Hey, i'm sending out my band's full length album to get mastered next week. I don't know much about the mastering process, but I hear that part of the mastering process helps accentuate the dynamics in the mix. Is this true? I feel that the dynamics are there, but does the mastering process help compliment this? How so? Thanks. Any other info on what i should expect from mastering (besides commercial volume) would be greatly appreciated! Any things you recommend i do to the mixes that some mixes lack before i send it in ( a general question but i guess i'm just asking for any tips) ?
"Commercial volume" is a side-effect of the product. I'd be careful in expecting "commercial volume" standards from any project - As the vast, vast majority of recordings do not have the potential for those levels no matter who is at the controls during the mastering stage. At least, not without a lot of damage. That includes many commercial releases also (which are getting worse and worse in that respect).
That said -- What you *should* expect is a compliant production master that translates well from system to system. That's the core of the entire process.
"Accentuating the dynamics" is a good way to explain it -- 99% of the time, there's going to be a (sometimes rather drastic) reduction of the dynamic range -- That's just the price of volume. But keeping that contrast between quiet and loud is the trick.
