(Musician's Guide Home Recordg). Mastering adds the final polish to mixes, but there's more to mastering than just throwing on some EQ and dynamics mastering is the final step in the creative process. Although there are now inexpensive online and even automated mastering services, nothing can replace the savvy that a good mastering engineer can add to a production. Written in a clear, practical, non-intimidating style, topics include: * The importance of equalization in mastering * How to apply dynamics * Understanding new standards in metering * Reducing noise and doing "waveform surgery" * Audio enhancement plug-ins, judicious splicing to shorten or extend songs * Special considerations when mastering for specific media (streaming, CD, and vinyl) * Creating perfect fadeouts * Why monitoring and acoustics are vital to mastering, and more But unlike books that emphasize only the technical, How to Master Desktop Mastering also discusses artistic decisions needed for albums and collections like song order, the importance of creating intros that grab the listener, and ways to enhance sound that go beyond equalization and dynamics. Loaded with illustrations and featuring "Tech Talk" sidebars to give details on selected topics for those who want to know "why" as well as "how," How to Master Desktop Mastering tells how to bring out the best in musical projects.