Leave at least 1 second of blank audio at the start and end of the track to ensure no initial transients or reverb tails are missed on export. If you have put devices on the master please turn them off before bouncing. Don’t worry if there is an occasional small peak over -6db.Įnsure that there are no active effects or devices on the master channel of your project. Mix-down the various levels of your track so that they are balanced and panned as you want them, leaving plenty head-room on the master channel.Įnsure the project has enough 'head-room' - when you listen back, the master channel should be peaking around -6db, with the fader at 0db. These guidelines are written with Ableton Live in mind, however the principles remain the same irrespective of your DAW of choice. Please read these guidelines before submitting tracks for mastering. Check out our guide here for bouncing stems in preparation for mixdown. Mastering, by technical definition, is the actual process of creating the stampers that are used to press the vinyl discs. On a side-note before even considering mastering your should have a solid mix down in place.

We offer this service if you don’t have the patience, monitoring equipment, or experience to be mastering your music yourself.

This is a short but sweet explanation of the targets you should be aiming at when preparing your track to be sent for mastering. If you prefer to add plug-ins as inserts on individual tracks. GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING YOUR TRACK FOR MASTERING This is generally the best way to apply the same effects to multiple tracks simultaneously.

Mastering tracks