familiarity, we tend to become less objective.
To me, this is just as important as all the other tasks that mastering engineers do.
Also important, is choosing a mastering engineer who understands your vision, who works in the style of music and production that you do. I don’t doubt that there are pro mastering engineers who do great work regardless of style and genre, but finding one who has experience with mastering in the style and production methods that you work in, will be your best approach.
🙏

[donnythompson]

“...And mastering studios contained compressors and limiters and de-essers...and brown corduroy sofas and ashtrays, because it was the 70’s...”
🤣🤣
I love Sam’s dry wit. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one of his videos which I haven’t laughed out loud at, at some point, from one of his dry (but hilarious) comments.
😊🙏

[MaxCarola]

Thank you! I agree with you on all you've said. I started to experiment in mastering my own mixes in 1993 after a bad experience with a "new" mastering engineer for a CD release. Until that moment I only had "vinyl" mastering experiences and with full satisfaction.
My first mastering suite was a Waves bundle including Q1, L1, C1, and S1. Reading the manual (a huge one) I discovered MS and implemented it. It was the kickstart of my mastering career... I now do professional mixing and mastering full time (I still do music as a side project :). On higher budget projects I still send to a trusted mastering engineer my mixes, though. My favourite one is Tony Cousins at Metropolis Mastering. But budgets are shrinking and more and more projects end up with me also mastering it. I do it all ITB and I am very satisfied since I do very little in mastering most of the times!.

[Bring_MeSunshine]

Excellent, I'm well aware of the glory in having an experienced set of professional ears, not to mention fresh, listen to your mix, but if they don't use all the things you say, from your experience, they don't use, what do they use when they have to fix a problem?

[StratsRUs]

The times I have a go at mastering my own songs, it teaches me to be a better mixer.And to want to send it off to get it mastered.

[DerekPower]

I’ve used the following analogy to describe the music production cycle and it’s book writing

Recording:Drafting :: Mixing:Proofing :: Mastering:Publishing

[PaulHunt]

Interesting stuff - i'll watch out for any Geri Halliwell interference while listening on my corduroy sofa. But srsly ide not considered the continuity of sound between tracks. Cool video, thank you

[kristofwynants]

If I may add: Having a qualified outside person making the final tweaks to a project one has spent days, sometimes even years trying to bring it to the best of results, is invaluable. A mastering engineer will have no emotional attachment and a pair of fresh, highly sensitive ears which are invaluable tools at the end of a project, when ear fatigue is nigh. A friend of mine made a rather beautiful comparison: mastering is like the varnish on a painting, making all the different painting styles and paint types cohesively fit together and allowing for observing the whole as well as the intricate details. Thanks for this very useful chunk of info.

Long time SOS reader here. From 2009 to 2012 I bought SOS regularly on paper, then I moved to a remote area and I've only discovered this channel last week. It can't be overstated the influence SOS had on me back in those days, as I was also seriously started getting into Logic and Ableton, coming from a Cubase crack and a TASCAM digital 8-track. I can honestly say the basis of my knowledge on home recording, engineering, mixing, etc. in those first years has been Sound On Sound magazine. So thanks heaps for getting me started over a decade ago and keep up the rather splendid work

[digitaldesigner]

Good times when every artist, before releasing vinyl, had to look for an experienced mastering engineer with analogue equipment. I remember when I was young, while listening to vinyl, I would read the liner notes to find out where it was mastered.

[SecretAgentPaul]

So, therefore it follows that the best thing a mixing engineer can do is nothing; because the band members should have been already playing at the right levels.
And the best thing a recording engineer can do is choose take 1, because the band should know the song well enough to play it right the first time.
And the best thing the manager can do is nothing, because the band should be so good, they practically sell themselves...

[jeremythornton]

This guy is as funny as he is informative! Love it!

[ewanstefani]

Mastering Engineer: "Thank you madam, I've done absolutely nothing to your mix as it sounds perfect as it is. That'll be £250." :)

[marcuswilson]

Thank you for that interesting summary of mastering. As a mastering engineer, I sometimes do no processing on peoples mixes but generally I do a little bit. Sometimes I do a lot of 'repair work', many of these jobs I first suggest they remix it and provide direction as to what needs to be changed but invariably the customer has no budget to remix it so I repair it as much as I can.