What’s the Difference Between Mixing and Mastering — and Why Both Matter

by Christos “Stos” Tsantilis | MixByStos.com

What’s the Difference Between Mixing and Mastering — and Why Both Matter?

In my professional opinion, mixing and mastering are two of the most critical stages in creating a

finished record that can compete with today’s top releases. Both steps serve unique purposes — and

each has its own technical and emotional responsibilities.

   The Art of Mixing Mixing begins once the production is complete — when all instruments, vocals,

and sounds have been recorded and arranged. At this point, the mix engineer’s job is to make

everything sound cohesive and musical. A professional tracking engineer will already be thinking about

the mix during recording — utilizing a clean, professional tracking chain, organizing the DAW session,

labeling tracks, and ensuring every sound is captured cleanly. Once it’s time to mix, the mix engineer

either opens the same session or imports the stems into their preferred DAW. The goal of mixing is to: -

Clean and enhance individual tracks - Balance frequencies, dynamics, and spatial depth - Create a

sonic “soundstage” that feels natural and emotionally connected. Using tools like EQ, compression,

gating, reverb, delay, and FX, the engineer sculpts each sound so it works harmoniously with the rest of

the production. Throughout this process, playback translation is checked across multiple systems —

from high-end monitors to consumer earbuds — ensuring the song feels consistent everywhere. A

great mix engineer also listens critically against other top songs in the same genre, not to copy the tone

or loudness exactly, but to ensure the mix holds up sonically when played back-to-back. Perhaps most

importantly, mixing is about emotional flow. Subtle automation and tone changes make verses more

intimate, hooks more explosive, and transitions more dynamic — giving the mix a sense of life and

movement. Once the mix is finalized, the engineer will create several versions: Main mix, instrumental,

a cappella, TV track, 15, 30, and 60-second sync versions, and stems or Dolby Atmos files if required.

Learn more about my mixing and mastering services at https://www.mixbystos.online/mixing-mastering.

   The Precision of Mastering - After mixing comes mastering, the final stage before release. This is

where another professional takes the finished stereo mix and brings it to commercial loudness, tonal

balance, and technical compliance. The mastering engineer’s job is to: - Perform the final

quality-control listen - Adjust LUFS, RMS, and peak levels - Ensure tonal consistency across an album

- Prepare songs for all major streaming platforms. Each streaming service (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal,

etc.) has its own loudness and file-format requirements. A proper mastering process ensures that your

track translates perfectly once these platforms transcode it. If the master isn’t done correctly, the

result after conversion can be unexpectedly dull, harsh, or unbalanced. Mastering also includes

embedding critical metadata such as the artist name, song title, label, and publishing details, ISRC and

product codes, and song length.

   Why Mixing and Mastering Should Be Separate. While some independent artists ask one person to

handle both, it’s always ideal to have two different specialists. A fresh set of ears in mastering brings

objectivity and balance — revealing details the mix engineer may have become accustomed to. That

said, many engineers (myself included) occasionally handle both for smaller projects or tight budgets.

However, when possible, separating the two roles always yields the most professional and competitive

Results. Final Thoughts Mixing and mastering aren’t just technical stages — they’re creative

extensions of the artist’s vision. Each requires precision, taste, and years of experience to deliver a

song that not only sounds incredible but also meets modern commercial standards. In today’s

competitive industry, the difference between a good track and a great one often lies in how well it’s

mixed and mastered. Ready to Elevate Your Next Project? 

Visit https://www.mixbystos.online/  to book a session or studio consultation today.

   About the Author Christos “Stos” Tsantilis is a Grammy-nominated engineer, mixing/mastering

specialist, and Dolby Atmos studio designer with over 20 million records sold and multiple RIAA Gold

and Platinum awards. He is the founder of MixByStos — a Brooklyn-based studio specializing in

mixing, mastering, and acoustic consulting for major labels, artists, and networks worldwide.

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What's the Difference between Mixing and Mastering? & Why Both Matter