Mastering is not necessarily more important than mixing, but it is an essential part of the music production process. Mixing and mastering are two different but complementary processes. Mixing is the process of balancing the individual tracks in a song and creating a cohesive mix. Mastering is the process of polishing and refining the final mix, and preparing it for distribution.
Mixing is more important in terms of getting the basic sound of the song right. If the mix is not good, then mastering cannot fix it. However, mastering can make a good mix even better. A good mastering engineer can polish and refine the mix, improve the overall clarity and sound quality, and make it sound more consistent across different playback systems.
So, which is more important? It depends on your goals. If you are just trying to get a basic mix of your song, then mixing is more important. However, if you want to get the best possible sound out of your song, then both mixing and mastering are important.
Here are some of the things that a mastering engineer can do:
- Balance the levels of the different instruments and vocals.
- EQ the mix to improve the clarity and sound quality.
- Add compression and limiting to improve the dynamics and loudness of the mix.
- Stereo enhance the mix to make it sound wider and more immersive.
- Add any other necessary effects, such as reverb or delay.
If you are serious about getting the best possible sound out of your music, then I recommend hiring a professional mastering engineer. A good mastering engineer can make your music sound more professional and polished, and help it to compete with other commercial releases.
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to master your music is up to you. However, if you want to get the best possible sound out of your song, then I recommend mastering it.
