In short
Mixing combines the individual tracks of your song into one stereo file. Mastering turns that finished mix into a song that sounds good everywhere and has the right loudness for release. Mixing builds the song, mastering polishes it.
What is mixing?
In mixing, every track is processed on its own until everything fits together. The vocal sits up front, kick and 808 push without masking each other.
- Volume and panning: who is how loud and where in the stereo image.
- EQ: every instrument gets its own frequency range.
- Compression: an even vocal, drums with punch.
- Effects: reverb, delay and saturation for space and character.
- Automation: the hook feels bigger than the verse.
What is mastering?
In mastering there is only the finished stereo file. It’s tuned so it sounds equally good in the car, on headphones and on a phone.
- Tonal balance: fine EQ corrections for every playback system.
- Loudness: right for the genre and for Spotify, more in How loud for Spotify?
- True peak: no distortion when converted to MP3 or AAC.
- Consistent sound: an EP or album sounds like one piece.
Mastering doesn’t fix a bad mix. If the vocal is too quiet, that has to be solved in the mix.
The difference at a glance
| Mixing | Mastering | |
|---|---|---|
| Source material | All individual tracks (stems) | Finished stereo mix |
| Goal | Everything fits together | Release-ready on every device |
| What gets processed | Every track on its own | Only the sum |
| Loudness | With headroom, no limiter | Final, for release |
| Order | First | Last, before upload |
Do I need mixing and mastering?
- You only have separate tracks: then you need both, easiest as mix & master from one person.
- You mixed it yourself and you’re happy: then mastering is enough.
- You mixed it yourself, but something’s missing: a mix review tells you what to change before mastering.
- Your beat is already mastered: your vocals still need a mix, ideally with the beat as stems or without a limiter.
How long do mixing and mastering take?
With me, a mix takes 5–7 working days to the first version, followed by up to two revision rounds. Mastering takes 3–5 working days, or just 48 hours as express.
Common mistakes
- Leaving a limiter on the mix. Send it without a limiter and with peaks around −6 dBFS.
- Trying to fix the mix in mastering. Problems with single tracks can only be solved cleanly in the mix.
- Doing both yourself on the same day. After hours on a mix you stop hearing mistakes. A break helps.
Whether your mix is ready for mastering, the free Mix-Scout shows you. What both cost is in How much do mixing & mastering cost?