I am a somewhat new and very focused producer right now and was wondering what most of you are using for mastering chains and descriptions with each plug selected and the reasoning behind it. And what types of variations in the chain that you may decide on and also if you use different chains for different styles of music. Obviously I realize there is not a one sized fits all mastering chain but I am just looking for knowledge on the industry standard and getting a close to pro sound right in the box.

 

Read this while the replies are coming: [ https://www.izotope.com/en/communit...tering-with-ozone-2015-edition-now-available/ ].

 

thanks I found a few other ones too

 

Depends - Ozone 7 is excellent - The standalone version - Drop your 24bit files directly into it and master

The real truth is that if you've mixed your track down perfectly you won't have any mastering to do other than limiting ---

If you think you've finished a track - mix down wise - set up a mastering session on it and then ask yourself !

What processes you used to complete that mastering session ? - if it was EQing ! look at where you cut and boosted and then switch of the EQ and go back into the mix down and do those EQing cuts and boosts on the individual tracks - thus - you won't need to EQ the master output during your mastering session... Do the same working your way through all the other processes you felt were necessary during the mastering session until you no longer need any of them

At this point - your mix down is perfect and sounding how you want it technically -

Now what I like to do is add the coloration and glue in varying amounts - So - set up another mastering session with the new perfect mix down stereo master file - then add:

Vintage EQing Compression Distortion Clipping Noise Hum Saturation Reverb ETC ETC - what ever it takes to achieve something that sounds Driven and Analog Glued and Authentic - Most importantly of all - something that you like the sound of regardless of what other people think - it's your music - it's your sound - keep it that way ---

Their are no correct chains - all tracks are mastered in different ways - If you experiment by using unorthodox mastering chains you'll end up with some thing unorthodox and amazing -

Imagine that the final part of your mastering chain was to run the final signal through an old tape deck or through a new iPhone or through 50 meters of old cable or what ever you can be bothered to try - all those things will impart something subtle onto your music -

Take the rule book and have it out the window ---

NO ?

 

Last edited: Dec 25, 2015

Thanks jayxflash. I didn't realize that these iZotope books were available. Cool.

 

The mastering chain will never be a fixed "recipe". Each song require a different amount of plugins (without counting the limiter at the end) and also the chain order might get different too. It all comes down to what you hear/consider that your song might benefit from. As "chains" you can get some ideas through what people in here share with you as their moft often chains scenarios&order, take it as an experimenting reference. Don't take them as fixed rules, be flexible and give your songs only what they really need processing-wise. Less is more, unless that song really is too "less" and ask you for more than "less". Good luck.

 

I guess it depends on what you're trying to achieve. If your music is destructo loudness warz, check out this rack. I borrowed the basics from this doctrine video - then I swapped the Ableton plugs for some other preferred plugs.

 

just make sure you learned it before throwing it