Table of Contents – Audio mastering logic pro x free

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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. Music Production. Many get lost though. Perhaps you can relate! Table of Contents 1. How To Prepare Your Mix es 2. Calibrate Your Mastering Level 3. Gain Stage Your Reference Track s 4. Set The Ceiling 5. Find Loudness 6. Problem Solving 7. How To Prepare Your Mix es There are many articles and cheat sheets out there that tell you things in absolutes like needing 6 dB of headroom and such.

If you are confident in the sound of the mix then just bounce it down to a 24 bit wav file. Then master the wav mix in a brand new session another day with fresh ears. Give your brain time to forget about it for a bit!

Just make sure there is an appropriate amount of dynamics in the music. Calibrate Your Mastering Level This bit is huge.

Gain Stage Your Reference Track s Now that you have set up your monitoring level , you may also choose to use a reference track in the mastering session. Tip: For tips on how to improve your workflow and get results faster, consider checking our Logic Pro X Shortcuts guide.

There are a few things you should note when you bounce your mixdown for the mastering process. The first is the amount of headroom that is present in your mix, that is, at what level it is peaking. You can easily notice this by looking at your master channel dB meter. We advise you to have your track peaking at about dB to -8dB.

If your mix is too above or below that range, you can simply insert the gain plugin on your master channel and trim it. The next step is choosing the right audio format. Now that you have your file bounced and ready , take a minute to search for one or two reference songs.

You should pick something in the same style and genre as your music and, above all, that you like the sound of. This step is important and professional sound engineers do it all the time. You can also take a moment to compare your reference with your own track, using tools such as the Multimeter to see how it performs on the technical side and to analyze the frequencies of each of the files. Once you have your track loaded up in Logic Pro, it is time to think about using a compressor to further control your dynamics and glue everything together.

The Vintage VCA is an emulation of the famous Solid State Logic compressor present in the SSL Series channel strip, and it is famous for its ability to glue everything together and give your music extra analog mojo. The standard Platinum Digital is an all-around workhorse, but if you feel like your track is sounding too digital or harsh , it may benefit from the subtle coloration of the Vintage VCA.

The Threshold will define when your compressor will start working. For example: at dB, it will only be engaged when your audio is above that level. Now it is time to set the Attack and the Release. For mastering purposes, try keeping the Attack anywhere from 30ms to ms depending on your song.

Shorter settings will smack the transients harder but longer ones may give your mix a little extra impact. The Release setting is gonna determine how early or late the compressor will stop working. Start with a setting of ms to ms and work your way up.

A great tip is to pay attention to kick and the snare when setting the release since they are the instruments that will impact the transients the most. It is worth noting that the most important thing when setting your master compressor is using your ears. Here is a video from In The Mix to help you hear the subtle nuances of compression , both in mixing and mastering:. You can also use the Multipressor for even more control over your sound.

The plugin allows you to use different settings of compression for different frequencies. The plugin is very simple to use. It is divided into four sections and you can tune the frequency using the main upper panel. Below that, you will see the same controls that you would find in a standard compressor. Just as with the compressor, you should use the equalizer very subtly when mastering. The Channel EQ is parametric and more surgical. It will give you more control over your frequencies.

However, the added functionalities make overdoing it much easier so be careful. The Vintage EQ Collection semi-parametric plugins are modeled after famous real units. The benefit of using them is that they add a little bit of analog color to your sound and the stripped-down style makes them less prone to exaggeration — perfect for mastering.

Also, make the Q range as broad as possible so the result is smoother and more consistent. Compare your song to your reference and check for any frequencies that would benefit from an extra boost.

A slight boost at around 8kHz using a high-shelf setting should add a little bit of brightness to your master; As well as one using a low-shelf at kHz for bringing attention to your bass sound. Saturation is an optional step that can give your sound extra perceived loudness and analog mojo by distorting the sound very subtly.

There are a few ways you can do this inside Logic. These are modeled after real analog units. There is also a feature in the Tape Delay plugin that will work. Under the Character section, note the Clip Threshold knob. Dial it back very carefully to add some tape saturation to your sound, but keep it to a minimum.

