What are the best practices for setting up your mastering chain?

1 Start with a clean mix

Before you even think about mastering, you need to make sure that your mix is as good as possible. This means that you have balanced the levels, panning, EQ, compression, and dynamics of your individual tracks and groups. You also need to avoid clipping, distortion, and unwanted noise in your mix. A clean mix will give you more headroom and flexibility to work with in your mastering chain.

2 Choose the right tools

There are many tools and plugins that you can use for mastering, but you don't need to use them all. The most common ones are EQ, compression, limiting, stereo enhancement, and metering. However, the choice and order of these tools depend on your goals, genre, and personal preference. You should experiment with different combinations and settings until you find what works best for your music. Some general tips are to use EQ sparingly, to avoid over-compressing or limiting, to enhance the stereo image without compromising the mono compatibility, and to monitor the loudness and peak levels of your master.

3 Reference other tracks

One of the best ways to improve your mastering skills and achieve a professional sound is to reference other tracks that are similar to yours in style, genre, and quality. You can use a reference track as a guide to compare and adjust your frequency balance, dynamic range, stereo width, and loudness. You can also use a spectrum analyzer or a loudness meter to visualize the differences between your track and the reference track. However, don't try to copy the reference track exactly, as every track is unique and has its own character.

4 Listen on different systems

Another important practice for mastering is to listen to your track on different systems and devices, such as headphones, speakers, monitors, car stereo, smartphone, etc. This will help you to check how your track translates and performs on various playback scenarios. You might notice some issues or flaws that you didn't hear on your main system, such as too much bass, too little treble, or too much sibilance. You can then go back to your mastering chain and make the necessary adjustments to fix them.

5 Get feedback

Finally, you should always get feedback from other people before you finalize your master. This can be from other producers, engineers, musicians, or listeners who can give you an honest and constructive opinion on your track. Feedback can help you to identify and correct any mistakes, inconsistencies, or weaknesses in your master. It can also help you to gain a fresh perspective and a new appreciation for your music.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?