Finishing Up // Getting Started - Posted on 2016-03-31 by Raymond Flores

im all done with the program now and im feeling satisfied. chapter 19 was all about mastering. i learned the basics of mastering using pro tools stock plugins. i will keep using them until i feel like i need to level up and experiment with other plugins. i learned that when mastering a song, you need to first import a wav file of that song into a new pro tools session, then create a stereo master track which is where you will apply the plugins to. i first start off with an EQ 7-band and roll off about 40Hz of the lows and about 18kHz of the highs. then you need to look for any unwanted frequencies and take out about 1-2 dB depending on how drastic they sound. then i use the maxim plugin to make the song sound louder. the ceiling parameter should be at about -0.3dB and the threshold can be set to -5dB- -6dB depending on how loud you want it. i was told not to set it over -6dB because it can cause distortion and you dont want that. every song or album could be mastered differently though, thats the beauty of it. music is all about taste, there are no rules! i have also been working on my own music with original production by me, and i plan on recording, mixing & mastering it on my own with the knowledge i have gained through the recording connection!