You may also download the free Saturation Knob plugin by Softube. This type of plugin can be used to enhance the overall stereo image of your audio. You should go about stereo-widening very carefully as, if used incorrectly, it could throw your mix all over the place and make your bass sound weak , as well as cause phase issues. If you still decide to use it, just as with most things in mastering, keep it to a minimum.

Load the Stereo Spread plugin and set your Lower Freq.

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What is the Mastering Process? – Audio mastering logic pro x free

 

Audio peaks are the moments of the song when it is the loudest. This is the industry standard within the audio community and gives you plenty of space to enhance and improve audio. This extraordinary evolution in audio production led to some significant changes in the audio normalization for TV and movies and music.

Given the importance of these two music platforms, you should do the best you can to avoid this situation. If you master it louder than LUFS when you upload your music on streaming services like Spotify or YouTube, these platforms will automatically lower the volume of your track, making it sound different from the final result of your master. Reference Track. For instance, if the guitar part in the reference tracks was recorded five times but only once in your track, then achieving a similar sound will be impossible.

EQ When equalizing, you mitigate or remove certain frequencies that may affect the overall balance of your audio. At the same time, you enhance the frequencies you want in the spotlight to ensure the final result sounds clean and professional.

The channel EQ is the standard linear eq on Logic Pro and does wonder. For example, you can make surgical adjustments at all frequency levels, and the plug-in guarantees optimal transparency.

The vintage EQ collection is ideal when you want to add a bit of color to your master. This collection replicates sounds from analog units, namely the Neve, API, and Pultec, to give a vintage feel to your track.

The vintage EQ plug-in features a minimal design that makes it extremely simple to adjust frequency levels without overdoing it. Multiband Compression. The next step in your chain of effects should be the compressor. There are a plethora of multiband compression plug-ins available on Logic Pro X, so all you need to do is choose the gain plugin that best suits your genre and start adjusting the frequencies.

The threshold knob is what you need to focus on the most as it defines when the compressor will activate and start affecting the audio track. Do this by ear and make adjustments along the way so that comparisons are always fair.

Remember, a slight difference in loudness also equates to a difference in how we perceive dynamics and frequency balance EQ. This means that if necessary, we can make it louder without clipping. This is the true purpose of a peak limiter. 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. Hear the difference professional mastering can make. Upload your song for a FREE 1-minute sample of your song at no cost. Only pay if you want the full version. The most unnecessary thing for me is to change the settings of this control bar and the ruler. So I always have the same setting on my mixing and production projects.

I always work on 48 kHz because I want to have a little headroom. So I have to constantly change the sample rate settings from the project settings section before I start working. I have this in my template, so I always have a quick look at the sample rate of my project, and I can always change it quickly, which I use a lot. I always want to see the tempo and the key of the song.

Because I change them a lot, and I forget them after a while. Also, you should set your tempo so your reverb and delay effects can work based on your tempo. I always want to see the CPU usage so that I can be careful about my plugin usage. Some plugins can drain your CPU, so you have to keep an eye on this. If it gets worse, I try to freeze my channels to keep adding big plugins to the project. Sometimes I have to figure out something, so I open a piano plugin to play with the song, and once in a while, I record extra back vocals.

You can do this when Low Latency Mode is on. This one also saves lives. Sometimes I decide if there are any needs for a pad synth or some extra sub frequencies from a synthesizer.

And the last thing that I want is to forget what I just found. This setting continuously records what you play on your MIDI, so you can always find the best part of your improvisation. I discovered this one later, but I love it. Apple’s Logic Pro is a fantastic digital audio workstation DAW for capturing and arranging your creative ideas.

Logic Pro gives you every tool you need to begin writing, recording, arranging, editing, and mixing your music. While more specialized workstations exist for mastering, there’s no reason why you can’t master your own music in Logic Pro.

So let’s begin by importing a stereo bounce of a mix into a new Logic Pro Project. Importing a stereo bounce of your mix is simple. Navigate to the stereo file you plan on importing using your Mac’s Finder. When you import your mix, you may run into some pop-up windows during the process. That’s because Logic Pro embeds certain metadata into audio files and bounces.

