Why it's important to know the difference

I’ve been producing music for 7 years now, and one question I’ve heard over and over again is:

“Yo Baxon, can you master my vocals?” 🎤

Here’s the thing… what most artists actually mean is “mix my vocals.”

And yeah, I’m not a jerk about it. I don’t get sarcastic. I'm professionalist and I’d rather use these moments to educate artists - especially the ones I work with directly.

Why?

Because knowing the difference between mixing and mastering makes everything easier down the line.

For me as a producer, the difference is clear. I know what mixing is, I know what mastering is, and I know why both matter.

But for an independent artist who doesn’t dive into the technical side of production, those terms can feel like random jargon. And that’s okay.

Still, if you’re sending your tracks to a mixing engineer or working with a producer, it’s super valuable to understand the basics.

That way, when you get the final product back, you’re not left in the dark.

If you don’t like how your vocals sit, you’ll know that’s a mixing issue. If you want the whole song to hit harder, louder, or have more crunch, you’ll know that’s something to tweak in the mastering stage. ⚡

It’s about speaking the same language.

So today, let’s break it down once and for all: what mixing actually is, what mastering actually is, and why you as an independent artist should know the difference. 🚀

What Mixing Actually Is

So let’s start by clearing this up: mixing is basically the process of taking all the individual tracks in a session and making them work together as one. 🎛️

If you’ve ever opened up a mixer in your DAW, you know what I mean.

Each insert, each channel, is one part of the song - drums, bass, vocals, guitars, synths.

Mixing is the job of shaping all those individual sounds so that when they play together, they feel balanced and musical.

A mixing engineer does this using tools like EQ, compression, and saturation. They’ll work both on groups (like the whole drum bus) and on individual sounds.

For example:

• Maybe the producer picked a kick sample that’s too muddy and keeps clashing with the bass. The mixer can carve some space with EQ and make them sit together.
• Or maybe you sent your vocals in 10–20 tracks: leads, backgrounds, harmonies, adlibs. The mixer can clean them up, group them, and make sure they blend smoothly with the instrumental instead of fighting for space.

Mixing isn’t about making the track loud yet, that’s for mastering. Instead, the focus is on balance, clarity, and vibe. A good mix will:

• place every instrument in the right spot in the stereo field,
• fix problem frequencies that distract the listener,
• and make sure the track feels clean, full, and ready for the next step.

Think of it like this: mixing is both cleaning and enhancing your project. 🧹💪

You polish each element, balance the volumes, and prepare the song so that mastering can later bring out the punch and loudness without breaking it.

In other words: mixing sets the stage, mastering brings the show.

What Mastering Actually Is

Before we dive into mastering itself, let me drop a quick bit of context.

In bigger, mainstream projects - the kind of songs you hear on Billboard or Spotify’s top charts - mixing and mastering are almost always handled by two different people. 🎧

Because the mixer has already spent hours (sometimes days) on the track. They’ve lived inside it, made choices, heard things their own way.

Why?

Because the mixing engineer spends hours (sometimes days) with the track.

By the time the mix is done, they’ve already made dozens of decisions, followed their instincts, and gotten used to the sound. If that same person then masters it, they might miss things simply because their ears are too familiar with the track.

That’s why in big-budget projects, mastering is given to someone else - a fresh set of ears in a specialized studio.

And those studios are no joke: tuned rooms with perfect acoustics, insanely precise speakers, and racks of analog gear built specifically for mastering.

It’s literally a different craft.

But let’s bring it back.

So, what is mastering really?

Mastering is the process of taking the final stereo mixdown (usually a single WAV file) and polishing it so it’s ready for release. 🎯

Unlike mixing, where you work on dozens of separate tracks - drums, bass, vocals, effects, - in mastering you only have one stereo file.

No going back to turn the snare down. No soloing the ad-libs. Everything has to be shaped as a whole.

A mastering engineer’s job is to:

• bring the track to a competitive loudness,
• correct any frequency imbalances (like adding brightness if the mix feels dull, or taming harsh highs if they’re fatiguing),
• tighten the dynamics with subtle compression,
• and make sure the song translates well across all playback systems - from club speakers to AirPods.

It’s often described as the “cherry on top” of the production process. 🍒

The mix should already sound solid. Mastering doesn’t “fix” a bad mix, it enhances a good one and makes it release-ready.

Now here’s the reality for independent artists: in most cases, the same producer or mixing engineer will also handle the mastering.

And that’s fine. I’ve done it myself for years. As long as the mix is strong, a solid in-the-box master will still sound professional and ready for release.

But it’s good to know how the “big leagues” operate - because if you ever level up to that stage, you’ll already understand why separating mix and master is the standard.

At the end of the day, whether it’s you, your producer, or a dedicated mastering engineer, mastering is the step that takes your track from “almost there” to “radio ready.” 🚀

Common Mistakes (And My Advice)

More than once in my career I’ve gotten emails like:

“Yo Baxon, could you check my finished track? I mixed and mastered it myself.”

So I open the file, hit play… and right away I can tell: there’s no mastering here. The song is just mixed. It’s sitting at around -20 LUFS, while the industry standard is closer to -12, sometimes even -7. (The closer to zero, the louder the track). 

In that situation I always explain:

“Yo, the mix sounds solid, but what you’ve got here isn’t a master. You still need to do one more process on the final stereo file: bring up the loudness, glue things together, add polish. That’s mastering.”

Here’s my advice depending on where you’re at:

👉 If you’re just starting out, don’t stress too much.

If mixing isn’t your skill set, it’s 100% fine to hand it off.

My tip?

Find one person who can do both the mix and the master for you. Usually it’s more affordable that way, and if you already like how their mixes sound, chances are you’ll be happy with the final result.

But be smart about who you choose.

Always listen to their past work. If you’re making modern trap and the engineer only has old-school boom bap in their portfolio, the end result might not fit your vibe. 

Even if they take the job, you could both end up frustrated. Better to find someone already living in the sound you’re chasing. 🎯

👉 On the other hand, if you’re an experienced rapper or vocalist and you can already mix your songs well, then to really level up your sound, consider sending your final mix to a dedicated mastering engineer.

And I don’t mean just any guy running plugins “in the box” for $50 a track.

I mean someone with a proper mastering studio - tuned room, high-end monitors, racks of analog gear - someone who lives and breathes mastering.

Yeah, it’ll cost more (think $200–$300+), but what you’re paying for is not just loudness.

You’re paying for a fresh set of expert ears, someone who can take your mix and push it to a truly professional level. 📈

At the end of the day, the biggest mistake is not knowing where mix ends and master begins.

Once you understand that, you can make smarter choices, avoid wasting money, and make sure your music always sounds its best.

Wrapping It Up

So here’s the truth, plain and simple: mixing and mastering aren’t the same thing.

Mixing is where the magic of balance happens - cleaning up tracks, shaping sounds, and making everything sit together like one song instead of 20 random files.

Mastering is the polish, the glue, the final coat of paint that makes your song loud, consistent, and ready for the world. 🎶✨

If you’re an independent artist, you don’t need to become a pro engineer overnight.

But knowing the difference helps you communicate better with the people you work with.

It means you can say, “Yo, can we turn up the vocal in the mix?” instead of asking for a “mastered vocal” (which doesn’t even exist).

The more you understand this process, the more control you’ll have over your music, and the closer your songs will get to sounding pro.

And hey, if you’re ready to take your tracks to the next level and need high-quality beats as a foundation, I’ve got you covered. Check out my catalog and let’s make something crazy together. 🚀🔥

Take care,

Baxon 👊