What's the Difference in CD Mastering?

CD mastering is decidedly different in terms of the process versus when you are mastering for specifically an online format. In this article we'll explain the difference in CD mastering and why it's different.

There is one specific fundamental difference between mastering for a CD and a digital format. But first let's talk about the vast similarities between the two. First off, in both CD and digital mastering, you're main job is to make the audio sound better. The artist or producer sends the audio mastering engineer a finalized mix of the song where all of the tracks which make up the overall song are already mixed to the preferences of the producer or artist.

That finalized mix is then processed by the mastering engineer. This is done through various effects both digital or analog to sculpt the sound in an overall better direction. EQ, compression, limiters, reverb, stereo width, and other effects are artfully used to bring out the true potential of a track and make even the final mix sound that much better, pushing the limits of what that track is capable of through the talents of a skillful and seasoned audio mastering engineer.

Mastering engineers have different ears in terms of how they're wired than a producer. The producer's main concerns are to record the album itself and then make sure the various tracks making up the song are mixed properly in relation with one another. The mastering engineer listens to the overall finished mix and decides how it can sound better. It's also extremely helpful that the mastering engineer is a different person than the producer because they can listen to the song with a fresh set of ears which is extremely important for hearing things which no one else in the audio production chain has heard, thought of, or considered yet.

The difference in CD mastering is that additional information and steps are needed to be considered. Think about it; for a digital release, you simply have to get the audio in tip-top shape. For a physical release, there is extra information which needs to be written to the compact disk when it gets replicated. More than that, the engineer needs to set the sequence/transitions of each song on the album. Are there gaps between the songs or do some of them overlap and flow right into one another?

The mastering engineer creates one long audio file of the entire album's tracks separated in accordance with the artists's wishes, then makes a note of the breaks and transitions in the form of a PQ file and writes the relevant information to the final audio file in the form of a DDP.

This information is then sent to the CD replication plant so that every copy of the CD created is exactly the same and without issues. It's a much more elaborate process prepping an album for a physical release such as on the CD format, but many fans prefer to have a physical copy of the album in their hands and AudioMasteringCDMastering.com is happy to provide that professional service to any of its clients who are interested in a physical release in compact disk format.