The mastering engineer should preferably be a different person from producer who mixed down music. This will allow music to be heard from an independent perspective. The mastering engineer uses sophisticated processing equipment to provide an overall polish to sound of CD project. Audio CD mastering is final stage before pressing CD and releasing it commercially.

Audio CD mastering should be done in a mastering studio which is different from mixing studio. The mastering studio should be acoustically inert to prevent any coloration to sound. The equipment used for mastering must be of very high-quality so that engineer can hear all details of sound.

Once CD has been mastered, it is sent to a pressing plant for mass producing CD. Without going through audio CD mastering stage, CD would lack professional sound that is required for commercial recordings.

Ross is an audio enthousiast and editor of Audio, Peronal Audio MP3 and Streaming Howto's Selected Audio-Reviews.com

Digital audio recording was introduced in 1990s and has now become norm. There are several formats for recording digital audio including Digital Audio Tape (DAT) and hard disk recording. Digital playback devices include MP3 players, CDs and MiniDisks. Digital audio recording and playback offers a clean, noise free and long lasting medium.

Despite technological advances, some audio recording techniques have remained basically same since 1920s. Microphones are still used to capture sound produced by acoustic instruments and voices. Many instruments today, however, are synthesized, and recorded directly onto recording medium without use of microphones.

Computers can be used to automate some of processes in audio recording. Computers can emulate all functions of a recording console and can be programmed to fade in and out and add effects like reverb. Computers open up new possibilities in audio recording which for most part are unutilized in popular music.

Ross is an audio enthousiast and editor of Audio, Peronal Audio MP3 and Streaming Howto's Selected Audio-Reviews.com