Mastering is an important, but often misunderstood, component of music production. It’s usually the last piece of the puzzle before sending your music out into the world, and as a result of that it can sometimes be overlooked. A good master will add depth and presence to your mix while also raising the volume to an industry standard level. There will always be some variance in loudness from genre to genre or even song to song, but if your music is significantly quieter than the rest of what your audience is listening to, chances are they’re going to move on and listen to something that truly commands their attention.