What Makes A Good Mastering Engineer?

It's just plain criminal... Mastering studios that take yourone-on-one with the client throughout the entire
hard-earned money and then give you masteredmastering process to achieve the best result.
tracks worse or no better than the original mix!This is important to maintain the artists vision of what
You see, good mastering is balancing act. Because asthey want their tracks to sound like. The last thing you
soon as you adjust one part of the audio track (suchwant is to work with someone who demands on
as boost loudness), then several other factors changechanging the music to how they think it should be,
as well.instead of what you really want.
When looking for a mastering engineer, there are 5Moreover, a good mastering engineer should also give
important qualities you should look for:feedback on what needs to be done to get the right
1. Experience. You want somebody who knows whatsound.
to listen for and what to do when a mistake is noticed.4. Good ears. Since every track is different, a good
Each type of music has its unique quirks that takesmastering engineer needs to know what to listen for.
hundreds of working hours discover them all.You should think of a mastering engineer as a musical
Additionally, the engineer should have experience withartist.
your medium (such as CDs, Vinyl, or DVDs).5. Dedication. Finally, your mastering engineer should be
2. The right equipment. Mastering studios spenddedicated to doing the best job possible. You want
countless thousands of dollars on getting the bestsomebody who is going to stick with your project, until
equipment for a reason. Each piece allows theit's the best it can be. Not someone who calls it quits
engineer more flexibility in getting the right sound.soon after they start.
This alone is an important reason for going with a pro.After all, every little bit counts to give you the edge in a
3. Responsive. A good mastering engineer worksvery competitive market place.