Audio Mixing vs Mastering: Key Differences Explained

If you are new to audio mixing, you are likely to be confused between audio mixing and audio mastering. With so many terms bombarding you, the confusion only increases.

Let’s simplify the problem for you in this read.

What’s the Difference Between Audio Mixing and Audio Mastering?

Audio mixing comes after recording an audio. In this stage, you combine individual tracks together to create a blend. On the other hand, audio mastering is the final step of audio production. This is where you fine-tune the final mix to make it good enough for distribution. A mixing engineer blends individual tracks and prepares a mix for a mastering engineer. A mastering engineer then works on the half-done mix and polishes it to turn it into the final good.

Let’s now deep dive into the details, and better explore the two disciplines.

What is the Audio Mixing Process?

Let’s say you have created a song consisting of multiple tracks. It should have more than a single track; otherwise, what’s there to mix? Perhaps you created some music, had some rhythm segments, and sang a few words. Now you need to combine all the recorded tracks and turn them into an arrangement that sounds like a song, and that sounds good, too.

After you have recorded the individual tracks, you need to blend and mix them all. Mixing is wherein you control and modify the parameters of individual tracks in a song. Consequently, you get a balanced audio with each track in harmony with the other.

Without mixing, the different musical tracks can only be layered on top of one another. None of the tracks and parts will have any connection with each other. Mixing is the savior of those tracks. It intertwines all the tracks so they sound coherent and in tune with each other.

This is where a mixing engineer enters and plays an important role.

What Does a Mixing Engineer Do?

Mixing engineers balance all the separate tracks in a song and combine them to create a harmonious, solid song. 

Mixing Engineers Adjust Sound Parameters

Mixing Engineers adjust the different sound parameters such as panning, volume levels, effects, and EQ to make sure every song element contributes to the final sound.

A mixing engineer uses tools such as panning, reverb, EQ, and compression to ensure all the tracks feel and sound cohesive. He works with a recorded audio and harmonizes it. The mixing engineer takes out instrumental clashes and unwanted sounds. Moreover, he emphasizes important elements, tightens grooves, removes delay, and gives the song a wholesome feel.

In case certain tracks feel too long, a mixing engineer shortens them in the mixing stage. If certain tracks are overpowering others, the mixing engineer once again harmonizes them. They also add in lots of effects to make a cohesive song. 

Balancing individual instruments and vocals is not a straightforward job. A mixing engineer is responsible for this tricky task.

What is Audio Mastering?

Audio mastering aka mastering comes into play after a song or audio piece has undergone mixing. During the mastering stage, you take the mix you created earlier and refine it. Be it a soundtrack, podcast, instrumental music, or any piece of audio, if you want your audience to love it, you need to perfect it.

The perfection part is done by mastering. Mastering is fine-tuning the audio and saving it as a digital file that you can circulate among others. Now, that’s where a mastering engineer steps in.

What Does a Mastering Engineer Do?

Mastering engineers are like audio quality control experts. Mixing engineers balance and mix ten or more tracks (can be up to a hundred) into a single, coherent song. On the contrary, mastering engineers work on one song or audio mix and go above and beyond to make it shine.

A mastering engineer is like the final sculptor who works on a sculpted structure to add more believable expressions and details to it.

When a mastering engineer gets a music composition, he does more than using EQs, limiters, and compressors. Of course, they use these tools too. But their job is not just limited to harmonizing a mix, and increasing or decreasing the volume of different stereo tracks.

Mastering engineers are like sophisticated artists. They work with one single stereo track at a time in the mastering process. Plus, they do their best to ensure that track rocks on all kinds of playback systems. Their job also involved making sure the entire mix is perfect, and every song in an album works with the other songs. 

So, their task is translational as well as relational. Making every song fit the other in a project is not an easy job. And that’s what mastering engineers do. They make a song top-notch for a commercial release. 

They Make Songs Timeless

They have the responsibility of making the final outcome ageless. To make a song evergreen, they need to polish it in terms of both file distribution and sonics. They take care of the sonics of a song so it can stand the test of time when it comes to its tone. Plus, they take care of file delivery. It means they provide you with all the things you require to release your project as well as re-release it when the media landscape evolves.

The tools a mastering engineer uses are not limited to compression and EQ. In fact, the room that they use for mastering is indeed the most significant tool of the lot. It helps the mastering engineer identify any existing or potential issues with a song, and fix them right away.

Moreover, the speakers and the room are also important. Mixing engineers can easily work with NS10s. As opposed to that, a mastering engineer will need a full-range, well-tuned monitor configuration in a noise-free, tuned room. This is paramount so they can feel, sense, and hear every little detail and aspect of the song they are working on.

For the final quality control check, they also sometimes use top-notch headphones so they can spot artifacts before that music hits the market.

They Top and Tail Tunes

A mastering engineer is also incharge of topping and tailing tunes in case there is a song collection that needs to be played in a specific order. 

To make a music album flow cohesively, it is crucial to add in the ‘start’ and ‘stop’ places. The mastering engineer does that task. He arranges the soundtracks as such so they feel good to your ears whether you hear them individually, or one after another in a music production.

They Handle the Distribution Methods

Another job that a mastering engineer does is to take care of the distribution methods. Broadcast media prefers 48 kHz/24-bit files. CDs require 44.1 kHz/16-bit files. Streaming services, on the other hand, lean towards 24-bit resolution and high-resolution sample rates. The mastering engineer takes into account these formats while following the compliance procedures.

He provides you with the files according to the channel you will use to distribute that product. He also carefully checks every batch to make certain it has no artifacts, glitches, or errors.

Be it a mixing or mastering engineer, the jobs of both are equally important. If it weren’t for these two, you wouldn’t have heard timeless classics like Billie Jean and Hotel California.

What’s the Difference Between a Mixed and Mastered Song?

A mixed song sounds balanced. Every vocal and instrument sits well within the mix. All the elements of the song also add value to the song’s sound and feel.

On the other hand, a mastered song is like a refined piece. It sounds way clearer, cleaner, louder and more harmonious than its mixed version.

Let’s get into the specifics of each now.

What a Mixed Song Sounds Like?

A mixed song has the vocals, drums, guitars and other individual tracks combined and well-balanced.

In a properly-mixed song, you can hear every instrument and vocal very clearly. Each vocal and instrument is added to a stereo field, and undergoes EQ to ensure it has balance and sounds pristine.

A well-mixed song possesses a sense of cohesion and unison. Each song element works with the other and conveys the desired musical message.

What a Mastered Song Sounds Like?

A mastered song sound is certainly better and more pleasant to the ears than a mixed song. Mastering improves the song’s sonic characteristics. It then sounds more professional, refined, pleasant and also gets a competitive edge over competitor songs.

Mastering may also involve widening the song’s stereo image, adding dimension and character to it, and tightening its low end. Moreover, mastering ensures the final song complies with the industry benchmarks for frequency balance, quality, dynamic range, and loudness.

Final Word

Both mixing and mastering have their own place in the song creation process. One cannot live without the other.

Mixing is centered on balancing every track to produce a unified mix. On the other hand, mastering adds the final touch of class to the song. It makes a song professionally solid and appealing for it to be broadcast to the world.

We can’t really say which is more important, better, or harder because the truth is, you need both to create a perfect song.

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