ABSTRACT
The right way, the wrong way, managing expectations, adding value/being valued as a mastering engineer are all investigated in this final chapter’s reflections around the mastering process. Focus on belief in critical listening approach, testing and evaluation to set boundaries in self-evaluation and self-development are explored because learning gained in any area of audio is tangible in use elsewhere. The more an engineer engages in critical thinking and evaluation, the more effective they will become in whatever aspect of the industry they engage in. In the end, signal path is just the signal path wherever the audio is. The main discussion explores what the future holds for mastering, the role of the mastering engineer, and how future development will be led by an engineer’s observation of good practice. Perspectives around multi-channel audio and its future are explored. Finally, observation of approaches leads to discussion of artificial intelligence applications and potential future developments in semantic audio.
