I have written several songs and a production of a few of them will be finished in near future. My plan is to put them onto EP or LP. Is there any point in mixing and mastering just one song once it's finished? This would give an apparent sense that some stage is finisher, like task after task
But if I think correctly, this is not a good idea because the songs need to be mixed or mastered as a whole, in series, to keep the sound similar through the album.
What’re you suggestions? Thx

 

Of course there is a point to just mix and master one song. That way you have a) something to listen to b) a reference track of your own material to use an example.

Someone else will be able to hear what you are trying to get to, and you can also check translation on more monitoring setups, cars, phones, whatever.

 

Yes. I could mix a song. How about mastering? Wouldn’t be more coherent to master several songs? Even after mastering songs separately, they should be mastered again to put them on a disc. I don’t know now what kind of disc, virtual, cd or even vinyl which needs different approach of mastering.

 

Mastering is packaging. Many people confuse mixbus and mastering. In my experience, it is always better to leave mastering to a third party.

 

are you planning on paying someone to do an analog/hardware master?

 

@clone Yes, I want to master songs in another studio.

 

It's usualy better to do the master for an album with all tracks, like @bravesounds says, it's supposed to be a packaging step, the master engineer even use to be the one who choose the order of the tracks (for better flow, and also because sound don't translate the same depending on its position on a vinyl).

With today standard, its more a "make it sound ok for every support" kind of step, but still stay a better idea to do it as a group of track instead of track by track cause the master engineer can have a full picture of the project and give it a sonic coherence more easily (mostly with its level, but also with its colors).

But if you work with a studio you never work before, it can be a good idea to give them a single first, just to see if you like the result. And if so, then you ask them to do the others track using that same direction (if it's a serious studio, they'll keep your session at least for a few month).