Bay Eight is back with more free game! Today we’re putting you up on the definitions of Mixing, Mastering, and everything in between.
If you hang around enough industry professionals, you’ll hear the phrase “mixed and mastered” often. But, what does it mean and why does it matter? In this article, we’ll give you a quick rundown on Mixing, Mastering, and everything in between.
When an artist is done tracking all parts of a record, the engineer will take the final recording and mix it. Mixing is an essential part of the music-making process.
Mixing
It’s the stage when all the moving parts of a record are adjusted to complete the perfect sonic mix. The engineer will tune down parts of the record that should remain subtle, and enhance the parts that should POP!
Getting the mix just right will take a record from good to great!
Mastering
Mastering usually takes place after the mix is completed. While mixing is necessary, mastering isn’t always required. It’s a subtle process that refines the sonics of a record so that the flow of an album is seamless. Mastering takes experience, time, and concentration.
Most times there is no need to have a single mastered. The process is typically reserved for bodies of work such as albums and mixtapes.
Simply put, mixing is bringing the individual parts of a song together to work as one. Mastering is bringing the individual records of an album or body of work together to work as one.
Each process is a science and choosing the right engineer to handle the mix and master on your records will save you headaches down the line.
Now that you know the difference between mixing and mastering, head over to the services page on the Bay Eight website to book your next session!
