We hear how important audio mastering is, but why? For any artist or label looking to make a career out of music, mastering is essential. In short, it’s the final (and in many ways most crucial) step of music production -the stage where dull, lifeless tracks are transformed into polished masterpieces.

Working as a producer for the last ten years, I’ve recorded with all kinds of artists from “fresh off the boat” newbies to artists whose experience in the world of music doubles or even triples my own. In every case, my role as a producer stays essentially the same. It’s that role that I’m going to describe in this article.

In part 2 of our interview with game composer Aaron Marks, Aaron shares his insights on a typical day as a game composer, how songwriters can break into the game industry, how they get paid, and the skills they need to be competitive. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out part 1. Learn more about Aaron Marks at OnYourMarkMusic.com.

Aaron Marks is a professional game composer and author of The Complete Guide to Game Audio, Second Edition: For Composers, Musicians, Sound Designers, Game Developers (Gama Network Series). Aaron’s music can be heard on dozens of game titles, including the ESPN MSL Extra Time Playstation 2 soccer title and online casino/arcade game sound effects and music for several Universal/Vivendi casino websites. His most recent project is music and sound effects for the game bittosHD for Xbox, PS3 and iPhone/iPad.