An Introduction to CD Mastering
While many people think that the mixing of the separate audio tracks is the final step, a recording must be mastered well in order to sound good. CD mastering is the last chance for creative input when creating a compact disc. After a disc is mastered, it can be printed, reproduced, and sold. The process of mastering a CD includes several steps. The first step is putting the songs, called tracks at this point, in order. Next, the volume is leveled for all of the songs. The length of time between songs is also adjusted, and any editing on the intros and ends of the songs (such as fades and crossfades, etc.). Also, any unlisted, secret songs, usually known as hidden tracks, are added at this point. There are several ways to master a CD. First, the mix can be sent to a professional CD mastering engineer, which is what professional musicians with major recording contracts usually do. These mastering engineers often work in their own mastering facilities, which are different from standard recording studios, in that they have much less gear and are designed for the best playback of the mix as possible in order to fix any slight discrepancies. Aside from professional CD mastering engineers, CDs can be mastered at home using computer software. This option is usually more realistic for unsigned artists or musicians who are just starting out. Depending on the quality of the software and the skill of the person doing the mastering, the CD may sound great or it may sound muddy and unprofessional. Online CD mastering is another option. CDs mastered online can be a great time-time, in that, instead of sending a mix to a mastering engineer, the mix is sent over the Internet. This option requires a high-speed Internet connection. Free CD mastering is obviously the cheapest way to master a CD. Artists may want to use free mastering programs on demos or other early recordings that artists use to send to record labels to generate interest. Many CD burning programs included on many computers can be used to do basic but necessary mastering functions. The difference between a professional sounding CD and an amateurish recording is often found in the mastering. All of the songs played on the radio are extensively mastered in order to sound slicker and more listenable. CD Mastering Info provides detailed information on CD mastering engineers, facilities, and software, as well as online and free CD mastering. CD Mastering Info is affiliated with Original Content.
Related News
615 Music Names Shelly Walker as Director of Licensing, Television ... - Broadcast Newsroom
Terrence Howard hopes to be music hit too - Reuters
Top 5 iPod features you'll never see - CNET News
Top 5 iPod features you'll never seeCNET News, CA -Aug 26, 2008If the rumors are right, I'll be chewing my toes on this one, but I just don't see any motivation for Apple to take up a subscription music model. ... |
Miley Cyrus, Michael Phelps, Lindsay Lohan, 'High School Musical ... - MTV.com
Guitar Hero(R) World Tour to Feature Exclusive Partnerships With ... - Earthtimes (press release)
Wanted: Female Celebrity to Kiss Katy Perry! - E! Online
Record-Setting Attendance Ready to Rock at Revelation Generation ... - MarketWatch
Fall music: Metallica, T.I., AC/DC among biggest fall releases - Baltimore Sun
Logitech unveils Squeezebox Boom network music player - T3
Music to soothe your savage beast - San Francisco Chronicle
|
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Music Licensing: The Cold Cash Facts About Money for your Music
Where music meets licensing, there's money to be made. How much money? "I have synched quite a few thousand songs into productions over the years," states Peter Jansson of Janssongs, Inc., "and have charged anywhere between US$1.00 and US$250,000 for each one."
The Didjeridu
In Northern Australia the Didjeridu is seen as a phallic symbol and therefore a male instrument. Women are prohibited from playing.
How I Compose a Piece of Music
A number of people have asked about my own methodology for creating a complete piece of music at the piano. At the risk of oversimplification, the steps are as follows:
Trusting Your Inner Voice - Key to Success at the Piano
We all have so many critical voices in our heads.
Piano Music, Perfectionism, and Self-Expression
Is your heart in the music? If so, it won't matter what you play so much as what is received through your playing. Do you still think you need to learn 43 chords to sound good or are you concerned with the joy of expressing yourself through this wonderful instrument called the piano? People who sound like they know what they are doing may indeed know what they are doing but does that mean you want to listen to the music?
Taking iPod Culture into Clubs as Well as Cyberspace: Jonny Rocket Interviewed by The G-Man
Already making plenty of noise in the marketplace is a new concept called Playlist, which exists both as a club and as an online music competition (see www.ipod-dj.com for details on how to enter and what you can win).
