Mixing is the process by which the song is shaped into the familiar in studio recordings that you’re used to hearing on the radio, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music. Mixing is the blending of instruments and vocals in a way that sounds pleasing to the ear.
Mastering is an art form that is often described as making the mix louder. While you definitely want your master recording a competitive level volume-wise, mastering is about enhancing the mix while respecting its dynamic range then preparing it for the final stage of distribution.
Common mixing and mastering tools are:
- Equalization
- Compression
- Volume Amplification/Reduction
- Vocal Tuning
- Reverberation/Delays
- De-essing
- Saturation
- Limiting/Maximizing
- Metering
Silence.io –
I’ve worked with a few mix and master engineers (not typically the same person) and often they made it feel like it was on me to be rushed. Here, it’s all about the conversation, communicating clearly, and creating a whole product together. As a team. I’ll be getting all of my music mixed and mastered here for all of my future work!