All You Need To Know About CD Mastering

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All You Need To Know About CD Mastering

Posted On : Jun-11-2010 | seen (521) times | Article Word Count : 576 |

CD mastering, also known as audio mastering, is basically the step-by-step process of editing and enhancing pre-recorded audio bits on high-end equipment, generally found in recording studios.

CD mastering, also known as audio mastering, is basically the step-by-step process of editing and enhancing pre-recorded audio bits on high-end equipment, generally found in recording studios. This is done to improve the sound and loudness of the CD which contains the audio pieces. It is the process of CD mastering which makes a stark difference between the album with sounds like a demo CD and a Pro-Sounding CD.

After a CD has undergone the process of mastering with the latest equipment, it becomes much clearer, louder and has better punch.

Steps Involved In Mastering Of CD

There are as many as three steps involved when it comes to CD mastering: assembly editing, sweetening and output. Let's look at these in more detail:

* Assembly Editing: The tapes compiled by mixdown sessions or location recording are put into a digital editor and the tunes are then put in a specific order. Also, between the cuts, proper space is carefully placed. Going on, the start and end of cuts are, with the help of the editor, faded to silence or to a background sound which is more natural and befitting of a performing space.

* Sweetening: With the use of high tech equipment and techniques, audio is sweetened, i.e., it is made smoother, clearer and thus has more punch and impact. As per the needs of the music, these factors are increased. The main aim of sweetening is to enhance the emotional intensity. This technique is mostly important for Pop music.

* Output: The finished and polished music tracks are in this final stage converted to the media which is required for mass production and commercialization. This media is mostly a recordable CD. The master disc can then be played on any CD player.

* Audio mastering works towards enhancing audio pieces and mixes so that they can effectively compete with the commercial releases of today's times.

Why CD Mastering Is Important

When songs are recorded in a studio, they are done one at a time which results in songs that all peak at different levels and also tend to have different EQs. An engineer skilled in the art of mastering can actually unify the entire album with good use of EQ, gain and compression. This gives an album a uniform and consistent sound from track to track.

Through CD mastering, a qualified professional can raise the overall level of a recording, uniform and even out all track and song levels, EQ tracks individually for cohesion and correct all major and minor mix deficiencies, in addition to fixing various other things.

If you have an album and need to get it mastered, there are many qualified professionals out there who would do so at very reasonable rates. Mastering is mostly done in expensive recording studios, but not everyone can afford their services. This is, however, no reason for you to hold back a complication you have poured your heart into. You can always look around and find a professional who would offer his/her services at low rates.

Paying discounted rates doesn't necessarily mean sub-standard quality. The equipment used will be as high tech as you would find in other studios and the engineers will all be qualified experts. So if you are looking for a CD mastering professional, get down to searching locally and online and you are bound to find a good one quickly!

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<h1>All You Need To Know About CD Mastering</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_Tasha Cherry.aspx'>Tasha Cherry</a> CD mastering, also known as audio mastering, is basically the step-by-step process of editing and enhancing pre-recorded audio bits on high-end equipment, generally found in recording studios. This is done to improve the sound and loudness of the CD which contains the audio pieces. It is the process of CD mastering which makes a stark difference between the album with sounds like a demo CD and a Pro-Sounding CD.

After a CD has undergone the process of mastering with the latest equipment, it becomes much clearer, louder and has better punch.

Steps Involved In Mastering Of CD

There are as many as three steps involved when it comes to CD mastering: assembly editing, sweetening and output. Let's look at these in more detail:

* Assembly Editing: The tapes compiled by mixdown sessions or location recording are put into a digital editor and the tunes are then put in a specific order. Also, between the cuts, proper space is carefully placed. Going on, the start and end of cuts are, with the help of the editor, faded to silence or to a background sound which is more natural and befitting of a performing space.

* Sweetening: With the use of high tech equipment and techniques, audio is sweetened, i.e., it is made smoother, clearer and thus has more punch and impact. As per the needs of the music, these factors are increased. The main aim of sweetening is to enhance the emotional intensity. This technique is mostly important for Pop music.

* Output: The finished and polished music tracks are in this final stage converted to the media which is required for mass production and commercialization. This media is mostly a recordable CD. The master disc can then be played on any CD player.

* Audio mastering works towards enhancing audio pieces and mixes so that they can effectively compete with the commercial releases of today's times.

Why CD Mastering Is Important

When songs are recorded in a studio, they are done one at a time which results in songs that all peak at different levels and also tend to have different EQs. An engineer skilled in the art of mastering can actually unify the entire album with good use of EQ, gain and compression. This gives an album a uniform and consistent sound from track to track.

Through CD mastering, a qualified professional can raise the overall level of a recording, uniform and even out all track and song levels, EQ tracks individually for cohesion and correct all major and minor mix deficiencies, in addition to fixing various other things.

If you have an album and need to get it mastered, there are many qualified professionals out there who would do so at very reasonable rates. Mastering is mostly done in expensive recording studios, but not everyone can afford their services. This is, however, no reason for you to hold back a complication you have poured your heart into. You can always look around and find a professional who would offer his/her services at low rates.

Paying discounted rates doesn't necessarily mean sub-standard quality. The equipment used will be as high tech as you would find in other studios and the engineers will all be qualified experts. So if you are looking for a CD mastering professional, get down to searching locally and online and you are bound to find a good one quickly!About the Author: Mitchell Gavillion is a <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.soundaffairltd.com/">CD mastering</a> and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.soundaffairltd.com/">audio mastering</a> engineer. He also reviews music and albums from new artists, punk bands, metal bands, indie bands and more. Plus covers the music recording industry from recording techniques, recording studios and mastering studios. Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_All-You-Need-To-Know-About-CD-Mastering_21748.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_All You Need To Know About CD Mastering_21748.aspx</a>

Article Source : http://www.articleseen.com/Article_All You Need To Know About CD Mastering_21748.aspx

Author Resource :
Mitchell Gavillion is a CD mastering and audio mastering engineer. He also reviews music and albums from new artists, punk bands, metal bands, indie bands and more. Plus covers the music recording industry from recording techniques, recording studios and mastering studios.

Keywords : music , audio mastering , recording studios , CD mastering,

Category : Arts and Entertainment : Music

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