Purpose
Mastering makes the mix coherent, competitive and reliable on every listening system, and prepares it for distribution. It does not repair a bad mix: if a problem is serious, you go back to the mix.
Typical chain
- Listening and references at equal loudness.
- Corrective EQ: resonances, excess at 200–400 Hz, harshness at 2–4 kHz.
- Dynamic EQ or multiband for intermittent problems (sibilance, an 808 that booms on certain notes).
- Light bus compression: 2:1, attack 30 ms, auto release, 1–2 dB.
- Gentle saturation for density.
- Mid/side: bass in mono below 100–150 Hz, optional opening of the highs on the sides.
- Limiter with ceiling −1 dBTP.
- Dither only if the bit depth is reduced (e.g. to 16 bit).
Measurements to watch
LUFS integrated and short-term, true peak, LRA, phase correlation, spectrum (especially below 100 Hz).
Translation
Listen on: headphones, earbuds, phone (mono and without sub), car, club system or monitors with sub. The bass must exist even where the fundamental does not reach (harmonics of the 808).
Deliverables
24-bit WAV (44.1 or 48 kHz), track names and order, ISRC codes, gaps between the tracks of an album; any instrumental and a cappella versions.
Example
Trap album in A minor: the same type of chain for all the tracks, loudness aligned to ±1 LU between tracks, intro and interludes left more dynamic.
Real-world example
Daft Punk's “Random Access Memories” (2013), mastered by Bob Ludwig, was also praised for the dynamics it preserved compared with the standards of the “loudness war”: a reference for anyone who wants a loud but breathing master.