Preparing Music for the Mastering Process

Tips to fine tune your tracks

Mastering is the final step in audio mixing, and going into it with properly prepared tracks is crucial to achieving the most polished, professional sound possible. Before you start mastering your track, you can answer all your mastering questions here, or if you are ready here are some solid next steps to ensure you’re getting the most out of your music.

  1. Reference Songs for Fine-Tuning
  2. Headroom in Volume
  3. Understanding Compression
  4. Dithering and .wav Files
  5. Mix Map
  6. Listening in Mono
  7. Get Feedback

Reference songs for fine tuning

Using a reference song—one that closely resembles the style or sound you aim to achieve—helps you balance your mix. Comparing your track to a professional mix lets you adjust levels, EQ, and dynamics for consistency. Here's how you can effectively use a reference track in your mixing process:

  1. Choose the Right Reference Track

    • - Genre Match: Pick a song that is in the same genre or style as your project. It should have the same kind of sonic qualities, mood, and energy.
    • - High-Quality: Ensure the track is high-quality (preferably WAV or lossless formats) so you're not influenced by compression artifacts that can occur with lower-quality audio.
    • - Well-Mixed and Mastered: The reference track should be a commercially successful, well-produced song that you admire for its balance, clarity, and tonal quality.

  2. Import the Reference Track

    • Import the reference song into your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) on a separate track, but make sure it does not go through your master chain where any effects like compression or limiting might be applied.
    • Some DAWs have specific features for A/B testing between your mix and a reference song.
    • (If DAW doesn’t have this built in ADPTR MetricAB is a great solution in plugin form)

  3. 3. Level Match

    • - Match the Volume: Reference tracks are often louder because they've been mastered. You need to match the volume of your mix and the reference song for accurate comparison. Use a gain plugin to lower the reference track's volume so it’s at a similar loudness level to your mix. This ensures you’re comparing tonal qualities, not loudness differences.

  4. Compare Key Elements

    • Low-End (Bass/Kick): Compare how the bass and kick drums sit in the mix. Is your low end as tight and controlled as the reference track?
    • Midrange (Vocals, Guitars, Synths): Check how your midrange elements like vocals or guitars sound in relation to the reference. Is your mix too muddy or too harsh in these frequencies?
    • High-End (Cymbals, Brightness): Compare the high-end clarity. Is your mix bright enough, or is it too sharp?
    • Stereo Width and Depth: Analyze the stereo imaging. How wide does the reference track sound compared to your mix? Is your mix as deep and spacious?
    • Balance and Dynamics: Check how different instruments are balanced in relation to each other. Is your vocal too loud or too soft compared to the reference? Also, compare the dynamics—how punchy or compressed the reference sounds compared to your mix.

  5. Focus on the Entire Mix

    • Don’t obsess over trying to match every aspect of the reference song exactly. Use it as a guide to help you improve your mix, but make sure your creative vision shines through.

  6. A/B Testing Regularly

    • Periodically switch between your mix and the reference song during the mixing process to ensure you're staying on track. Some DAWs allow you to set up easy A/B toggling so you can switch back and forth seamlessly.

  7. Use Multiple Reference Tracks (Optional)

    • Sometimes it helps to use more than one reference track, especially if you're aiming for a unique sound. This gives you a broader perspective on how different mixes can sound in the same genre.


By using a reference song effectively, you can keep your mix grounded in professional standards while still adding your own creative touch.

Headroom in Volume

Headroom refers to the space between the highest peaks of your track’s volume and 0 dB (digital clipping point). You should leave around 3-6 dB of headroom to allow the mastering engineer room to work without distortion.

Understanding Compression

Daws come with a stock compressor or two usually and there are always other plugin compressors to consider as your arsenal grows.

Compression reduces the dynamic range of a track by controlling the loudest and softest parts, making the sound more balanced. It’s important to use compression carefully in mixing, as over-compression can limit dynamics and impact the mastering process.

Think of a compressor in music like a babysitter watching over a group of rowdy kids. These kids represent the different volume levels in your track—some are really loud, some are quiet, and some are somewhere in between.

Now, the babysitter's job (compressor) is to keep things under control without ruining the fun:

  1. Threshold: The babysitter sets a rule: "If you’re too loud (above a certain threshold), I’ll step in." The threshold is like the babysitter’s patience level. Once a kid crosses the line and gets too noisy, the babysitter starts paying attention.
  2. Ratio: This is how strict the babysitter is. If the babysitter has a low ratio, they might let the loud kids yell a little bit but will gently tell them to quiet down. With a high ratio, the babysitter is strict, making sure any loud noise is quickly shushed.
  3. Attack: The attack is how fast the babysitter reacts. A fast attack is like a super-watchful babysitter who immediately steps in when a kid starts screaming. A slow attack is more relaxed, letting the kid make a little noise before stepping in.
  4. Release: This is how long the babysitter stays involved after they quiet down the kid. A short release means the babysitter steps back quickly after the noise level goes down. A long release means they hover around a bit longer, making sure everything stays calm.
  5. Make-Up Gain: After the babysitter calms down the loud kids, the quiet ones might be too soft to hear. So, the babysitter gives the quiet kids a little boost so they can be heard too, ensuring everything feels balanced. This is like the make-up gain in compression, which raises the overall level after taming the loud parts.


