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Mastering chain logic pro x free
The first thing to do after you load the plugin is to set the Out Ceiling value to -1dB. This is a safety measure to ensure better playback of your song through different systems without clipping. Now, put the Loudness Meter side-to-side with your Limiter window and adjust the Gain knob until your audio is at to Lufs.
What dithering does is apply low-level noise to your sound, avoiding any data or quality loss. This is a tip that will also apply for mixing.
Be sure to bounce different versions of your track and test how they sound across different listening systems. For example headphones , earbuds , small speakers , and the car stereo.
One of the major goals in mastering and mixing is to make sure your track sounds good across a wide variety of equipment and environments. Sure, it is impossible to achieve a perfect result, but if you feel like your master is not sounding as impactful in your car stereo as it is in the studio , take a moment to adjust your parameters until you find a common ground.
Even though Logic Pro will offer you a complete set of plugins , you can find some great additional free ones to aid you both in the production process and to take your masters to the next level.
Here is our selection:. Channel-strip plugin with built-in equalizer, compressor, tape saturation, and limiter sections. An all-in-one solution. A simple monitor speaker simulation tool. Great especially for those mastering with headphones.
Isol8 gives you a wide range of monitoring options. You can, for example, solo or mute a group of frequencies or see how your songs are sounding in mono. These were our tips on how to master in Logic Pro X. Since each track is a different case, producers should train their ears and skills extensively to achieve a professional final result on their masters: it is all about how many hours you put into the practice.
Soundtrap by Spotify, is hands down the best online daw with built in autotune. Sign up for free, and make music faster. What is Logic Pro X? Typical Mastering Chain in Logic. Tape Delay — The Character section can add tape saturation to your sound. So, by no means should you stick to the rules. That said, certain aspects of mastering will help get your mixes to that next level, so rest assured you still have some room to work. Import your finished mix or mixes to a new audio track in Logic, accompanied by 3 different reference tracks.
Listen and compare the 4 tracks, and make a few notes literally write them down :. Create a new audio track and load up 3 instances of Match EQ on it one for each of your reference tracks.
Hit F to bring up the Project Browser on the right hand side, giving you access to your 4 audio tracks. Drag your mix file onto the Current tab in Match EQ, and one of the reference tracks onto the Reference tab. Then, on the EQ Curve, hit Match. The plugin will create an EQ curve that visually demonstrates the differences in frequency spectrum between your mix, and your reference. Now go ahead and do the same for the other 2 references, using the other 2 instances of Match EQ.
For example, it appears our mix has quite a few challenges in the low end. Compared to the references, we have a lot of energy around 80Hz, and not a lot in the Hz range. Our mix also appears to be lacking a lot of high end, dropping off significantly around 12kHz.
The golden rule, as with mixing, is to use your ears, not your eyes. You should compare any trends noted from Match EQ to the notes you took when listening and comparing. This is simply an example, and is actually using an unfinished mix to demonstrate how you can use Match EQ to level up your music production. One of the principles in mastering is measuring. That is, using tools to measure things such as:.
The Analyzer section in MultiMeter is a real time frequency analyzer, which shows you changes in frequency as they happen. There is no set goal for what this should look like across a mix; think about the different frequency settings on your car radio, iPod or in Spotify.
Load it as the final plugin in your chain and set the ceiling to This where we start to work backwards, at least as far as the order of plugins in your chain is concerned. Before, I mentioned how playback volume has a huge bearing on how we perceive frequency balance and dynamics. This is where we work to minimise that variable. Earlier, I shared this article on how to set up your monitoring level. Now that you are close to the goal, any issues with regard to dynamics and EQ will start to make themselves apparent.
Now you can work your way back into the chain, tackling these specific issues. Use the tools at your disposal to solve the problems. If there are no problems, have the courage to believe that and move onto the final step. This is where you actually create the master files. Simply use the Bounce command in Logic Pro X and select the appropriate formats for where you want to submit your music.
Tip: Dither your master. Any dither is better than truncation distortion! Unlock a bundle of free resources to help you create and release your music.
These chains contain presets, and like all presets, they should be treated as a starting point to inspire a great sounding master. Every track is different and depends completely on the arrangement, style, production, dynamic and so much more – there are countless factors that make up a great track! I encourage you to tweak the presets to taste and make them work for you.
Each chain contains the utility Gain plugin at the start of the chain in order to allow you to set your gain staging correctly. You may also notice that the limiter is turned off by default in each chain.
