Before getting to know their differences, let us first know what exactly is mastering.
Mastering is the final stage in the process of producing a record. It is more like a final check on everything that has been done before its release. The mastering can significantly vary. It may be a basic quality control process, where minimal adjustments are made to the audio, or something extensive where various digital and analog tools are used to get the mix.
However, in most of the cases we have noticed, the mastering process falls somewhere in the middle. The sound engineer will make their changes to mix and bring out the best aspects. They take care of everything that they think would comprise the sound quality across different formats and real-world listening environments.
For this, a mastering engineer will use narrow selection processes:
- Dynamic processing techniques like compression and limiting. For controlling the range and consistency of volume levels.
- Equalization, in this you can add a bass or remove a harsh frequency from the audio.
- Stereo imaging, in this process, we see if the sound placement is appropriately balanced. Whether sounds are potentially spread too far apart or too closely cantered.
In short, it affects the perception of space and depth in the music mix.
So, this is mastering, and is the same for all source materials. By source material I mean stereo mastering and stem mastering. Stem mastering is done from a stereo mix, and stem mastering is done out of the component stems that are used in the creation of a stereo mix.
What are Stems?
Stems are nothing but a group of instruments. Let me light it up for you with an example. All the drum components are combined to create a ‘Drum’ stem, and the bass guitar and other synthesisers create a ‘Bass’ stem.
Stems are individual or a group of audio tracks that are combined together to create a final stereo mix.
What is Stem Mastering?
Stem mastering is not like traditional mastering, where mastering engineers are used to enhance stereo files for commercial releases. Stem mastering sums up multiple ‘stems’ or groups of stereo audio tracks of different instruments in order to create a final master mix.
You must be a bit confused. You don’t have to be. Let me make it more precise for you.
All the individual channels of a project are grouped together to create a stereo mix. Whereas, a stem mastering for beginners normally consists of anywhere from two to eight stereo stems. And each stem is like a mini-mix of a small group of like-sounding instruments.
A simple stem mastering session usually only has a common setup for hip-hop soundtracks. Whereas, a more complex stem mastering session may have separate stems for kick, snare, bass, guitar, keyboards, and many others.
Stem mastering for beginners offers more control over your audio by separating the stereo mix into separate instrument groups. Which the traditional stereo mastering could never do. Also, stem mastering allows mastering engineers to make more detailed changes.
What’s the Difference between Mastering and Stem Mastering?
Even though stereo mastering and stem mastering are different, they have the same end goal. That is to enhance the song and prepare it for distribution. However, each of the mastering sessions has its own set of pros and cons which makes them well suited for certain projects.
Traditional stereo mastering is a great choice if you need a quick plus affordable preparation of your soundtrack for distribution. In stereo mastering, engineers are able to offer same-day service. Thus, making it a reliable option if you have pushed your production deadline.
On the other hand, stem mastering is also a great option, if you are struggling to have a proper audio mix. If you are upset, that your mix is way too close but something is missing and is still off. This is when stem mastering comes into the picture. Stem mastering provides the mastering engineer the flexibility to easily balance and adjust certain issues without affecting the rest of the soundtrack.
Let’s understand this with an example.
If your kick and bass are not working any better in the mix. There is not much you can do to fix it with a single stereo mastering session. If you try to boost the stereo mix, you will unknowingly affect other channels with similar frequency.
Whereas, with stem mastering, you can easily adjust the kick and bass without affecting the low-end of any other track in the mix.
The more stems you create, the more control you will have on the sound mix.
Conclusion:
In this blog, we covered the most common question that most people have regarding stereo and stem mastering – Their differences.
Now, we can conclude that if you need something affordable and quick you should go for stereo mastering. Whereas, if you need a professional touch-up in your mix, stem mastering is the right option for you. Recording studio in Atlanta offers both stereo mastering as well as stem mastering for sound mixing at a very affordable price.