I believe Albini clearly lays out appropriate expectations that should be placed on the mastering process and also defines key points in what to look for in a mastering engineer.

In a craft, lying about inability is just as detrimental as lying about greatness.

Too often we close doors to ourselves, finding distaste when we are not readily pleased.  Giving into the negative without extracting the positive.  Not dedicating time to investigate and learn a lesson.  In the world of music closed mindedness leads to stagnation, and in audio production it leads to a world of shuddered windows.

A musician entering a studio is much like a fighter preparing for a fight.  The more well-executed preparation done before it is time to perform increases the likelihood for success.

Many professions have an array of equipment that assist the user in achieving a set goal.  Mastering and audio production is no stranger to this concept where specialized gear has been created to aid tasks such as; sonic shaping, recording, editing, and playback.

Make no mistake, mastering is quality control.  Born out of transferring tape to lacquer, mastering to this day has the main goal of ensuring proper audio translation from studio to multiple playback systems.