Tracking, Mixing, Mastering
Just incase anyone is scratching their heads about these three terms, below we go into detail about each. Every one of these processes are crucial to the finished musical composition. When booking time in the studio, we require a 2hr minimum, to encourage proper time management for at least Tracking and Mixing. But essentially that depends upon the customers time management of how much dedication is given to each.
Tracking
Tracking simply means the process of recording tracks. It’s called ‘tracking’ because each recorded element is given it’s own track so that the balance and effects can be controlled individually later on. Tracking can either be done with more than musician playing at once, or is done one instrument at a time (or a mixture) depending on how you want the track to sound.
Mixing
Mixing is the process of blending all the individual tracks in a recording to make it sound as good as possibly can. The blended tracks are known as ‘the mix’. Mixing a track involves balancing the volume levels of the tracks (either manually or via automation), boosting and cutting frequencies (also known as EQing), panning tracks left and right to create the stereo field and adding effects.
Mixing often involves lots of editing and picking between the best variations of each track. Ideally though, the editing work will have been done before hand so they can focus on the mix itself.
Mastering
Mastering a song involves taking a mix and putting the final touches on it by elevating certain sonic characteristics. This can involve aspects like adjusting levels, applying stereo enhancement, and monitoring for clicks and pops–anything that could distract the listener from the music. The end result is a polished, clean sound that is optimized for consistent playback across different formats and systems.