Master recording facts for kids

Magnetic tape was commonly used to create master copies.

Imagine you've just recorded your favorite song. A master recording is like the original, first version of that song or any other sound. It's the main copy from which all other copies are made, whether for CDs, streaming, or vinyl records. Think of it as the "parent" file for all the "children" copies.

These special recordings can be stored in different ways, like on old-fashioned magnetic tape, special discs, or modern computer files.

What is a Master Recording?

A master recording is the very first version of a sound recording. It's the high-quality original that artists and record companies use to make all the copies you hear. This could be a song, a speech, or even sound effects for a movie.

Different Kinds of Master Recordings

Sometimes, a recording is made on many separate tracks at once. This is called a multitrack master. Imagine a song where the drums are on one track, the guitar on another, and the vocals on a third. These recordings can have four, eight, sixteen, or even more separate sound tracks.

• Multitrack masters need special machines to play them back or record onto them. You can't just pop them into a regular music player.
• Once a multitrack recording is finished, all the separate tracks are carefully blended together. This blending process is called "mixing."
• After mixing, the sound becomes a single, complete recording. This final version is called a mixed master.
• Mixed masters can be played on regular machines, like your phone or a CD player. They can be in mono (sound from one speaker), stereo (sound from two speakers), or even surround sound (sound from many speakers around you).

Why are Master Recordings Important?

Master recordings are very valuable, especially if the artist or band is popular. They are the original source of all music copies.

• Most master recordings are owned by record companies.
• However, many artists and bands own their own master recordings. Sometimes, they can even buy them back later from the record company.
• Owning the master recording means you control how the music is used and copied.

What is Remastering?

Sometimes, old recordings are "remastered." This means they are copied to a new format or improved to sound better.

• Remastering can make older recordings sound clearer and cleaner.
• With digital recording technology, older analog recordings (like those on tape) can be "cleaned up." This helps to preserve them and make them sound great on modern devices.

Images for kids

• 

  Optimum Digital Levels with respect to the Full Digital Scale (dBFSD)

• 

  A common mastering processor for dynamic range compression

See also

In Spanish: Masterización para niños