If you mixed your song in Logic Pro, you can also import certain details from your original mix Project. For example, you can import the tempo track from your original track. These details can be beneficial for navigating your session as you master your track. So let’s import both the tempo and markers from this file. From here let’s customize the Logic Pro interface a bit. By default Logic Pro’s timeline is measured in bars and beats. But sometimes it might be more helpful to see how long the track is using a time-based timeline.

Once enabled, the secondary ruler will now show a time-based ruler along the top of the Tracks Area. By default, the LCD can provide some basic information about our Project. But again, more specific information about position and time can be helpful when mastering. From the dropdown let’s select the Custom option. Ah, much better! Now we can clearly see the details of our project, as well as where we are in our project. Next let’s attend to some housekeeping details.

We’ll want to bring our attention to the “top and tail,” or beginning and end of our stereo file. You may find that your stereo bounce may have silent or “empty” bits at the beginning or end of your file. Your audience is not likely willing to sit through several seconds of silence to hear your song.

So we need to trim this excess from our masters. In our example, my stereo mix has no empty space to trim at the beginning. So all is well, right? Well, even though we have no extra lead time to trim, we should add a fade-in as a precaution. You’d be surprised how often we fail to notice ambient noise or effects in the background of our mixes.

This is usually due to noise from plug-ins that emulate analog gear. Or time-based effects that last far longer than we tend to notice. And if we don’t add fades to our stereo files, we could end up with pops or clicks in our masters. So to be safe, let’s add a short fade-in to this mix. To do so, let’s set the Mouse click tool to the Fade tool. You can access the Fade tool by heading up to the Mouse Tools at the top of the Tracks area and click on the right-hand menu.

The right-hand menu is what we call the Command-click tool. Let’s select the Fade Tool as your Command-click tool.

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Audio mastering logic pro x free.Logic Pro X: An Overview

 
 

This will add a tasteful, but subtle amount of reverb for our break. With our reverb dialed in, let’s apply our reverb to the mix. To be safe, select Create New Take in the selection-based processing window.

Instead of replacing our original mix, Logic Pro will create a new take with Neoverb applied. This is great if you decide later you’d like to go revert back to the original mix. Let’s also select under the Gain dropdown the option for Loudness Compensation.

With Loudness Compensation, Logic Pro will adjust the level of our processing so the level of our break remains exactly the same. This protects the mix from any accidental boosts or cuts in volume.

The volume will remain exactly the same for the break. The only thing that will change is the amount of ambiance. Let’s click Apply. Logic Pro creates a new track with Neoverb applied to the break section of this mix.

We’ve successfully rebalanced the ambiance of this break while preserving a copy of our original mix for safekeeping. Now we’re ready to use Ozone to refine the tonal and dynamic balance of this mix as a final mastered track. With Master Assistant in Ozone, we’ll arrive at a solid starting point for mastering this song. From there we’ll fine-tune the results with the following Ozone modules:.

I’ll also use Tonal Balance Control to help identify potential tonal and dynamic issues in this mix. And from there you’re able to easily identify areas in a mix that need fine-tuning. From the initial importing and fine-tuning of your tracks to forensic editing and even mix rebalancing.

Mastering is the final stage of audio production. Get top stories of the week and special discount offers right in your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time. Share this. Explore the future of mastering:.

Ozone Learn More. Repair and restore your audio:. RX Never Miss an Article! In this piece you’ll learn: Tips for getting the most out of mastering in Logic Pro by customizing the interface, Selection-Based Processing, and more How to clean up and correct any issues that might have been missed at the mix stage using ARA and RX How to use Ozone and Tonal Balance Control to guide you through your own mastering process. What is mastering? Importing a stereo bounce of your mix into Logic Importing a stereo bounce of your mix is simple.

Import tempo metadata from your stereo files into your mastering projects. As well as any markers you may have used. Customizing the Logic Pro interface for mastering From here let’s customize the Logic Pro interface a bit. Adding tops and tails to a stereo file in Logic Pro Next let’s attend to some housekeeping details. Now we know for sure this mix has a clean transition from silence into our song. Fade-Out in Logic Pro. Let’s take a listen now to the adjusted length of our stereo file:.

Fade-Out With Adjusted Length. Using RX for cleaning up mastered tracks There’s much more to mastering besides EQ and loudness levels. T Consonant Sound.

