| The Importance Of Mastering Your Tracks |
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Mastering your tracks is a critical part of the production process. Every step of the production process is important, but mastering, when done properly, is often times the final step that makes your tracks "broadcast quality" and ready to be licensed.
Mastering gives your tracks depth, clarity and volume. There is an art and craft to mastering just as there is an art and craft to mixing and engineering. When done properly, mastering, in addition to making your tracks "hotter" also puts all of the song's frequencies in their proper ranges so that the lows aren't too low and so the high end isn't too high.
Most publishers, supervisors and the like are not experts in production in the sense that they will be able to pinpoint specifically what it is about a track that doesn't work production wise. Usually they simply know from experience and from listening to a lot of music what works and what doesn't.
Nine times out of ten if they don't like your production they will not give you any specific feedback about your tracks beyond something vague like "the production isn't quite up to speed". Occassionally, if you are working closely with someone, they might give you a little more feedback about specific areas of your mix that need work, if they are even able to articulate it themselves.
The bottom line is that you need to always put your best foot forward and present tracks that are fully produced, mixed and mastered. The mastering of your tracks needs to be done by someone who fully understands and is an expert in the art of mastering.
I often get asked if there is anyone online that masters tracks that I can refer people to and until recently I had no specific person that I went to for mastering. In the past I usually had whoever produced my tracks take care of the mastering process. But recently I've started working on a new songwriting project and have decided to start working with someone who strictly masters music for the mastering phase of my music's production.
I've posted a sample of before mastering and after mastering versions of one of my new tracks if you want to hear what a huge difference mastering can make to your tracks when done right (and hear one of my songs).
To check it out go to
http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com/mastering.php
Happy Songwriting!
Aaron Davison
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