7 Stages: Mastering Chain In Order!

7 Stages: Mastering Chain In Order!

Mastering is the final step in the music production process, where the track is polished, balanced, and prepared for distribution. The mastering chain is a series of audio processing steps used to ensure the track sounds cohesive, competitive, and sonically pleasing across all playback systems. While every mastering engineer may have their own approach, here’s a typical mastering chain with key stages that most follow:

1. Input Stage (Pre-Mastering Check)

  • Initial Assessment: This is where the track is listened to in its entirety for the first time, paying close attention to its tonal balance, dynamics, and general overall sound. Mastering engineers will identify any issues that need addressing.
  • Track Level Normalization (if necessary): If the track’s volume is too low, some engineers may normalize the input levels, but this is typically avoided in modern mastering because it can introduce clipping. It’s better to ensure the mix has been properly leveled before mastering.
  • Phase Check: Checking for phase issues is important, especially if the mix has been bounced down from stereo stems. Sometimes phase problems become more apparent in the mastering process.

2. Equalization (EQ)

  • Purpose: EQ is used to balance the frequency spectrum of the track, correcting any tonal imbalances, boosting or cutting specific frequency ranges, and ensuring the track will translate well across all playback systems.
  • Common EQ Moves:
    • Low-End Control: The low frequencies (sub-bass, bass) are often addressed here. A small cut around 30–50 Hz can clear up unwanted rumble, while boosting around 60–100 Hz can give the track more punch and fullness.
    • Midrange Adjustments: The midrange is where the core of the track’s sound resides, so the EQ will often focus on areas around 200 Hz to 2 kHz to ensure clarity and warmth.
    • High-End Shaping: The high frequencies (4 kHz to 10 kHz) are adjusted for sparkle and air, but it’s important not to overemphasize these frequencies, as they can make the track sound too harsh or thin.
    • Harmonic Balance: EQ can help improve the balance between instruments, making sure the track doesn’t sound muddy or too bright.

3. Compression

  • Purpose: Compression is used to control the dynamics of the track, bringing more consistency and smoothness to the sound. In mastering, subtle compression is applied to glue the mix together and ensure it has an even level of loudness without sounding squashed.
  • Settings:
    • Low Ratio (1.5:1 to 3:1): Most mastering compressors use low ratios to lightly compress the signal. The goal is to smooth out the dynamics without overly reducing the track’s natural dynamics.
    • Slow Attack & Release: Slow attack times (10–30 ms) allow transients (like drums or snare hits) to pass through before compression is applied, preserving the track’s punch and energy. The release time is set to match the track’s tempo to ensure the compression doesn't pump.
    • Gain Reduction: In mastering, you typically aim for no more than 1–3 dB of gain reduction. This is light, subtle compression that helps glue the track together.

4. Saturation/Coloring (Optional)

  • Purpose: Saturation adds warmth and harmonic distortion, which can enhance the track’s tone and make it feel fuller. It adds subtle color to the sound, making it more engaging.
  • Types of Saturation:
    • Analog Emulation: Some mastering engineers use analog-style saturation (tape, tube, or console emulation) to add pleasant harmonic distortion, which makes the track feel richer and more alive.
    • Tape Saturation: Can be used to add smoothness and warmth, especially in the midrange and upper mids.
    • Harmonic Excitement: Some saturation tools add harmonic content specifically in the higher frequencies (like upper mids or treble), which can make the track feel more "sparkly" or "open."

5. Stereo Imaging (Optional)

  • Purpose: Stereo widening tools can be used to enhance the width of the stereo image, but only if it doesn’t compromise the phase coherence of the track.
  • Usage:
    • Mid-Side Processing: A common technique in mastering, where the center (mono) and side (stereo) signals are treated separately. For example, boosting the high frequencies on the sides (stereo) while keeping the low frequencies more mono for better clarity and focus.
    • Widening Effects: Use sparingly to avoid phase issues. Over-widening can make the track sound unstable and lose energy, especially when played on mono or small systems.

6. Limiting

  • Purpose: The final stage in the mastering chain, limiting controls the peak levels and ensures that the track is loud enough for commercial standards without clipping. Limiting is a form of peak compression that ensures the track's loudness doesn't exceed a specified threshold.
  • Settings:
    • Ceiling: The ceiling is typically set to -0.1 dB or -0.3 dB to ensure no clipping occurs during the digital conversion.
    • Threshold: The threshold is set so that the limiter only kicks in when the track's peaks approach 0 dB, typically reducing the volume of transients that go above the set threshold.
    • Gain: After limiting, the output gain is adjusted to achieve the desired loudness, often aiming for a competitive loudness while retaining dynamics.

7. Dithering (Final Step)

  • Purpose: Dithering is the process of adding a small amount of noise to the audio when reducing the bit depth (e.g., from 24-bit to 16-bit for CD mastering). It helps prevent quantization distortion, which can occur during bit depth conversion.
  • How it Works: Dithering adds a very low-level, random noise to smooth out the transition between the higher and lower bits. It helps maintain the fidelity of the track during the downsampling process.
  • When to Use: Dithering is typically applied after limiting, right before exporting the final master, and only when converting the file to a lower bit depth (e.g., from 24-bit to 16-bit).

A Typical Mastering Chain (Step-by-Step):

  1. Input Stage:

    • Evaluate the track and check for technical issues.
    • Check levels and phase alignment.
  2. Equalization (EQ):

    • Correct tonal imbalances (low end, mids, high end).
    • Sculpt the frequency response to make it sonically cohesive.
  3. Compression:

    • Apply light compression to glue the track together and control dynamics.
  4. Saturation/Coloring (Optional):

    • Add warmth and harmonic richness through analog-style saturation.
  5. Stereo Imaging (Optional):

    • Adjust the stereo field, widening or focusing elements as needed.
  6. Limiting:

    • Maximize the track’s loudness without clipping, achieving a competitive loudness level.
  7. Dithering:

    • Apply dithering when reducing bit depth to prevent distortion.

Additional Considerations:

  • Loudness Standards: Different platforms and formats (like streaming, vinyl, or CD) have different loudness requirements. For instance, many streaming platforms, like Spotify, normalize tracks to around -14 LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale), so mastering engineers may aim for a certain loudness target to ensure the track sounds its best.
  • Reference Tracks: Mastering engineers often use reference tracks — professionally mastered songs in a similar genre or style — to compare their master and ensure it aligns with industry standards.

Mastering is a delicate process that requires both technical expertise and an artistic ear. The goal is to make the track sound as polished and consistent as possible, without losing the integrity of the original mix.

By the Stealify Team! 

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