Saidera
Senior Member
I have an impression that mastering engineers design their own gear, use rare in-house devices or analogue gear, and yet start from scratch all the time when thinking about how a particular project can be tweaked to sound as good as possible with the minimum of intervention.
Many of them have authored books. Online courses to impart some skills have been created.
In the past, recording studios were far more popular but my impression of recording and mixing is that it is difficult and complex, and seems far beyond the reach of many casual listeners.
At this point, automated mastering services are appearing but regardless of that, many content creators will also opt to 'master' audio on their own.
Is it possible for any audiophile to practice what a mastering engineer does? Can a person, with or without studio working experience, set up a good studio environment according to the books, use smaller but well-performing studio monitor speakers e.g. Adam Audio etc, and such technology as mastering software, plugins, studio monitor headphones etc to master their own streaming content? Aren't the audiophiles who consider things to the highest and deepest levels those who are basically mastering engineers even if they don't work professionally as mastering engineers?
If this is the case, mastering engineers will quickly become unnecessary, since AI and amateurs can easily replace the occupation.
It is arguable that digital plugins, with much trial and error, is capable of recreating what was only possible with analogue gear.
It seems it takes more than just an audiophile to make a mastering engineer. Mastering requires a kind of objective stance - if it's your own content it may be difficult to make it its best. Professional mastering would best work if the person has a grasp of wide ranging kinds of music, an ability to enhance the emotional experience, and not focus solely on 'sound quality' too much if that detracts from emotion. The person has to have experience as a player of an instrument, and studied electrical engineering etc. Not merely a passive listener.
Overall, since mastering as a profession has become firmly established in the 20th century, the only way people can enter that field is by working at one of the already existing studios. Obviously such skills as vinyl authoring are only possible to gain there. In the digital realm, trial and error could get you to the same level perhaps, but that is limited by how much skill+experience you already have in working at a proper studio. Most mastering engineers would need to be in a studio affiliated with or directed by a larger corporation to remain in business without too much trouble.
But let's throw common sense out the window. Ignoring the need to have speakers which you understand deeply and can work by analogy to imagine even larger speakers, let me ask what DAC does a mastering studio use? Can Sonata HD Pro suffice? Can Audacity be mastering software? Can studio monitor headphones like Sony's M1ST, Yamaha's MT8 or Audio-technica's ATH-M series suffice? And ultimately, if most consumers use the most commonplace worthless gear to listen, isn't it proper for the mastering to take place using just a DAC and headphones? In most cases there'd likely be no issues with how it sounds on a radio, a TV, a car, or a high end setup, although one could simply test it out rather than rely on analogy and experience with professional studio speakers.
Can every audiophile be a mastering engineer with only a Sonata HD Pro, a computer, and ATH-M40x?
Many of them have authored books. Online courses to impart some skills have been created.
In the past, recording studios were far more popular but my impression of recording and mixing is that it is difficult and complex, and seems far beyond the reach of many casual listeners.
At this point, automated mastering services are appearing but regardless of that, many content creators will also opt to 'master' audio on their own.
Is it possible for any audiophile to practice what a mastering engineer does? Can a person, with or without studio working experience, set up a good studio environment according to the books, use smaller but well-performing studio monitor speakers e.g. Adam Audio etc, and such technology as mastering software, plugins, studio monitor headphones etc to master their own streaming content? Aren't the audiophiles who consider things to the highest and deepest levels those who are basically mastering engineers even if they don't work professionally as mastering engineers?
If this is the case, mastering engineers will quickly become unnecessary, since AI and amateurs can easily replace the occupation.
It is arguable that digital plugins, with much trial and error, is capable of recreating what was only possible with analogue gear.
It seems it takes more than just an audiophile to make a mastering engineer. Mastering requires a kind of objective stance - if it's your own content it may be difficult to make it its best. Professional mastering would best work if the person has a grasp of wide ranging kinds of music, an ability to enhance the emotional experience, and not focus solely on 'sound quality' too much if that detracts from emotion. The person has to have experience as a player of an instrument, and studied electrical engineering etc. Not merely a passive listener.
Overall, since mastering as a profession has become firmly established in the 20th century, the only way people can enter that field is by working at one of the already existing studios. Obviously such skills as vinyl authoring are only possible to gain there. In the digital realm, trial and error could get you to the same level perhaps, but that is limited by how much skill+experience you already have in working at a proper studio. Most mastering engineers would need to be in a studio affiliated with or directed by a larger corporation to remain in business without too much trouble.
But let's throw common sense out the window. Ignoring the need to have speakers which you understand deeply and can work by analogy to imagine even larger speakers, let me ask what DAC does a mastering studio use? Can Sonata HD Pro suffice? Can Audacity be mastering software? Can studio monitor headphones like Sony's M1ST, Yamaha's MT8 or Audio-technica's ATH-M series suffice? And ultimately, if most consumers use the most commonplace worthless gear to listen, isn't it proper for the mastering to take place using just a DAC and headphones? In most cases there'd likely be no issues with how it sounds on a radio, a TV, a car, or a high end setup, although one could simply test it out rather than rely on analogy and experience with professional studio speakers.
Can every audiophile be a mastering engineer with only a Sonata HD Pro, a computer, and ATH-M40x?