What Is Mastering

The three main aspects of Mastering are:

  • Quality Control: checking/correcting issues and errors, providing mixing feedback.
  • Enhancement: making the mix sound at its best and highlighting key elements.
  • Delivery: ensuring the technical aspects are correct for the final distribution destination.

Mastering is the final step of audio post-production. The purpose of mastering is to balance sonic elements of a stereo mix and optimise playback across all systems and media formats. Traditionally, mastering is done using tools like equalisation, compression, limiting and stereo enhancement.

What Is Mixing

Mixing is the stage after Production that comes before final Mastering.

While Production is the creation of sounds and arrangement, Mixing bridges the gap to ensure everything created is balanced and sitting together in perfect harmony before Mastering provides the final polish.

About

With decades of experience and a diverse range of musical backgrounds, Marcus Schmahl has released music on countless labels. He produced music for film, broadcasting and advertising companies, pop, dance, techno, house, ambient, downbeat, drum’n’bass and electronica music, just to name a few.

With more than 30 years of professional studio experience, Mainz’s Marcus Schmahl has grown up surrounded by music. He studied electrical engineering at a technical university for a degree in engineering and completed several internships at radio stations and TV broadcasters. Marcus also taught as a lecturer (Electronic Music Producer (EMP)) at the S.A.E. Frankfurt and was invited as a guest lecturer at various universities and media festivals (e.g. University of Kent, Europrix TTA). Since 2016, he has been writing product reviews for the magazines GEARNEWS, bonedo and DJ Mag. Since 2019, he has been the chief of editor for the German and international GEARNEWS staff.

With his latest exciting projects, his unique style has already topped the charts uncountable times and earned praise from well-known acts around the world. Marcus has toured the globe extensively as Broombeck and 2pole – playing live techno at clubs like Berghain, on Ibiza, several festivals, … He has also performed as Guardner and Rauschfaktor, where he showcased his talent for live electronica across Europe.

Since 1993, when his first release came out, Marcus has been a professional composer, media producer, sound designer, mix and mastering engineer. He has always been passionate about electronic music and analog electronic sound (with acoustic elements). Today he writes for artists, TV shows and advertising, and has gold records to his name.

But the story has only just begun. And with much history already written, and so much success to his latest projects, the future is looking long and bright indeed.