Mixing and Mastering are two different things. I do not like when people say I mixed and mastered this song when it sounds like you’ve just mixed it. It’s like taking credit for something that you didn’t do. Let me please explain the difference between the two for the people that think they are the same.

 

            Mixing is the process of adjusting levels to fit the need of the overall mix or master channel. You’re basically raising or lowering each individual channel so it can fit in the overall mix. Also this is the stage when you would add key plugins and sounds to finish the song. If a voice in the song needs reverb then mixing is the stage where it would get added. All these little things add up and soon you will have a fully mixed song.

 

            Mastering is the process of getting a project or album ready for massive distribution. With mastering, engineers make sure the levels across the project are the same and fix the levels if needed. If one song was recorded in a different studio then the next one, it’s more likely that their levels are off. This is where mastering steps in. You have to master an album so that every song sounds the same sonically. Mastering is essentially smoothing out the records to make an album. Singles to albums can be mastered when being released to the public. If they do then that will be the go to master mix for the entire album.

 

            So next times you hear someone say I mixed and mastered a song, tell them they didn’t. Let them know that what they said is incorrect and simply refer them to this article. People need to be more aware of terms like this because if you’re not you can be thinking you’re doing one thing when you’re really doing the opposite.