Maybe you've heard of mastering, and you know that it is something you should be doing to your tracks, but don't know where to start. Maybe you know the basics, but you don't understand the details. Maybe you know how to master a track by applying certain effects, but you don't understand "why" it works. This class is designed to answer all of those questions and more.

At the core of it, audio mastering has one simple goal: to make your music as loud and clear as possible. We want to be sure your track sounds amazing on Spotify, on your car speakers, on your earbuds, in the studio, and everywhere else.

In this class we are going to go step-by-step through the complete mastering process. Giving you the how and the why of every process along the way.

DAWs:
In this class, I'll be using Ableton Live, but if you are not a Live user - that is totally ok! I've gone to great lengths to make sure this class is useful to everyone, no matter which audio platform they are working with. So if you are a Logic user, FL Studio user, Cubase user, Bitwig user, Studio One user, Pro Tools user, or anything else - it will all work. You will be able to do all of the techniques that I walk you through in any audio application.

Genre:
I'm best known for working with electronic music, but I've designed this course to be as inclusive as possible when it comes to genre. We will talk about mastering techniques for all instruments, sounds, and styles. All genres are welcome here!

Topics Covered:

What is mastering?
Terminology (including downloadable vocabulary list)
Types of mastering
"The loudness wars"
Genre matters
Tools - the DAW
Learning to read an RMS meter
How compressors work
How limiters work
How to trust your ear
The pre-master
Setting up a mastering session
Referencing
Effect chains
"Ringing out" frequencies
Makeup gain
Multiband compression
Dialing in multiple compressors
Upwards compression
Stereo Imaging
Mid/Side EQ
Mid/Side Compression
Harmonic exciters
Rendering and exporting for streaming
Dithering
Mastering your own music (special considerations)
Getting gigs as a mastering engineer
And much, much more!

Dr. Allen is a PhD in music, university music professor, and is a top-rated online instructor - with over 100 courses and 550,000 students.

Emma Bradbury

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