People might think that the artistic side of music recording ends when the artists are done recording their tracks, but CD mastering is actually the last step in the artistic process. CD mastering may sound like a boring technical application, but it is a very important element in the CD production process.

CD mastering gives music recording professionals a last chance at making the recording sound perfect. The process of CD mastering allows music recording engineers to have one final chance to make sure everything is perfect. CD mastering involves checking that the dynamics are complimentary to that specific style of music, the frequencies are balanced, the songs have a consistent sound level and the spacing between songs is even. 

The step of CD mastering is an important step in the recording process that effects how the CD will sound. Engineers must pay close attention to detail during this step so that the music will sound as good as possible on a wide variety of music playing systems.

There are many steps involved in the CD mastering process alone, which makes the complicated nature of recording music apparent. One recording goes through many sets of hands before it is ready for the public to hear it. Some of the testing and tweeking involved with CD mastering include:

adjusting overall equalization, compression, and dynamics.

adjusting spacing between tracks

trimming the beginning and end of each track

digital editing

insuring a consistent sound level in every song

removing noise from spacing between tracks

removing noise from tracks

required signal processing

sequencing tracks

stereo imaging or widening

setting up CD text information

assembling and burning final masters to red book specifications.

CD mastering usually has a turnaround of about a week. This gives engineers a chance to complete all the necessary tasks and ensure that a CD has the ultimate sound. When a CD mastering project is complete, the recording studio clients usually receive a test CD.  The CD mastering test disc can be approved for a final burn, or any requested changes can be made. 

In most cases, engineers provide two master copies once the CD mastering is complete. These copies are the CD replication or CD Duplication master, and a reference CD for archiving. The process of CD mastering is very complicated, and it is only one step in the recording process. CD mastering plays a vital role in the quality of a musical recording.