» When you ’ re ready to begin , open your DAW and export your song as a stereo , 24-bit WAV file , at the same sample rate as your mix , without dithering . Then , import the file into your DAW as a separate session , or into a dedicated mastering DAW like Steinberg WaveLab or Magix Sound Forge .

» Many engineers like to put mastering plug-ins on their 2-bus while mixing . There ’ s nothing wrong with this , but it ’ s not mastering . Mastering is a separate process than mixing . When you use 2-bus processing while mixing , it ’ s not a separate process ; rather , it ’ s just an extension of your mix methodology .

» There are a lot of mastering tools available , but the minimum you ’ ll need is a linear-phase EQ , compressor , brickwall limiter , and sufficient metering . A character EQ , stereo widener , and tape saturation plugin are great choices for something extra . With EQs the musical curves of processors sound exceptional on just about everything . Stereo wideners are great for opening up a mix , but don ’ t go overboard , your mix ’ s imaging will fall apart . Tape saturation plug-ins inject your mix with classic analog flavor .

» When mastering , it ’ s really easy to get carried away . After all , we engineers love our toys ! But before you start going crazy , take note of your objective . Your job is to subtly enhance your mix , not completely transform it .

» Compression is important . Unlike tracking and mixing compressors , mastering compressors aren ’ t used to fix dynamic errors . If your mix has dynamic issues , fix them in the mix itself ; don ’ t try to fix them in mastering . Compression during mastering helps the various instruments in your song feel as though they ’ re sitting in the same sonic space , while adding

punch and movement . Use this effect sparingly .

» A linear-phase EQ is great for adding a polished sound to your mix . Why use a linear-phase EQ ? Won ’ t any EQ do the job ? The answer is simple : linearphase EQs offer transparent sound shaping , while their non-linear-phase counterparts add color into your mix , potentially upsetting its tonal balance . When using EQ during mastering , you ’ re aiming for subtle enhancement , not a complete tonal makeover . A couple dB of high shelving for air , some 4kHz boost for presence , and / or a slight , wide cut at 2kHz – 8kHz for sweetness may be all your mix needs to make it pop . Remember , you ’ re not fixing an unbalanced mix — you ’ re polishing .

» Make your mix louder via a lookahead brickwall limiter to set a ceiling for your levels to keep the signal from peaking above a fixed output limit . Setting your output ceiling to around -0.3dBFS will provide extra protection against digital clipping esp if you ’ re going to be exporting to MP3 or uploading to a streaming service . Beyond that , resist the urge to crank the input gain . Doing so might make your mix louder , but it most certainly won ’ t sound better . Pick a transparent volume boost instead . A mix with a loudness level in the neighborhood of -14 LUFS should sound roughly the same as the pre-limiter version , just louder ; so use that as a starting point .

» In mastering , do what makes your mix sound its best . There ’ s one caveat to that , however : the brickwall limiter always goes last . Otherwise , stray peaks might exceed your output limit and cause digital clipping .

» When you ’ re happy with your master , it ’ s time to export the final product . Do so and add dither if you ’ re bouncing down to a 16-bit file .

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