MASTERING ENGINEER - ALL INFORMATION AT A GLANCE

Definition and Tasks

A mastering engineer is the final quality-control specialist in audio production. Audio mastering is not just a hobby. It is a profession where studio work is about far more than simply pushing a song into a limiter with plug-ins such as Ozone. In the following section, we give you an overview of what a mastering engineer does.

What does a mastering engineer do?

  • The mastering engineer works in a professional hybrid setup with analog and digital equipment, precisely calibrated acoustics and studio monitors with the most linear frequency response possible. Only when these elements are in place can an audio engineer carry out proper mastering. Before that, we would call it mix-bus processing.
  • A mastering engineer usually works on the finished mixdown of a music production or on stems. The changes are usually subtle, because the character of the song has already been shaped during mixing by the mixing engineer and the artist.
  • The mastering engineer is the final link in production. They improve the overall quality of a track, prepare full albums for duplication or create DDP images. Mastering for streaming platforms also plays an important role, because more and more songs are released online.
  • The mastering engineer also gives feedback to the mixing engineer if there are issues in the mix that cannot be fixed during mastering.

Mastering is the final polish. This is where the track is prepared for the pressing plant, radio and streaming platforms. The goal of the audio mastering engineer is a track that sounds balanced on every playback system.

I show what these tasks look like in day-to-day studio work in a separate video series with short practical insights. In Self-employed as an Audio Engineer - Studio Real Talk, I cover self-employment, client work, mixing, mastering and professional decision-making behind the scenes.

More and more mastering engineers also offer online mastering. The advantage for artists is clear: they no longer need to travel to a local studio or take long trips for their master.

How do you become a mastering engineer?

At best, mastering engineers have years of experience in audio engineering and music production and have proven themselves as a mixing engineer over time. Anyone who knows the problems and characteristics in mixing and has a trained ear is also ready to prepare a master. We also look back on over 20 years of experience in the music industry!

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Mixing engineer, audio engineer, mastering engineer - what are the differences?

The term audio engineer is usually used as an umbrella term for professional work with audio or sound material. But the range of tasks within music production is so broad that it is worth breaking it down further.

Mixing and mastering engineers work hand in hand to achieve the ideal sound of the song.

First and foremost, the mixing engineer deals with the mixing ratio of the individual instruments, creates a tonal balance within the song and thus ensures a pleasant mix.

Ideally, the mastering engineer enhances the work done so far by the mixer, resolves minor inconsistencies in the frequency response and prepares the audio material both musically and technically so that it reaches a professional level and can compete with other productions.