The important thing to take away is that, as a result of the RIAA curve, the grooves on vinyl records became even narrower (in order to fit more audio in the same physical space). Wikipedia has a lengthy article dedicated to the RIAA equalization curve and does a better job than I could ever hope to do in explaining it. Besides longer recording times, the RIAA curve was meant to be an industry standard, designed to improve sound quality and reduce groove damage that might happen during playback. In an effort to increase the amount of music that could fit on a piece of vinyl, the RIAA equalization curve was established. Those who were responsible for operating that hardware were tasked with applying the right amount of compression and limiting, and as a result, became the industry’s first mastering engineers. As necessity is often the mother of invention, special hardware processors like compressors and limiters were introduced into the production process in order to keep the dynamics of recordings safely within the capabilities of the vinyl medium. In a few moments, we’ll discuss some goals your typical mastering engineer strives to achieve, but before we do, let’s cover a brief history of mastering.īack in the days of vinyl records, engineers had to worry about transient peaks that could cause the record player stylus to be forced out of the groove. The point here is that there are many conditions for which the mastering process must take account in order to produce the best final product.
Furthermore, sometimes existing releases are subsequently remastered and re-released decades later, or new compilations are created and require remastering as a result. Context is important here, as the mastering process can be used for a single song release, a short EP, or a full-length album. By its most basic definition, to master a piece of audio is to take pre-recorded, already mixed material and prepare it for consumption by the masses.
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