Are you self-publishing your music or have you ever considered it? Putting aside all the marketing aspects of doing this – owning a website, having an seo company rank it in the search engines, correcting your conversion goals to make sure that you sell your CD’s – you will of course have to be able to produce the physical product. If so, you will probably need or are probably using CD-burning software to distribute your work. However, if you are doing this you’re not creating professional work. Why? Well, professional audio CDs go through a process called audio mastering before they’re released to the public.

So what exactly is audio mastering? Well, in a nutshell, audio mastering puts the finishing touches on your music CDs. This includes fade-out effects, and sound equalizing. To get a better understanding, play any commercial audio CD. You will notice that not only do the songs fade out elegantly, they also are all the same volume. This is thanks to the audio mastering process. This is what makes it sound so professional.

Audio mastering also adds a bit of physical protection to your music CDs or DVDs. This is because unlike homemade CD burning, audio mastering actually places information onto the back of the disc. After this is done, a protective layer is applied. This layer makes the CD more durable, even if it gets scratched. In such a situation, all you have to do is use a CD buffer. This will remove the scratches from the surface, allowing the CD to still be playable. Homemade audio CDs do not provide this protection.

Of course, keep in mind that if you do decide to use audio mastering for your CDs, you will pay a pretty penny. This is particularly the case if you go to well-established companies. However, you can substantially reduce your costs if you get audio mastering as part of a package deal. You could also learn how to do audio mastering on your own, though be aware that it is a somewhat extensive process. You might even need to take a class to fully understand everything that is involved. And when you’re finished, you can use the skill to teach other musicians the nuts and bolts while making money in the process.