However, today we have access to many great online mastering services that use algorithmic processing to master your tracks. Historically, musicians would send their mixed pieces to mastering engineers/ mastering houses for the final process. Different distributors such as iTunes, Spotify – even CDs – all have their own specifications for loudness and dynamic range, which must be addressed in the mastering stage. Arguably the most important reason is to ensure the loudness is correct for the distribution format. These days, the main reasons for mastering are: to control dynamic range, improve consistency, to check that the song translates well across different speaker types (phones, headphones, loudspeakers, car speakers etc), refine the overall feel and timbre of the track with compression, equalisation and saturation. Traditionally, mastering was a necessary process to make sure that the song could physically play on a vinyl record – too much dynamic range and the needle would bounce off the record, making it unplayable. Mastering is carried out for a number of reasons. Once the arrangement and mix have been nailed down, there is a final phase of processing before the music gets sent out to listeners. Mastering is the final stage in a track's lifecycle before distribution. We’ve compared different online services and made this roundup. If you want your music to compete with tracks you hear in the club, on the radio, or on online streaming services, then you need to have them mastered properly so your music gets heard.

There's no question that mastering is an essential stage of music production.

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