Welcome to Sage Audio. Today we’re looking at How to Master Better. To get the most from
your music, watch the entirety of each chapter for a complete understanding of the topic.
But first, If you have a mix that you need mastered, send it to us to receive a free
mastered sample of it with the link in the description.
Align the Phase of the Mix
Before we get started, keep in mind that these tips are in no particular order - some of
them are a little experimental, so introduce them to your workflow with some discretion.
Before you begin to process your master, consider aligning the phase of the track using Izotopes
RX plugin. If the phase rotation of your mix is off, it won’t sound bad; however, it
can cause the computer to misread the samples at a high level, resulting in unwanted clipping.
Within RX, use the Phase modulation, click 'Suggest' to measure the phase rotation, then
select Render to change the phase rotation. Nothing about the overall sound of the mix
will change, just the alignment of the samples.
Use Subtle Transient Expansion on the Side
Recently Eventide released an EQ with which you can affect the transients of your side
image - but if you don’t want to purchase this plugin, there is a free alternative.
First, duplicate your master, and place the free Voxengo MSED plugin on both signals,
then solo the Mid and Side image.
Now we can affect or mid and side separately. I’m going to use a transient expander on
my side image, to make my stereo image more detailed.
Although SplitEQ by eventide is more convenient than this, this method results in less phase
cancellation.
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Isolate and Upward Compress Mids
I tried this on a master recently, and it worked well at bringing the mids to the forefront
- first I created a bus/auxiliary track for my mix. Then I introduced a low-latency linear
phase EQ, and isolated the mid frequencies on this parallel track, followed by upward
compression.
This way I can isolate my mids, control their dynamics from the noise floor up, and increase
their overall detail and perceivability.
Start with 2 Intelligent Equalizers
If you have Soothe 2 and the Gullfoss EQ, try them with very subtle settings at the
beginning of your mastering chain. Soothe 2 will attenuate resonance frequencies, and
then Gullfoss will dynamically alter the frequency response to balance the mix, making masked
frequencies easier to hear.
Even if you choose to remove these from your chain, which I find I do about 50% of the
time, they help you hear the mix from a different perspective.
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Parallel Normalized Track
Although this is a little unorthodox, a parallel normalized track is a good alternative to
parallel compression. First I’ll duplicate my mix and cut it into sections based on the
peak level of that section - this usually means the verse and choruses will be separated;
then I’ll use peak normalization.
Now all sections of the track have the same peak level, resulting in controlled dynamics
without the need for compression. I’ll blend the normalized track in with the original,
just like I would a parallel compressed track.
Quickly Compare 2 Chains
In Logic Pro, I can create 2 signal chains and then A B them almost instantly - first
I’ll double-click the track, and under Functions, I’ll pick Selection-Based processing. If
I saved my chain I can load them in here, or I can select whatever processors I’d
like.
By clicking A and B I can now quickly preview the 2 chains, making it easier to find what
sounds best for the mix.
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Process Verse and Chorus Separately
Let’s again create 2 tracks and then isolate our verse and chorus, or maybe chorus and
bridge depending on the song structure, and then process the unique parts of the song
differently. For the most part, I’ll keep things the same for consistency, but add some
small changes.
For example, I could make the verse have a little less distortion, or I could amplify
the side image on the chorus to make it more impressive. A similar thing can be accomplished
with automation, but this gives you more control and makes the differences easier to keep in
mind when making changes.
If you have a mix that you need mastered, send it to us to receive a free mastered sample
of it with the link in the description. Thank you so much for watching.