For myself, it was well worth it. I think whether to master or not is dependent on what your goal with your CD is. If it is a vehicle to further your music career, then by all means spend the money, IMO.

Also, if you are looking to get radio play, many of those DJs can tell the difference between a mastered and non-mastered recording.

But even if those aren't your goals, a mastering engineer has superior equipment and can fine tune all the little stuff that might have gotten missed in the mixing process. My producer calls it "Fairy Dust Sprinkling". :-)

This all said, I have heard a lot of recordings that have not been mastered and because the music is SO EXCELLENT, the audio quality wasn't at the top of my list.

So it really comes down to a personal and possibly a financial decision.

Debra Cowan