Mastering in Logic Pro X : The Basics.Mastering in Logic Pro X : The Basics
Microphone Basics is supported by readers. When you buy with our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more. Regardless of who is mastering your tracks, there are a couple of important things to have tied up before you commit your track to the mastering phase. This is an important tenet of mixing — leaving headroom for mastering.
The truth is that like mixing, mastering, can also be done in any DAW, so long as you have access to a few important tools. This 6 step guide will give you everything you need to start mastering in Logic, but remember, at the end of the day this is a creative endeavour. So, by no means should you stick to the rules.
That said, certain aspects of mastering will help get your mixes to that next level, so rest assured you still have some room to work. Import your finished mix or mixes to a new audio track in Logic, accompanied by 3 different reference tracks.
Listen and compare the 4 tracks, and make a few notes literally write them down :. Create a new audio track and load up 3 instances of Match EQ on it one for each of your reference tracks. Hit F to bring up the Project Browser on the right hand side, giving you access to your 4 audio tracks. Drag your mix file onto the Current tab in Match EQ, and one of the reference tracks onto the Reference tab. Then, on the EQ Curve, hit Match. The plugin will create an EQ curve that visually demonstrates the differences in frequency spectrum between your mix, and your reference.
Now go ahead and do the same for the other 2 references, using the other 2 instances of Match EQ. For example, it appears our mix has quite a few challenges in the low end.
Compared to the references, we have a lot of energy around 80Hz, and not a lot in the Hz range. Our mix also appears to be lacking a lot of high end, dropping off significantly around 12kHz. The golden rule, as with mixing, is to use your ears, not your eyes. You should compare any trends noted from Match EQ to the notes you took when listening and comparing. This is simply an example, and is actually using an unfinished mix to demonstrate how you can use Match EQ to level up your music production.
One of the principles in mastering is measuring. That is, using tools to measure things such as:. The Analyzer section in MultiMeter is a real time frequency analyzer, which shows you changes in frequency as they happen. There is no set goal for what this should look like across a mix; think about the different frequency settings on your car radio, iPod or in Spotify.
For example in our mix, Hz is coming through really strong. We might use an EQ to cut a little in this area. Loudness is a contentious topic in mastering, as it has been the subject of abuse for many years now. Remember how the human ear identifies louder sounds as subjectively better? Well, mastering engineers or more accurately the record labels that hired them learned how to use this to their advantage by using a limiter to make finished tracks louder and louder.
This resulted in something called the Loudness War, which ended up sacrificing the beauty in music and its dynamic range in favour of overly compressed or squashed tracks that appeared louder. Loudness is still an issue in contemporary music, though it has been stamped down by new limitations enforced by streaming and broadcast companies.
All the way, seeking to retain the nuance and dynamic range that makes music music. Tricky, huh? We are going to do some more comparison to our reference tracks here; load the MultiMeter onto the Stereo Output, and listen to the loudest section of your reference tracks one by one. Note down the value it will change over time so find an average value or note down a range e.
Do this for all 3 reference tracks and compare the values, this will give you an indication as to how much squash or compression is acceptable for the genre you are working in, and what the loudness level of your master should look like. For example, heavy rock tracks will typically feature a lot more compression and therefore be a lot louder , than say, a 20 minute free form jazz odyssey,. Phase shift is a natural by-product of EQ and is something you can get away with on individual tracks, but it can cause problems for the master.
Not only does the Linear EQ look great in black, it has a higher resolution than the standard EQ, giving you the ability to make finer adjustments — important in mastering.
You should use the Linear EQ to make small adjustments based on your notes, but try not to boost or cut any more than 3dB. If you need to make more severe adjustments, you should consider going back to the mix. This is especially the case when the frequency you want to tame is quite dynamic. For example, certain notes on a bass guitar might create unwanted boosts in the low end, but only when that note is played.
If you are finding the mix has too much dynamic range, that is, certain sections are much louder or softer than others, you may wish to apply a little compression to the track. Of course, let your ears be the judge here, but these are some pretty universal guidelines for using compression in mastering. Applying compression to the mix can help tighten up the dynamics of your track, allowing you to employ more limiting to bring up the loudness in your mix.
Multi band compressors are exactly what they sound like, compressors that operate in several bands, split across the frequency spectrum. Whilst traditional compressors apply compressors across the entire frequency range, multi band compressors allow you to isolate particular areas of the range that are particularly dynamic.
