If you’ve ever uploaded a song and wondered why it sounds different from your favourite artists’ tracks — mixing and mastering might be the missing piece. Let’s break it down.
What is Mixing?
Mixing is the process of taking all the individual elements of a recording — vocals, beat, harmonies, ad-libs, effects — and blending them into one cohesive sound. A good mix engineer adjusts the volume, panning, EQ, compression, and effects on each element so that nothing clashes and everything has its own space. Think of mixing like baking a cake: you need the right balance of every ingredient before it goes in the oven.
What is Mastering?
Mastering is the final step after mixing. It’s where your fully mixed track gets optimized for playback on every platform and device. A mastering engineer will make sure the overall loudness meets streaming platform standards, adjust the final tonal balance, and ensure your track sounds great on everything from earbuds to car stereos.
Do I Need Both?
If you want your music to sound professional and competitive, yes — you need both. A great mix that hasn’t
been mastered can sound flat or inconsistent across different devices. A mastered track that wasn’t properly
mixed will carry all its problems into the final product.
At Galaxy 21, we offer mixing and mastering for just $40 per track with a fast 2-day turnaround.