Mastering engineers were now known as cutters found ways to make the disc louder, and as a result less noisy by applying equalization and compression. 1n 1957, the stereo vinyl record became commercially available and really pushed the industry to what many say was the best sounding audio ever. At this point, there became a real distinction between the recording and mastering engineer, since the jobs now differed so greatly. In 1955, Ampex released SELECTIVE SYNCHRONOUS RECORDING or SEL-SYNC, which now gave the multi-track recorder the ability to overdub and changed the recording industry forever. Too low a level, and you get a noisy disc, hit it too hard, and you destroy the disc and maybe the expensive cutting stylus of the lathe too.

There was a high degree of difficulty in this transfer process, because the level applied to the master vinyl lacquer when cutting the grooves was so crucial. Hence the first incarnation of the mastering engineer was born, although he was called a transfer engineer at the time. With most recording now using magnetic tape, a transfer had to be made to a vinyl master for delivery to the pressing plant to make records. In 1948, however, the age of the mastering engineer began when Ampex introduced its first commercial Magnetic Tape Recorder. Until 1948, there was no distinction between different types of audio engineers, since everything was recorded directly onto 10-inch vinyl records that played at 78 RPM.

Mastering tracks