[LAU] mastering - do I need it?

[Mark Knecht]

On Nov 24, 2007 11:18 AM, Ken Restivo <ken at restivo.org> wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 23, 2007 at 11:07:05AM -0800, Mark Knecht wrote:
> >    Remember that in general mastering is a process of getting a *set*
> > of audio files ready for a final CD. The task is to make them sound
> > good together. Taking a single file through the mastering process is
> > only part of the game.
>
>
> This seems almost quaint in an era when most people keep their tunes in MP3's on their iPods and iTunes (or equivalents) in shuffle mode.
>
> Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I listened to a CD all the way through from beginning to end.
>
> -ken
>

Well, OK, that's me - 'quaint'...

Anyway, a good mastering engineer will likely have experience making
music sound as good as it can on many different types of systems. Some
mastering studio websites have audio clips demonstrating A/B
comparisons to highlight the sort of things they do. Anyone thinking
about having their work mastered would probably do well to go visit
some web sites before the start dialing the telephone or even looking
for references. TapeOp magazine is a good resource for deals on
mastering. Flipping through the most recent issue I see at least 20
studios listed. They all have web sites and phone numbers.

I guess it's up to the individual whether they want to get this done or not.

As for me I hardly listen to any CD without listening all the way
though, even if it's been ripped to disk. I'm just quaint.

- Mark