Friday, November 26, 2010

Tips For Beginners To Master CD's

By Nicholas Brown


The last step to preparing a CD DVD for replication is not actually the mixing of the tracks. The recording as a whole needs to be mastered in order to gain the best quality sound. The mastering process is the last chance you'll get for any creative input. When you finally have your master disc is when you will be able to print, replicate and then market it.

The process of mastering a CD actually involves several steps. You first need to get your songs or tracks in the correct order. Editing the songs is required as is setting the length of time between tracks. If you have secret or unlisted songs then these are added at this point as well.

CD mastering can be implemented in several different ways. One option is to send the mix to a professional engineer who specializes in mastering CDs and DVDs. Most professional musicians take this route.

The mastering engineers will often work in their own mastering facilities, which are very different from standard studios, in the fact that they have much less gear and are designed for the best possible playback of the mix as possible in order to fix anything that's wrong.

Aside from mastering engineers, CDs can also be mastered at home using computer software. For unsigned musicians or musicians who are just starting out this is probably the most affordable option. Some skill and knowledge will be required as will quality software in order to get a professional sounding mix.

Online CD mastering services are now available with the advancement of Internet technology. As well as taking your physical copy to a professional mix mastering engineer you now also have the option of sending the mix over the Internet. To do this, you'll need a high speed Internet connection.

Free mastering is of course the cheapest way to go when you need to master a CD, Musicians and artists might decide to use free mastering programs for demos or even earlier recordings to generate some interest in their work.

The difference in quality between recordings usually comes down to the mastering. Every song that you hear played on the radio is thoroughly mastered in order to sound better.

Without proper training and experience a professional CD mastering engineer is probably the best way to go for your project.




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