Master a

Track in 15
Minutes or
Less.
Mo Volans / AUDIOTUTS.com
15 MINUTE MASTERING 2

Mastering your tracks can be a bit of a minefield and is often

seen as the domain of the professional. If your tracks are just
for demo purposes, a DJ set or even use on the net, you may
want to tackle the job yourself. In this tutorial, you'll learn
how to master a track quickly and easily. Mo Volans shows
you how...

Software and equipment used

This tutorial was completed in Logic Pro 8 using a

mixture of Logics native plug-ins and third party
processors from Universal audio. Although this specific
mix of products is used in the workshop, all techniques
are generic and can be translated to any genre of music
using similar plug-ins and any digital audio workstation
software.

Step 1

Start by adding a stereo track to accommodate your un-

mastered track. This should be an exported or recorded
version of your entire mix-down. For best results this
should be in the highest bit rate possible. For example,
if you original project was recorded at 24 bit then this
should also be at 24 bit.
15 MINUTE MASTERING 3

To allow maximum flexibility at the mastering stage

there should be as little processing as possible taking
place on your exported pre-master. This means no
compressors, limiters or EQs on the master output when
you commit your final mix to disk. Remember, you can
add processing but not take it away.
15 MINUTE MASTERING 4

Step 2

Check you have enough headroom for your mastering

processors to work in. Do this by playing back the track
at its loudest point and check the maximum level on
your master output. Of course, clipping isnt as critical
as it used to be in analogue systems, but it remains
good working practice to avoid huge overloads if at all
possible.
15 MINUTE MASTERING 5

Step 3

There are obviously a few different ways to construct a

mastering chain but the following collection of
processors will get the job done with minimum fuss.
15 MINUTE MASTERING 6

The first plug-in in our chain is a compressor. Strapping

a compressor across the entire mix buss in this fashion
is known as buss compression and its main purpose is
to ensure the dynamics across the entire project are as
uniform as possible. This compression will also act as a
glue for your mix, marrying different elements
together.

Long attack and release times and low ratios are the
name of the game here, for as much transparency as
possible. As far as the type of compressor you use, any
compressor of a good quality will do the job, but it
might be worth thinking about investing in a dedicated
mastering buss compressor plug-in if you strive for
absolute quality. With the right compressor you can get
away with quite large amounts of gain reduction, whilst
still retaining the original feel of your track.

Step 4
15 MINUTE MASTERING 7

The next stage is to think about whether or not the track

needs equalisation. In this case not a huge amount was
needed, I just added a very small amount of low end
shelving EQ to enhance the bass and so on. Some slight
dips in the lower and upper mid frequencies and a
gentle boost to the highs finish the process.

Whatever you feel you need to do here keep the Q points

low and the amounts you add or reduce to a minimum.
This way you won't colour any particular group of
instruments too much. If you find yourself adding a lot
of EQ in one area it might be time to go back to your
mix.

If you have access to one, try to use a linear phase EQ or

a dedicated mastering plug-in, as these processors
impart less character to the final mix. If you dont have
any of these, reach for the best you have.
15 MINUTE MASTERING 8

Step 5

To allow the rest of the processors in the chain to work

correctlyand not be overloaded by sub-sonic
frequenciesits a good idea to remove everything
under 30Hz at this point. This will allow everything to
breathe and remove any unwanted rumble.

Of course, you can do this at the EQ stage but it keeps

things clear if a separate plug-in is designated for the
task.
15 MINUTE MASTERING 9

Step 6

If you feel there are still areas in your mix that are too
loud or quiet, even if it's just in a small section of your
mix, an excellent tool to use here is a multi-band
compressor. Most DAWs come with a multi-band
compressor bundled and there are plenty of third party
plug-ins around as well.

Basically, using this sort of processor you can clamp

down on a certain frequency and boost or cut it
dynamically. This is much more transparent and organic
than heavy use of EQ and its well worth looking into.
15 MINUTE MASTERING 10

Step 7

Sometimes some light stereo enhancement can go a

long way in the mastering process. Of course, dont
apply this as a rule of thumb as every track's
requirements are different.

There are a many different available processors for this

purpose, so choose a plug-in that suits your needs.

Here you can see Logic Pro 8s Stereo Spread.

Whatever you choose to use, remember to only spread
15 MINUTE MASTERING 11

the upper frequencies of your mix, leaving the lower end

of the spectrum intact. Otherwise, you will end up with a
confused low-end mix and the master will not translate
well to other systems.

Step 8

The final dynamics process in our chain is brick-wall

limiting. This is purely here to increase the perceived
volume of the final mix. A mastering limiter works in
much the same way as any other, the only difference
being is that it has a brick-wall type setting so that the
audio can only reach a certain point set by the user. Add
a gain on the input and the result is a dense and
maximised sound, making your master sound louder.
15 MINUTE MASTERING 12

A dedicated mastering limiter is a must here. Other hard

and fast rules include not dialling in too much gain and
preserving some of your original dynamic signature!

Step 9

The very last step before trimming and delivering our

master is exporting and dithering of the mix. If your mix
was recorded and exported at 16 bit then no further
work needs doing here (apart from trimming the start
and ends of the file). If your mix was mastered as a 24
bit file, however, dithering has to take place at this
point.

Dithering is a number crunching process that allows a

24 bit file to be reduced to 16 bits without too much
loss of quality. This should only be done once during the
mixing and mastering stage and it's always a good idea
to try and use the best algorithm available. Look for
POW-r and Apogee and you can't go wrong. These are
included with most modern DAWs.
15 MINUTE MASTERING 13

Listen to Mo's unmastered track:

Mohawk_remix_clip_unmastered.mp3

Listen to Mo's mastered track, after this process:

Mohawk_remix_clip_mastered.mp3