How to Become a Mastering Engineer
The path to becoming a mastering engineer
Music mastering — also referred to as audio mastering or song mastering — demands a broad set of technical skills, practical knowledge, and years of hands-on experience. Most mastering engineers begin their careers as interns in a recording studio. From that starting point, they gradually acquire the abilities needed to work as an audio engineer, then often move into mixing engineering, and only later take on the role of mastering engineer. You do not simply step into mastering work overnight. First you must understand the entire recording process as an audio engineer, and then develop expertise as a mixing engineer. Because every stage of music production is interconnected, a thorough grasp of the full chain is essential. Only after mastering those earlier roles can one begin offering professional mastering services to clients.
Developing critical listening skills
The single most important resource for any mastering engineer is their own ears. Without those two oddly-shaped organs on either side of the head, it would be impossible to work the magic required to make a mix translate well across every playback system it might encounter. Equally critical is the acoustic environment where mastering takes place. The room must be free of both frequency buildups and frequency nulls. It needs to be carefully tuned so that the frequency response is flat — or as close to flat as can reasonably be achieved. An untreated space with an uneven frequency response prevents the engineer from hearing what the audio truly sounds like. If the actual sound cannot be heard, there is simply no way to master the mix properly. The room shapes how the engineer hears the music, and as already noted, the ears are the engineer's primary tool.
Analog versus digital gear for mastering
Most professional mastering studios maintain a balanced mix of analog hardware and digital equipment. Before computers became common in audio production, every studio relied exclusively on hardware. Today, virtually all studios use both types of gear, choosing whichever suits the particular approach needed for a given mix. A basic mastering chain typically includes an equalizer (EQ), an audio compressor, and an audio limiter. With just those three elements, a mastering engineer has enough to complete the job. Some digital all-in-one mastering effects processors include built-in reverb, but clearly: reverb has no place in the mastering chain. Reverb is applied during the recording stage, and most significantly during mixing. Proper mastering, when done well, does not alter the sound of the mix; it merely corrects flaws and brings the overall loudness level — measured as either RMS or LUFS — in line with the norms of the song's genre.
Be prepared for a long journey
Anyone interested in becoming a mastering engineer must be ready to show dedication, patience, and a willingness to do absolutely anything. If you begin as an intern in a recording studio, expect to wash floors, dust the mixing console, fetch coffee, pick up dry cleaning — yes, that was a real task — and make yourself available around the clock, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.