What is the best equipment for mastering audio?

Answer 1

First and foremost....A great room that has a flat response and goes down to very low frequencies.

Mine goes smoothly down to 17 cycles. I measure it regularly. I show my frequency response to clients. Lots of studios won't do that or even know how to measure it. Ears and perspective are the other best tools. If you are becoming a mastering engineer take a critical listening course like the one I teach at Berklee. If you are further along then read:

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/mastering-audio-the-art-and-the-science_bob-katz/311147/item/5829119/?mkwid=%7cdc&pcrid=448938662877&pkw=&pmt=&slid=&plc=&pgrid=109793399012&ptaid=pla-894509663962&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzZL-BRDnARIsAPCJs73YHQWtvv3iXq-Vfrs_p7Dri0KdA4yA-Y4lPROpwWpEsXq2OWuKmn0aAkE2EALw_wcB#idiq=5829119&edition=5782131

If you want mastering lessons or audio gear consulting, I can do that through my Music Production portal. I love finding discounted equipment for my students.

All my best to you.

Daniel

Answer 2

To start with it's like asking someone what's the best car to drive. There's not one answer. Sometimes in mastering you go through a piece of gear to add a certain color. Sometimes you don't want that but a clean colorless signal path. It really depends on what the music needs. So to answer your question you need a pallete of colors and a clean sounding signal path as well. As a Mastering engineer similar problems come up now and then where I can go to a certain piece of gear to take the sound in the direction I need to either to offset something I'm hearing or to push it more in the same direction. If you talk to 10 different engineers you will probably get 10 different pieces of gear!