Mixing vs mastering: what’s the difference?
The difference between mixing and mastering: what each stage does, which problems belong to each, and how to tell when a mix is ready to master.
Mixing and mastering are both about making a song sound good, but they work on different material and answer different questions.
Mixing works with the individual tracks of a song: vocals, drums, bass, guitars, synths. It decides how loud each one is, where it sits in the stereo field, how it is EQ’d and compressed, and which effects it gets. The result is a single stereo file.
Mastering works with that stereo file as a whole. It adjusts the overall tone, dynamics, width and loudness so the song translates to every playback system and sits well next to other releases.
Mixing and mastering side by side
| Mixing | Mastering | |
|---|---|---|
| Works on | Individual tracks or stems | The finished stereo mix |
| Main question | Do the parts work together? | Does the whole song work everywhere? |
| Typical moves | Levels, panning, per-track EQ and compression, reverb, automation | Broad EQ, gentle compression, stereo adjustments, limiting |
| Size of moves | Can be large | Usually small: a dB or two |
| Fixes | Balance between instruments | Overall tone, loudness and consistency |
Which problems belong where
Fix these in the mix:
- The vocal is too quiet or too loud compared with the band.
- One instrument is harsh, muddy or masking another.
- The kick and bass are fighting each other.
- There is too much reverb on one part.
- Something is out of time or out of tune.
These are mastering decisions:
- The whole song is a little too dark or too bright.
- The song needs to be louder for release.
- The track feels slightly loose and could use some glue.
- The songs on an EP don’t sit well together.
A useful rule: if the problem lives in one instrument, it’s a mix problem. Mastering can move the whole mix, but every move affects everything in that frequency range.
Why they are separate steps
Mastering on fresh ears and different speakers catches problems you stopped hearing during the mix. That is why many artists who mix their own music still send it somewhere else to be mastered, even if that somewhere is an online service.
It also helps to keep loudness out of the mix. If you mix into a heavy limiter, every mix decision is made against a squashed version of the song, and the master has no room left to work.
Is your mix ready for mastering?
- You can listen from start to finish without wanting to change a level.
- Peaks are below about -3 dBFS and there is no limiter on the master bus, or only a light one you deliberately use as part of the sound.
- It sounds balanced on headphones, a phone speaker and your main speakers, even if it is quieter than released music.
- The start and end are trimmed, with no clicks.
If all of that is true, the mix is ready. What is music mastering? covers what happens next, and Upload a track lists the files MasteringKit accepts.
When the mix is ready, master my song shows the steps, and make an MP3 louder explains why raising the volume is not the same as mastering.