Mastering is the process of applying finishing touches to a whole musical project, usually through adjusting levels from track to track (in the context of an EP or album), applying stereo enhancement etc. At the moment it’s standard for a track to be mastered to around -14LUFS for digital distribution, however if previous trends have anything to show us, this could go higher. As was focused on in my previous blog on ‘the loudness wars’, the evolution of the mastering process has focused on being able to take full advantage of newer technologies, most recently the move to digital streaming.
In this sense I don’t think stereo mastering can evolve much further than this, aside from getting louder. However, I believe both the process of mastering and the end result of mastering could change drastically. Michael Romanowski currently works to create ‘immersive audio’ spatial mixes, using surround sound systems such as dolby atoms. While I think this will remain outside of the average music listeners access for a while, I think its an interesting artistic path that will certainly become more common as time passes.
Similarly, online AI tools for mastering have become all the more common, such as LANDR. I believe without intervention, AI mastering could become much more wide spread, as to many mastering can seem like some strange unknown science. While i’m unsure about my thoughts on AI’s use in music, my opinion recently became a lot more positive. I attended a talk on AI by Eric Drass (and a few other speakers I can’t recall), and the point was made that 150 years ago when the camera was invented painters were terrified that their medium was done for, however today photography and fine art both thrive alongside each other. It was upon hearing this analogy that my view on the use of AI changed somewhat, and while I still believe that it can be used problematically, it is ultimately a new technological tool (such as the camera) that we can use to help us.
Ultimately I believe a simple loud-ish stereo mix will remain the most prominent outcome of mastering for the foreseeable future. While tools may come such as AI, and other listening formats may be invented, I think ultimately it depends on the accessibility for an average listener. This usually comes to speakers or headphones, meaning simple mono and stereo mixes will remain important for a while to come.
What is mastering? (no date) What Is Mastering? Available at: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/what-is-mastering.html (Accessed: 19 April 2024).
AI & Automated Mastering: What to know (no date) iZotope. Available at: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/ai-mastering.html (Accessed: 19 April 2024).
Hillmayer, M. (2024) Mastering spatial audio. Available at: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mastering-spatial-audio (Accessed: 19 April 2024).
Latest works (no date) shardcore. Available at: https://www.shardcore.org/spx/ (Accessed: 19 April 2024).