Getting your mix mastered can be an exciting step in the record production process—all your hard work is about to pay off. But sometimes that process doesn’t go as smoothly as you’d planned. You may get notes from your mastering engineer that necessitate you going back to your mix and making changes, or you may receive your masters and find they sound different than you had hoped.
Fear not, there are some things you can do to avoid these pitfalls, establish better communication with your mastering engineer and ultimately achieve the results you want. Here, we’re going to cover the best plug-ins you can use to prepare for mastering, and our top five tips for mixing that will help you get the best-sounding master possible.
Pictured: Teletronix LA-2A Limiting Amplifier and Empirical Labs EL8X Distressors with British Mod and Image Link Stereo Pair
Table of Contents
Be Prepared for the Mastering Stage
The Best Plug-ins to Get Your Mix Ready for Mastering
5 Tips for Mixing
Fixing Muddy Mixes
Sending Multiple Versions
Headroom
Control Sibilance and Low End
Check Phase
(Bonus Round)—Reference, Reference, Reference
The Payoff
Be Prepared for the Mastering Stage
Before we dive in, there are some simple steps you can take and questions you can ask yourself that will help you and your mastering engineer better realize your goals.
What formats will this project be released in?
If you’re going to consult a mastering engineer about taking on your project, it’s important for them to know the work involved and how the music will be consumed. For example, if your songs are only going to be heard on vinyl or in a movie soundtrack, they will require a different approach than the more common, modern-day practice of mastering for streaming, which we cover in our guide about how to master for streaming.
Have your files clearly labeled and in the preferred format.
This seems like a no-brainer, but being organized saves you time (and money) and can help avoid confusion down the road.
Include a song order/sequence if necessary.
An important part of mastering is forming a cohesive sound among the different songs on a record. Knowing the order of the songs so that a “bright” mix and “dark” mix flow smoothly from one to the other can be crucial.
Pictured: dbx 160xt Compressor/Limiter
The Best Plug-ins to Get Your Mix Ready for Mastering
While outboard gear was commonly used in the past, plug-ins are vastly more popular in modern music production. Here, we’ve compiled the best mixing and mastering software you can use to prep your mixes for the final stage of record production.
Universal Audio UAD Complete 3
Why It’s Cool: Classic analog emulations and flexible, cutting-edge tools give you the versatility and tones you need to produce world-class masters.
Things to Consider:
- Includes legendary models like the SSL G Series Bus Compressor, Manley Massive Passive, Ampex ATR-102 and more
- Add iconic analog sound to your in-the-box mixes
- Get surgical with modern options, such as the Brainworx bx_digital V3 EQ, Precision Multiband compressor and Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor
Shop Now: Universal Audio UAD Complete 3 Plug-in Bundle
UAD plug-ins have become the industry standard for high-quality, in-the-box tools. Found in nearly every studio big or small, UAD Complete 3 has everything you need to deliver top-shelf results.
iZotope Ozone 11 Advanced
Why It’s Cool: This self-contained and extremely versatile suite of plug-ins is a must-have for problem solving and creative adjustments.
Things to Consider:
- AI-assisted tools make achieving professional results easy
- Includes compressors, M/S equalizers, stereo imaging, saturation and more
- Can be utilized as one chain or individually as separate modules
Shop Now: iZotope Ozone 11 Advanced Software Download
Incredibly useful and popular among modern-day producers and engineers, Ozone 11 Advanced allows you to dig into your tracks with cutting-edge precision, get imaginative with unique modules like the Exciter and control pesky frequencies using the Dynamic EQ.
FabFilter Mastering Bundle
Why It’s Cool: This collection of mastering essentials is a top-selling, popular option that also supports Dolby Atmos formats.
Things to Consider:
- Flexible, detailed EQ and limiter settings for fine-tuning your final mixes
- Fewer plug-ins than other options
- Extensive loudness metering
Shop Now: FabFilter Mastering Bundle Software Download
Affordable and professional, the FabFilter Mastering Bundle contains four, must-have plug-ins perfectly suited for platinum-quality audio production. With flexible and nuanced adjustments being fast and easy to make, this suite of EQ and dynamics processors has everything you need to get the results you’ve always wanted.