For example, you might have an overly dynamic mid-range, where guitars, vocals, and keys are all fighting for the same space, and as they come together, they make the mid-range honky, nasal, and fatiguing. The Multipressor has 4 bands, which you can tweak as desired by dragging the lines that designate the band boundaries. This is because we have an overly dynamic low end, where certain bass notes, when combined with the kick drum, are pushing through louder than others.
As with a regular compressor, you have access to controls such as ratio, threshold, attack and release, to fine-tune the compression to your needs. You also have the ability to solo or bypass a band, so you can hear it in isolation and listen to the applied compression. At the top of the GUI, you will see a blue band moving as the compressor works. This demonstrates the gain reduction applied by the compressor. The first thing we are going to do is set the Output Ceiling to This gives us a little bit of a safety net.
When it comes to digital audio, overloads are something you want to avoid like the plague. Whereas analog gear can overload and create a subtle distortion that is often desirable, digital distortion sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Or rubbing polystyrene together. Or a poorly played violin. Or, a polystyrene violin scraping across a chalkboard. We do this because although plugins are extremely quick, they are never infinitely quick.
Even computers need time to process. So, to be extra safe from overloads, give yourself a little safety net. This basically filters out anything below 20Hz, which is below our hearing range anyway, and prevents anything weird from happening to your speakers. This is an important part of mastering, as you need to be able to determine whether your limiting is creating any negative artefacts such as distortion or over-compression. Now, turn up the gain until your loudness matches the notes you made when you compared your references and your mix.
When you mixed your track, you worked in the stereo field using pan, panning instruments left and right and creating space for each of them. Well, you can play in this field in mastering too, using stereo widening tools.
Remember how we said mastering engineers stripped off their lab coats in the 80s and became part of the creative team? The standard format for mastered tracks is a 16 Bit WAV file at Dither is a way to hide these side effects. Logic offers three different types, check them all out and see which you prefer. As a mastering engineer, mixing engineer, recording artists or bedroom producer, you never stop learning.
Why not leave a comment below, and share some of your mastering tips? We would love to hear about your own experiences! This post was most recently updated on June 5th,
[Best Mastering Chain with FREE Plugins — Sage Audio
These templates can suit a wide range of styles – from punchy pop to delicate acoustic, hard-hitting hip-hop to crunchy, aggressive rock music. Built using stock plugins in Logic Pro X – no additional third-party plugins required!
Check out the player below to hear a selection of the presets on a variety of styles. Once purchased, you’ll be emailed a ZIP file with easy-to-install instructions, allowing you to boost your creativity and improve your mixes and masters immediately. These chains contain presets, and like all presets, they should be treated as a starting point to inspire a great sounding master.
Every track is different and depends completely on the arrangement, style, production, dynamic and so much more – there are countless factors that make up a great track! I encourage you to tweak the presets to taste and make them work for you. Each chain contains the utility Gain plugin at the start of the chain in order to allow you to set your gain staging correctly.
You may also notice that the limiter is turned off by default in each chain. This is to protect you from a sudden jump in level when enabling the chains. The limiter is there to bring your track up to a final level of Finding a mid-side equalizer when using only free ones is a little bit of a challenge.
Fortunately, the MEqualizer is a great option. Before creating a filter, the first thing I want to do is go to the toolbar section of the plugin on the right and change its processing from left and right to mid and side.
This will allow us to create mid-side filters. I might do something similar to 2kHz as well, but with a bell filter. By attenuating 2kHz on the side image slightly, the mono vocal can come through more intensely. For the best mastering chain with paid-for plugins, watch this video here:. Analog Obsession makes some great plugins — but not all of them are suitable for mastering.
Fortunately, the Dynasaur multi-band compressor is a great free addition to a mastering chain. I do the same for the mid and high bands but use RMS detection instead of peak. I find that by doing so, and then amplifying the bands, I achieve a smoother, more glued together sound.
With it, I decreased the input slightly with the trim dial, while subtly increasing the crosstalk to widen the stereo image. I listened intently to how the asymmetrical mix and how the distortion affects the frequency range when altering the frequency response dial. The first thing I do is unlink the two channels, and switch the processing from left and right to mid and side.
Then, I boost Hz and 16kHz on the mid image. Subsequently, I reduce the bandwidth to a more narrow one to make this effect more precise. On the side image, I use a more broad band to amplifying the side image somewhat significantly. Lastly, I enabled oversampling, which is a good idea when mastering, since this reduces aliasing distortion.