So, the compressor (babysitter) is there to keep the wild volume swings (kids) in check, making sure the track doesn’t get out of control, while still allowing some natural excitement and dynamics!

Dithering and .wav Files

In short: Dither bad. Wav good.

Dithering reduces quantization errors when converting audio to lower bit depths. However, you should not dither before mastering, as this should be handled during the final process. Always export your mix as a .wav file because it is a lossless format, preserving all the audio quality for mastering.

Mix Map

A mix map is a visual or written guide that outlines your plan for mixing a track. It’s like a roadmap that helps you stay organized and focused as you mix. Think of it as a blueprint for how you want each element of your song to sound and interact with each other.

Here’s how to use a mix map step by step:

  1. Identify the Main Elements of Your Track
    • - Start by identifying the key elements in your song: vocals, drums, bass, guitars, synths, etc.
    • - Think about the role each element plays. For instance, is the vocal the most important part, or is it a driving bassline? This helps you decide the focus of your mix.
  2. Assign a Sonic Space for Each Element
    • - Frequency Range: Each element should sit in its own frequency range. On your mix map, write down or visualize which frequency range each instrument occupies. For example:
    • - Vocals: Midrange (around 1 kHz–5 kHz)
    • - Bass: Low-end (20 Hz–200 Hz)
    • - Hi-hats: High-end (8 kHz and above)
    • - This helps avoid instruments clashing or "fighting" for space.
  3. Define Panning and Stereo Placement
    • - Think about panning: Where do you want instruments to sit in the stereo field?
    • - Center: Lead vocals, kick drum, bass guitar (the core elements of your mix)
    • - Left/Right: Guitars, backing vocals, effects, etc.
    • - Mark this on your mix map, showing where each element will be placed. For example, guitars could be panned 30% left and 30% right, while cymbals might be wider, panned 60% left and right.
  4. Determine Depth with Reverb and Delay
    • - Reverb and delay create a sense of depth. Your mix map can indicate which elements you want to sound close (dry, little to no reverb) or far away (more reverb/delay).
    • - Close to the listener: Lead vocals or snare drum might have minimal reverb to sound present and upfront.
    • - Farther back: Pads or background vocals may have more reverb to sit deeper in the mix.
  5. Volume Balance (Fader Positions)
    • - Write down the relative volumes of each track. For instance, the vocals may be the loudest element, so they get priority in the mix. The snare might be just under that, with guitars a bit lower, and so on.
    • - Keep track of any planned automation for volume changes. For example, if you want the guitars to get louder in the chorus, mark that on your mix map.
  6. Dynamics Control
    • - Plan out where and how you'll apply compression and automation for dynamic control.
    • - Will you compress the vocals to keep them consistent throughout?
    • - Should the drums have a punchy, tight sound or something more relaxed?
    • - On your map, make notes about where you’ll need compression or limiting to control volume spikes or enhance the energy of certain sections.
  7. Effects and Processing
    • - Write down the types of effects you want on each element:
    • - Do you want a bit of distortion on the bass guitar?
    • - Maybe a flanger on the guitar in the bridge?
    • - This helps you plan which plugins you’ll need and ensures you don’t overdo it with effects later.
  8. Arrange by Sections
    • - Use your mix map to break the song down by sections (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.).
    • - Plan out how you want each section to sound:
    • - Verses: More stripped down, maybe fewer elements or more intimate sound.
    • - Chorus: Bigger, fuller, with more energy.
    • - This helps guide your mix as you go from section to section, keeping the dynamics and energy of the song flowing.
  9. Review and Adjust
    • - As you mix, refer to your mix map regularly. It’s not set in stone—you can adjust it as you go, but it keeps you focused and ensures that you don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.


A mix map helps you maintain clarity and direction while mixing, ensuring that all elements have their space and the overall sound is cohesive. It’s a great tool for staying organized and making sure your creative vision is realized in your mix.

Listening in Mono

Listening to your track in mono during mixing helps you identify any phase issues and ensures that your mix translates well on all playback systems, including those with a single speaker.

By addressing these aspects, your mix will be ready for mastering, allowing your music to reach its full potential.

Get Feedback

Sometimes we lose sight of what we’re even doing, Maastr has a collaborator platform, which is wonderful for people to come in and check out where you’re at and leave time stamped feedback

“Drums sound good here, but get lost in the mix after” - engineer hired to consult

“Bass isn’t loud enough” - every bass player ever

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