Normally if you wanted to clean up this mix using RX, you’d have to: Import the stereo file into RX Clean up the audio in RX Export the edited stereo file out of RX Import the edited stereo file into Logic Pro That’s 4 steps between applications to clean up one small issue.

Reduced T Consonant Sound. Further Reduced Consonant Sound. Selection-based processing in Logic for mix rebalancing Before we begin mastering our track using Ozone, there’s one last housekeeping detail to tend to. Brief Break Section. Selection-Based Processing is found under the Functions menu in the Track area menu. 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. Mastering in Logic Pro X is absolutely possible, even with just stock plugins! Many get lost though. Perhaps you can relate! Table of Contents 1. How To Prepare Your Mix es 2. Below that, you will see the same controls that you would find in a standard compressor.

Just as with the compressor, you should use the equalizer very subtly when mastering. The Channel EQ is parametric and more surgical.

It will give you more control over your frequencies. However, the added functionalities make overdoing it much easier so be careful. The Vintage EQ Collection semi-parametric plugins are modeled after famous real units. The benefit of using them is that they add a little bit of analog color to your sound and the stripped-down style makes them less prone to exaggeration — perfect for mastering.

Also, make the Q range as broad as possible so the result is smoother and more consistent. Compare your song to your reference and check for any frequencies that would benefit from an extra boost. A slight boost at around 8kHz using a high-shelf setting should add a little bit of brightness to your master; As well as one using a low-shelf at kHz for bringing attention to your bass sound. Saturation is an optional step that can give your sound extra perceived loudness and analog mojo by distorting the sound very subtly.

There are a few ways you can do this inside Logic. These are modeled after real analog units. There is also a feature in the Tape Delay plugin that will work.

Under the Character section, note the Clip Threshold knob. Dial it back very carefully to add some tape saturation to your sound, but keep it to a minimum.

You may also download the free Saturation Knob plugin by Softube. This type of plugin can be used to enhance the overall stereo image of your audio. You should go about stereo-widening very carefully as, if used incorrectly, it could throw your mix all over the place and make your bass sound weak , as well as cause phase issues.

If you still decide to use it, just as with most things in mastering, keep it to a minimum. Load the Stereo Spread plugin and set your Lower Freq.

Keep the Lower Int. Set the stage to 4 or 5. Finally, a limiter will catch the loudest transients in your song while increasing its loudness to standard levels. For most mastering engineers, the limiter is the final plugin in the mastering chain for good reason: this plug-in takes the sound you created and makes it louder. Similar to a compressor, a limiter increases the perceived loudness of a track and takes it to its volume limit hence the name.

In Logic Pro X, you have a limiter and an adaptive limiter at your disposal. Next, adjust the gain with the main knob until you reach LUFS. Can you hear any clippings, distortions, or unwanted sounds? Take notes and adjust the plug-in chain if necessary.

Therefore, when exporting a mastered track, you should always opt for the following settings: bit as bitrate, Hz as sample rate, and export the file as WAV or AIFF. What dB is Best for Mastering? Different platforms have different targets, but since we live in a Spotify-governed music system, you should adjust your loudness according to the current most popular platform.

I hope this article helped you get a better understanding of what it takes to master a track on Logic Pro X. Eventually, you might need more plug-ins to achieve the optimal sound you envision. When you feel ready, you can also choose a mastering course among the dozens available for logic users and upgrade your knowledge in mastering music.

If you do that, try to master the same tracks once again and see how much your skills improved. Having more knowledge as to what a good master requires will give you more control over the final audio result. Good luck, and stay creative!

As a rule of thumb, you should leave between 3 and 6dB Peak, or around to LUFS, for the mastering process to have enough headroom. A loudness level of LUFS will meet the needs of most streaming platforms. If your master is louder than this, chances are your song will be altered when you upload it on streaming platforms like Spotify.

Listening to your mix on different speaker systems, headphones and devices will give you a clearer understanding of how your song actually sounds. Marco Sebastiano Alessi Jul 30th, Logic Pro X: An Overview. What is the Mastering Process? When it comes to loudness, you should consider LUFS as your landmark.

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