The platforms will encode it to their chosen lossy format (MP3, AAC, Ogg etc) on their end. Tip: If you are uploading your music to an online distributor or Soundcloud, definitely use WAVE (.wav) as your format. Simply use the Bounce command in Logic Pro X and select the appropriate formats for where you want to submit your music. This is where you actually create the master files. + Just because Spotify normalises to -14 LUFS, doesn’t mean you have to 7. If there are no problems, have the courage to believe that and move onto the final step. Use the tools at your disposal to solve the problems.
Such issues could be unbalanced frequencies, dynamics, or distortion at the limiter’s ceiling. Now you can work your way back into the chain, tackling these specific issues. Now that you are close to the goal, any issues with regard to dynamics and EQ will start to make themselves apparent. You can do this by ear now, slowly turning up your mix via a gain stage before the limiter, until you start to feel it’s loud enough for listening purposes. Now that’s done, it’s time to raise the mix to your playback level.
#LOGIC PRO X LOGO HOW TO#
This is where we work to minimise that variable.Įarlier, I shared this article on how to set up your monitoring level. This where we start to work backwards, at least as far as the order of plugins in your chain is concerned.īefore, I mentioned how playback volume has a huge bearing on how we perceive frequency balance and dynamics. + 6 Useful Metering Plug-ins for Mastering Audio 5. You probably want to make sure it’s not applying any extra gain by default, so make sure the gain dial is at 0dB. Now it’s set up, you don’t have to look at it again. Load it as the final plugin in your chain and set the ceiling to -1.0 with True Peak Detection turned on. Now what I am going to advise here is to use Logic Pro X’s Adaptive Limiter. This is the true purpose of a peak limiter. This means that if necessary, we can make it louder without clipping. Not because it makes things louder (because it doesn’t) but because they allow you to adjust the gain of the track whilst retaining a peak ceiling. Set The CeilingĪs you probably know, a limiter is very much a usual suspect in your mastering chain. It’s just a psychoacoustic reality we have to deal with. Remember, a slight difference in loudness also equates to a difference in how we perceive dynamics and frequency balance (EQ). Do this by ear and make adjustments along the way so that comparisons are always fair. The easiest way to do this is to use a gain utility on the reference track until it’s playing back at your mastering level. That way, there is no loudness bias between your master and the reference track. Turn them down (or up) to your mastering level! There is only one tip you need to know about using reference tracks… Now that you have set up your monitoring level, you may also choose to use a reference track in the mastering session. I wrote an easy-to-follow guide on how to do that using simply your ears, your amp/speakers, and Spotify. This is why it’s ever so important to calibrate your mastering level and stick to it. However, they can (and will) work as a supplement to your hearing, but nothing more than that. Measuring EQ, dynamics, and loudness are not things you can rely solely on meters for.
#LOGIC PRO X LOGO FULL#
Peak headroom (space between peak value and 0 full scale) doesn’t matter so much. If you would like a general guideline, around 14 dB of difference between peak and RMS in the loudest moments in the mix is a good place to start. Just make sure there is an appropriate amount of dynamics in the music. The gist of it is that it doesn’t matter, as you can adjust gain in the mastering session anyway. With regard to peak headroom, here is an article I wrote about it. You might even to choose to take up to a week between mixing and mastering the same song, without once listening to the mix in between. Give your brain time to forget about it for a bit! Then master the wav mix in a brand new session another day with fresh ears. If you are confident in the sound of the mix then just bounce it down to a 24 bit wav file. There are many articles and cheat sheets out there that tell you things in absolutes like needing 6 dB of headroom and such.Īll you need to do is make sure you have a great mix that isn’t clipping.
#LOGIC PRO X LOGO PDF#
You can also download a FREE PDF version of this guide so you always have it to hand! 1.
#LOGIC PRO X LOGO SERIES#
I’ve broken it down into a series of actionable steps. This article should help you get going, so you can confidently make great sounding masters for your music. Not because they don’t know, but because they don’t know what they are aiming for. Mastering in Logic Pro X is absolutely possible, even with just stock plugins!