The short answer
Mixing balances the individual tracks (vocals, drums, bass, guitars, synths) into one stereo file. Mastering takes that stereo file and prepares it for release: a consistent tone, controlled dynamics, the right loudness and a clean, safe peak level. Mixing comes first, always; mastering cannot rebalance parts that are already glued into one file.
| Compared | Mixing | Mastering |
|---|---|---|
| Works on | Many tracks or stems | One finished stereo file |
| Goal | Every part clear, balanced and in its place | The whole song sounds right everywhere, at the right level |
| Typical moves | Levels, panning, EQ and compression per track, reverb, delay, automation | Broad EQ, glue and multiband compression, stereo width, limiting, loudness |
| Cannot do | Make the song loud and consistent against others by itself | Move one instrument or vocal on its own |
| Done by | You, in your editor | A person or a tool, on the final bounce |
What mixing does
In a mix you decide how loud each part is, where it sits left to right, what space it has and what it competes with. The usual toolkit:
- Level and pan: the first and most important move. A balanced rough mix is already most of the way there.
- EQ: clear mud out of the low mids, make room so the kick and the bass, or the vocal and the guitars, stop fighting.
- Compression: keep a vocal or a bass steady, give drums punch.
- Reverb and delay: depth, so not everything sits at the same distance.
- Automation: the chorus lifts, the verse stays close.
If the song is a vocal over a beat, mixing is the job of fitting one into the other. The guide on mixing vocals over a beat takes it step by step.
What mastering does
Mastering looks at the song as a listener will hear it, on a phone, in headphones, in a car, on a streaming service:
- Tone: a few small EQ moves on the whole mix, so it holds up next to professional releases of its style.
- Dynamics: gentle compression of the whole song or of the lows, mids and highs separately, so it stays steady from first verse to last chorus.
- Stereo: width where it helps, bass kept in the middle so it still hits on a phone or a club system.
- Loudness: a limiter brings the song to the level it will be played at, measured in LUFS, with a true peak that stays clean after the streaming services convert it.
- Consistency: on an album or EP, the songs share one sound and one level plan, with the right gaps and fades.
- Delivery: the right file for the distributor, such as a 24-bit WAV or FLAC.
Which problem belongs where
| You hear | Fix it in |
|---|---|
| The vocal is too quiet, or too loud, over the beat | The mix |
| The kick and the bass blur together | The mix |
| Harsh S sounds on the vocal | The mix (de-ess the vocal) |
| Clipping, noise or a bad take | The recording or the mix |
| The whole song sounds dull or boomy next to other releases | The master |
| The song is much quieter than the others in the playlist | The master |
| The songs on your EP sit at different levels | The master (album) |
| It sounds fine on speakers but thin on a phone | The mix first, then the master |
A master can improve a good mix a lot, but it can only move the whole song. If you have to ask which track is too loud, go back to the mix.
How to hand a mix over for mastering
- Export a WAV or FLAC of the final mix, 24-bit if you can, at your session's sample rate.
- Leave headroom: peaks around −6 dBFS. Nothing should touch 0 dBFS.
- Take the limiter off the master bus, or bypass it, and do not normalize. Loudness is the master's job.
- Check the mix on headphones and on a phone speaker first, and fix the balance now.
Do you need both?
For a release, yes. A mix on its own is usually quieter and less consistent than a finished record, and a master on top of an unmixed song cannot make up for it. A well-made mix often needs only a light master, and that is a good sign.
OBRA covers the two common cases in the browser. If you already have a finished mix, OBRA Audio Mastering gives you three masters to compare at the same loudness, free for two songs a day and with nothing uploaded. If you have a vocal and a beat, the Vocal + beat tool mixes them (lining them up, cleaning and leveling the vocal, giving it space) and masters the result; listening is free.
Keep reading
- How to mix vocals over a beat: the mixing steps, in order
- Vocal mastering online, free: what mastering does for a song with vocals
- How loud should you master for Spotify?: a target by genre and how to hit it
- LUFS for Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube: how loud to finish the master
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between mixing and mastering?
Mixing balances the individual tracks of a song into one stereo file. Mastering prepares that finished stereo file for release: consistent tone, controlled dynamics, the right loudness and a safe true peak.
Do I mix or master first?
Mix first. Mastering works on the finished stereo file, so the balance between the parts has to be right before it starts.
Can mastering fix a bad mix?
Only up to a point. It can improve the tone and level of the whole song, but it cannot raise a buried vocal, separate a kick from a bass or remove a harsh S on its own. Those are fixed in the mix.
Is mastering necessary for streaming?
It is not required, but it is what brings a song to a consistent tone and a loudness that plays well on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, with a true peak that stays clean when the services convert your file.
Does mastering make a song louder?
It sets the loudness. The services turn louder masters down to their reference level, so more loudness is not always better; a denser master pays off in genres where that sound is part of the style.
Can one tool do both?
For a vocal over a beat, yes: OBRA's Vocal + beat tool mixes the two and masters the result, free to listen to. For a full session with many tracks, mix in your editor and master the bounce.
Is online mastering free?
OBRA Audio Mastering masters two songs a day free, with no account and nothing uploaded. Each extra song is $3 / €3 / £3, or unlimited with OBRA PRO.