It is easy to differentiate between mixing and mastering, but it is tough to implement it. Mastering is nothing but making the audio or video ready for distribution. Here you would know about the various forms of recording technology and its target format. You would understand the process of mixing and mastering. 

What Is Mixing? 

The main objective of the mixing process is to make use of the performance of the artist, either audio or video, and transform it into a favorable output which is required. The method of mixing can be easily described, but it is challenging to implement it. It is not easy to achieve a favorable output. 

The mixing engineer plays a vital role in the process of mixing. Usually, the mixing engineer edits the recording to remove unwanted background noise, so that final sound quality is improved. 

What Is Mastering?

Mastering is entirely different from mixing as it is an overall process. Mastering deals the audio or video project as a whole and adds consistency through the process of compression and filtering. In the earlier days, the job of mastering was done only by a few skilled engineers. This is because all engineers do not possess the skill of mastering. Mastering requires highly equipped rooms with latest quality equipment so that the right compression and equalization is done to the project. 

Target Format 

There are specific formats that the mastering engineers work with for improving the final quality of the audio or video project. They usually accept WAVE/AIFF files and also Pro Tools is certain conditions. In the case of film projects, audios are typically sent as 24-bit stereo track and also as stems. This would help to break the project into dialogues, music, etc. 

The above offers a clear distinction between mixing and mastering.