5 Tips for Mixing
Pictured: DAW Mixing Workflow
Fixing Muddy Mixes
Low-mid frequencies can be a double-edge sword. On one hand, many fundamental frequencies live in this range, and it is the home of rich, full and thick sound. On the other hand, it is one of the easiest frequency ranges to “clutter,” which can lead to your entire track sounding “muddy.” Locating the source of where the “mud” in your track is coming from and taming it is an integral part of achieving a clear and defined mix. We’ve put together the definitive EQ cheat sheet for mixing so you can get a head start on identifying problem areas.
But be careful when performing subtractive EQ in the low mids—instruments can turn thin and weak when too much EQ is cut from this range. For example—if you leave it up to your mastering engineer to fix your muddy guitars, their only choice might be to EQ out low-mid frequencies of the entire track, therefore thinning out the vocals, toms and other instruments that derive their tone and power from this frequency band. Check out the best plug-ins for mixing guitar and get the tools you need to perfect your six-string sessions before you hit the mastering studio.
Sending Multiple Versions
Sending multiple versions of your mix to your mastering engineer has become standard practice—in fact, be prepared for your mastering engineer to possibly ask you for stems. Sometimes, providing a vocal up/down mix can help them achieve a better result than if they were to try and rebalance the elements of your song all on their own. So, communicate with your mastering engineer to see what they prefer. Taking an extra minute to print a main mix with the vocals turned up or down 1dB can save you time (and money) down the road. Keep in mind, too many options can be a bad thing—after all, you’re the mixing engineer and making decisions is a part of your job. Check out our guide on finding the best plug-ins for mixing vocals and finalize your tracks with confidence.
The other common practice here is to send a “for mastering” mix and a louder, perhaps more processed version to give your mastering engineer an idea of what you’re expecting the mastering process to accomplish. This clues them into any tonal shifts you’re expecting and what type of loudness you prefer, and it gives them a “raw” starting point free of processing to perform their magic.
Headroom
This is related to tip number 2, but leaving adequate headroom is important because it gives your mastering engineer the space they need to make clear and distortion-free changes to your mix. The closer your track is to distorting, the more likely it is to react poorly to EQ adjustments, and most notably, additional compression or limiting. If you like the EQ, compression and limiting you have in your mix, send a quieter version with more headroom along with your processed mix so that your mastering engineer can choose which version to start from and achieve any desired loudness in a clean and transparent way.
Pictured: Warm Audio Program Equalizer EQP-WA Tube EQ
Control Sibilance and Low End
These are extremely important areas of consideration and are prime examples of things better fixed in the mix. By controlling unwanted artifacts or audible issues earlier in the production process, it makes everything that comes afterward easier and better sounding as a result. Think about it—if your mix’s vocals are too sibilant or biting, the typical way a mastering engineer would tame them is with a de-esser. But, in the process of de-essing your mix, they’ll be affecting the top end of the snare drum, hi-hats and other instruments that are balanced just the way you like them. The same goes for your low end. If your mastering engineer needs to control your kick drum—you guessed it—they’ll be affecting your bass, the bottom of your synths and so on. Addressing and problem solving these areas in your mix is crucial to achieving a better-sounding master.
Check Phase
This was more important when vinyl was the most prominent listening format, but it stills deserves consideration. With heavy-handed spatial effects becoming more and more common in record production, and mono Bluetooth speakers gaining popularity, it goes without saying you should check your mix in mono to see how much of your track is canceling out (maybe without your knowledge). No one wants to listen to a song that makes it feel like their ears are turning inside out, and it’s as easy as the push of a button to make sure you’re not crossing the invisible line.
(Bonus Round)—Reference, Reference, Reference
Something your mastering engineer will be doing that you can be doing, too, is referencing. Listen to your mix next to other releases of a similar nature (preferably at the same volume) to see where you’re missing the mark. There are plug-ins that make this easy, and it can be a very eye-opening experience that can ultimately help you achieve the EQ balance, compression and loudness you’re looking for. The closer your mix sounds to how you want the master to sound, the better.
The Payoff
Pictured: SSL AWS-900 Analogue Workstation
Mixing is a complex, involved process that is an integral part of bringing a song to life, and there’s a difference between mixing and mastering. But they’re relationship can be simple, dynamic and symbiotic. In order to achieve professional and platinum-quality results, you need to work together, and that starts with mixing in a way that is conducive to the mastering process. Sometimes, that looks like doing your best and providing detailed notes on what you want to change. Other times, it can be delivering a mix that is so problem-free and exciting that the mastering engineer changes absolutely nothing. However you get there, these tips will help you avoid the most common pitfalls and, above all, serve the song.