I have no experience with producing music. I attended music school and have a fair knowledge of music theory and experience with performing music, but when it comes to production, especially the mastering step, I am utterly ignorant. Here are some questions to the more knowledgeable.

1. Do the musicians have the final word on what the final product should sound like or do those that master the audio have a say in the matter? Do you ever disagree with the musicians and if so, to what extent and how persistently do you voice your disagreement/concern?
2. Imagine that you ignored the demands of the musicians: how do you decide what the final product should sound like? Is it the genre? The target equipment on which it will be played (PA, studio monitors, headphones, over-ear, in-ear, radio, bluetooth, wired, etc)? What you subjectively like?
3. Has there been a change in how the same genre of music has been mastered during the ages? If so, why is that? For instance, would you have mastered, say, Disturbed’s Prayer the same way today as it was mastered at the time of its release?

Bonus audiophiliac comment (TW! Last chance to elect not to continue!): After years of experimentation, I have settled on listening to music with studio monitors at home and Sennheiser’s IE900 when on the move. The reason for this is that they give me a flat and detailed soundscape, which enables me to pick apart and enjoy both intentional and unintentional sounds. “Consumer grade” soundbars and speakers sound ridiculous to me, because the bass deletes almost everything else.