Music Downloads: Free & Low Cost Ways For Musicians To Get Their Music Known All Over The World
Music downloads are highly compressed audio files transferred onto a personal computer from an Internet website or P2P (peer to peer) program. From IPOD's to MP3 players galore, music downloading is seen as the fastest way for a musician to get his or her work out to the public. Many musicians have developed world-wide followings by adding downloadable music files to their web sites.
Polychords and the Jazz Improviser: How to Practice & Apply Polychords to Improv
In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical composers eventually venture into exploring poly-harmony within their respective art form. Poly harmony is the simultaneous sounding of more than one harmonic concept. The preponderance with poly-harmony began the late 19th-early 20th centuries with classical composers as Stravinsky and Debussy. About sixty years later, jazz musicians as John Coltrane and Richie Bierach incorporated such ideas into their music. The benefits of learning poly-chords will enhance an improviser's repertoire of harmonic concepts. Thus they can create harmonic colorings that can influence a listener's outlook. This article will focus on how once can practice and incorporate tertian polychords into their improvisational styles. Many of the examples and references within this article will make use of the seventh chord and triad. One should to explore other tertian harmonies such as ninths, elevenths, and all other similar formulations.
Piano Playing Your Way: How To Have More Fun Playing The Piano Than You Ever Have Before
Piano playing doesn't have to be boring. There's no law that says you have to play a song the same way everyone else plays it. By learning some basic music theory and chord formations, you can have the time of your life playing music like you've always wanted to.
Everything I Play Sounds the Same
Many students want to create music that has a certain emotional quality. For example, I once had a student ask me to show her how to play something that sounded happy.
CD Review: Amber - My Kind of World
Pop/Rock Recording Artist Amber, who has scored seven #1 Billboard Hits (and 3 more Top Tens) in her Career, including "If You Could Read My Mind", "This is Your Night" and "Sexual (Li Da Di)", is back! And she does not disappoint! "My Kind of World" marks the beginning of a new stage in Amber's career. Like Janet Jackson before her, Amber has taken complete creative "control" on this new project and the result is an artistic triumph with huge commercial appeal!
The Life and Music of Beatle George Harrison
Propelled into fame as one of the Beatles, along with Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr, George Harrison was known as the "quiet one" of the group, and also as the "spiritual one." He was the lead guitarist.
An Interview with Angus Young of ACDC - Why He Plays a Gibson SG
Steven:
Maybe more than any other guitarist ever, you're inextricably linked to the Gibson SG? What was the evolution that brought you to this particular instrument?
Be An Organized Church Pianist
Playing in front of a congregation each Sunday is no easy feat. Make sure you are well prepared before giving your best for God and before others.
The King of the Delta Blues Singers - Robert Johnson Still Stands at the Crossroads
Probably the most enigmatic Singer and Guitarist of the twentieth Century is now one of the most revered and respected of all Musicians who make up the Genre of the 'Blues'. I speak of course about the wonderful Robert Leroy Johnson. Born in 1911 in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, in a Deep South plantation, he, in his pitifully short life, has become one of the founding Fathers of the Blues.
Piano Lessons Can be Fun!
There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note reading or chords. For those who want to spend years learning how to play other peoples music, note reading is the way to go.
Legal Free Music Downloads - Songs You Want at No Cost
It's all over the news these days. Download music from the Internet and you could be sued, fined, and/or go to jail. The truth is free music downloads, done correctly, are completely legal.
How to Play Piano Using a Few Chords
How many chords do you need to create a piece of music? Would you believe that it doesn't really matter and that whole pieces of music have been created using just one chord? For example, if you play a D minor 7 chord, you could use the bass note D to create a drone effect and anchor the whole improvisation. It could last for a few seconds or many minutes.
The Revolution of Electric Guitars
Sometime during the 1930's electric guitars were introduced onto the music scene, which began a revolution in sound and technology that continues to this day. After Rock and Roll was born in the 1950's, it didn't take very long for electric guitars to grow in popularity and become one of the most coveted instruments of all time. Things really began to take off when the Beatles turned the world on its ear in 1964 by "invading America". Soon to follow were groups like the Rolling Stones, Cream, and the The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Music was forever changed and today electric guitars dominate the scene.
Modal Theory for Guitar Players - Part 2
Playing the Modes
|
