What Is audio mastering?
Mastering is the final stage of audio production—the process of putting the finishing touches on a song by enhancing the overall sound, creating consistency across the album, and preparing it for distribution.
Audio mastering
Audio mastering is the last stage of music production where you add the finishing touches to your overall mix. Check out our resources below to learn the tools and techniques involved in preparing your mix for publishing.
1920s to now: comparing tonal balance in popular music
Why do the Beatles recordings sound the way they do? What about the classic jazz recordings of Rudy van Gelder in the 1950s? What makes my car’s...
How to Use Reference Tracks in a Mastering Session
Reference tracks are incredibly helpful mastering tools when it comes to the efficiency of a mastering session, for several reasons we’ll be discussing...
From the pros: the reference tracks they use on every mix
Reference tracks are professionally produced and mixed songs that engineers use as sonic benchmarks during the mixing and mastering process to guide their...
Introducing Tonal Balance Control 3: your new north star for professional mixes
We’ve all been there: you’ve spent hours tweaking a mix, only to realize it sounds completely different when you play it in your car or on a pair of...
Meet the new iZotope subscriptions: pro audio tools that grow with you
Whether you’re just beginning to record or you’re a seasoned engineer refining a final master, having the right tools makes all the difference....
Dare to fail: inside the studio with mix engineer and producer William J. Sullivan
When William J. Sullivan (Kid Cudi, Ty Dolla $ign, Selena Gomez) answers our video call from his studio, he’s knee-deep in a restoration project using...
A LUFS and tonal analysis of the top-charting holiday songs in 2025
It’s been a few months since we’ve done a loudness analysis piece, but with the holiday season in full swing, we thought, “Why not do a little...
What is metering in mixing and mastering?
In the twin practices of mixing and mastering, we often speak of the meters, particularly after making bold decisions. "How does that look on the...
From the pros: The most common issues in audio mastering
Even the best mastering engineers can only work with what they’re given – and while a great mix makes mastering a joy, certain recurring mix...
Julian Bunetta on the art of the perfect song
If your song isn’t making people pick up the phone and call somebody, Julian Bunetta says, “your song’s not good enough. You’ve...
10 steps to a quick master in iZotope Ozone
Mastering music is often seen as a “dark art,” but the phrase is really a misnomer – it isn’t any more of a secret than any other part...
Mastering with Mat Leffler-Schulman: why attention, relationships, and perspective matter
Today, we’re interviewing Mat Leffler-Schulman, a GRAMMY-nominated mastering engineer based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Operating out of a purpose-built...
