The short answer is answer “No.” You shouldn’t learn how to master your music. This is not the same question that asks “Should I learn to master all songs?” you might enjoy. It’s good to know what it takes, but the journey should only be taken by those who have completed the previous steps and are eager to go deeper. Even if you are the greatest mastering engineer ever, it is still better to let someone else manage your music because you won’t be able to see your music clearly enough to make the right decisions. While the best mastering will improve a song’s quality by a few percentage points, poor mastering can completely destroy a song. You won’t get any benefit from average mastering. Therefore we advise you to try one of the best online mastering service available.
Understanding the Difference between Mixing and Mastering
This is the main difference between mastering and mixing. Mixing creates a balance between the individual tracks to make a cohesive whole. Mastering polishes that whole so it is ready for public presentation. Both are vital and each is equally important. However, mastering builds on the mixing work. Just like how well the recording process was done, the final result of a mix will depend on how well mastering was done. Now you know what the differences are between mastering and mixing. Comfortable with terminology and the methodology will help you communicate with your mix engineer to ensure you are both aiming for the same goal.
Do you want to be your own mixer? If you’re patient and willing to learn, you can. If you are really good at it, it can save you some serious cash. There is a problem. When it comes to music from other artists, you may be able to produce some of the most impressive mixes and still get the job done quickly. When it comes to your songs, however, you lose sight of the bigger picture and end up tweaking knobs for hours until you are unable to see what’s happening. You can easily get ear fatigue and lose your ability to make the right shots when you aren’t able to see enough of your songs. Mastering is like learning a skill, such as the guitar or piano. To become proficient and then to be great at it will require a lot of effort and time. Is it worth the effort?
You won’t be able to do all of this work with plugins and it wonít make sense for mastering. Is it worth spending the huge money to master and mix outside-the-box using analog gear? You will pay twice as much to have several records polished by another person, and you still need to do the work.
