Audio cd mastering often begins with adjusting the dynamics of the music. Compressors and limiters are used to bring up levels on soft passages and to even out the overall loudness of the music. During this process, the audio cd mastering engineer will use the compressor(s) and limiter(s) to minimize differences in dynamics so that most of the sound is within a certain dynamic range.

Think of audio dynamics as a floor and ceiling- the ceiling being the loudest peak of the song and the floor being the quietest parts. The audio cd mastering compression and limiting will shorten the height between the floor and ceiling, so that the overall volume of the mix can be maximized to its full potential without distorting. This audio cd mastering process can give the music more punch or emotional intensity, while still retaining the clarity of the individual instruments.



In today’s world of extremely difficult competition to get airplay and radio promotion, audio cd mastering engineers are constantly pressured into pushing the tracks’ sound levels to the maximum ceiling, in an effort to get songs louder and louder. This is a more common occurrence in "Top 40" styles of music (like hip-hop or pop rock) than it is in genres like jazz or classical, usually because that form of audio cd mastering works better for those styles of music, where songs are typically 3-5 minutes in length and relatively steady in dynamic range.

Equalizers are used in audio cd mastering to adjust the level of certain frequency bands. Frequencies are removed to help "open up" the mix. This allows the audio cd mastering engineer to boost or reduce the perceivable sound levels of certain instruments or voices. Additionally, the stereo field can be manipulated during the image processing stage of audio cd mastering to broaden the sound and compensate (to an extent) for overuse of sound processing during mixing.

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