There's a bunch of limiters out there you could use.i personally like the PSP Xenon myself when i want just a louder version of what i have, or i'll use the Waves L2 when i want a subtly enhanced version (with their shaping etc). Also i would recommend setting the output to like -0.5 or something, setting it too close to 0 will cause digital overs. Lastly is the limiter, and well the limiter is exactly that.most of them don't have intricate controls, just make sure not to push your mix too hard into it to reduce pumping and distortion. Once you have these set, drop the compression ratio back to 4:1 or so and adjust the threshold.
Once this is done, listen to the track and slowly adjust the attack until you start to hear the song opening up a little, move it around until you find the best spot. Also have the attack and release set to as fast as possible. Now when i use a compressor, the approach that seems to have worked best for me is the one i read in the book "mixing with your mind" by Michael Stavrou, in which he says put the threshold as low as you can and the ratio as high as you can so its really noticeable. You want the mix to gel more with this, if it starts to pump, you've gone too far, unless thats of course what you're looking for. The one thing that's stuck with me with EQ for the past few years is "boost with a wide Q, cut with a narrow Q".Ĭompression is usually the next step along, i'll usually compress at about 4:1, and slowly lower the threshold. With EQ, always try to cut rather than boost, but if you have to boost, boost with a wide Q. The rest of the EQ is just listening to your track against the reference and working out what frequencies are too prominent. The next thing i do is listen to the highs, if my track is dull in the highs compared to my reference, then i might use a high shelf and boost a little bit. The first thing i do is roll off the low end anywhere between 30hz and 50hz, just let your ear's decide where that should be.
Now if you wanna be fancy, you could throw in a stereo imager or a touch of reverb or something, but i prefer to keep the master as close to the mix as possible, so if i feel the track's lacking in certain area's, then thats something that should be tended to at the mix stage.įirst off in your chain is EQ, you could use the bundled cubase EQ, or a 3rd party EQ, i usually use the Waves Q10 (well i only ever use the Q4 to tell you the truth). My mastering chain is usually EQ, Compression (depending on what sound i'm after, sometimes i do multiband compression, but lately i've just used a regular buss compressor with a light ratio) and lastly the brickwall limiter. Ok at a computer now, here's usually what i do when i master:Īs i've already said, the first thing should be reference tracks, get a couple of track's that you think are good for the genre you're mastering in, the reason for this will become apparent.