A complete guide to audio mastering — for music, podcasts, voice, and video. Understand every tool and get professional results.
Mastering is the final step before your audio goes to listeners. It's the process of taking a finished mix and optimizing it for playback — making it loud enough, tonally balanced, and consistent across all devices and platforms.
Think of it as the polish on a finished product. Mixing is assembling the pieces; mastering is making the whole thing shine.
What mastering does: Adjusts overall loudness, balances frequencies, controls dynamics, widens (or focuses) the stereo image, and ensures your audio meets platform standards (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, etc.).
LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) is the industry-standard measurement of perceived loudness. Unlike peak meters that show instantaneous volume, LUFS measures how loud something sounds to human ears over time.
| Platform | Target LUFS | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | -14 LUFS | Loudness normalized — louder masters get turned down |
| YouTube | -14 LUFS | Similar normalization to Spotify |
| Apple Music | -16 LUFS | Slightly quieter target, preserves dynamics |
| Apple Podcasts | -16 LUFS | Recommended for podcast content |
| SoundCloud | No normalization | Louder masters play louder |
| TikTok/Reels | -14 to -11 LUFS | Competitive loudness helps in feeds |
Pro Tip: For music aimed at streaming, -14 LUFS is the sweet spot. Going louder sacrifices dynamic range without sounding louder on Spotify. For podcasts, -16 to -18 LUFS keeps voices natural and comfortable for long listening.
EQ adjusts the balance between low, mid, and high frequencies. In mastering, EQ changes are subtle — we're talking 1-3 dB adjustments, not dramatic reshaping.
| Range | Frequency | What It Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Bass | 20-60 Hz | Rumble, sub-bass energy. Cut for clarity in voice content. |
| Bass | 60-250 Hz | Warmth, body, kick/bass guitar fullness |
| Low-Mids | 250-800 Hz | Muddiness zone. Often cut slightly for clarity. |
| Mids | 800 Hz-2 kHz | Vocal presence, instrument body |
| Presence | 2-5 kHz | Clarity, articulation, "in your face" quality |
| Brilliance | 5-10 kHz | Air, sparkle, detail in cymbals and consonants |
| Air | 10-20 kHz | Ultra-high shimmer, openness |
The high-pass filter removes frequencies below a set point. This is essential for cleaning up rumble and low-end noise. For podcasts and voice, set it at 80-100 Hz. For music, 30-60 Hz depending on genre.
Compression reduces the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of your audio. In mastering, gentle compression evens out the overall dynamics without killing the life of the music.
Threshold: The level above which compression starts. Set it so 3-6 dB of gain reduction occurs on the loudest parts.
Ratio: How much compression is applied. 2:1 is gentle (good for podcasts, acoustic music), 4:1 is moderate (most music), 8:1+ is heavy (aggressive music, social media).
Output Gain (Makeup): After compression reduces volume, output gain brings it back up to match the original level.
MasterForge Studio uses multi-band compression — separate compressors for low, mid, and high frequencies. This lets you tighten the bass without squashing the vocals, or control sibilance without affecting the low end.
The limiter is the last link in the mastering chain. It prevents your audio from exceeding a set ceiling (usually -0.3 dBFS) while allowing you to push overall loudness higher.
Ceiling: Set to -0.3 dB for streaming, -0.5 dB for extra safety. Never go to 0 dB — encoding to MP3/AAC can create peaks above 0 dB (inter-sample peaks).
Release: How quickly the limiter recovers. Fast release (30-50ms) sounds punchy but can distort. Slow release (60-100ms) sounds smoother and more natural.
Stereo width controls how wide or narrow the stereo image sounds. 100% is normal stereo, below narrows toward mono, above widens.
Mid-Side processing lets you treat the center (mid) and sides independently. Boost the mid channel for vocal focus, boost sides for spaciousness. This is a powerful tool for making podcasts sound intimate (narrow mid) or music sound expansive (wide sides).
Content guide: Podcasts and voiceover: width 40-70% (focused center). Music: 100-110% (natural to slightly wide). Film/video: 90-110% depending on content.
Start with the Balanced preset and adjust from there. Use the High-Pass filter at 30-40 Hz unless you want heavy sub-bass. Target -14 LUFS for streaming. Don't over-compress — dynamics are what make music feel alive.
Voice clarity is everything. High-pass at 80-100 Hz to remove room rumble. Moderate compression (ratio 3-4:1) keeps levels even between speakers. Target -16 to -18 LUFS. Keep stereo width narrow (50-80%) — mono-compatible audio sounds better on phone speakers.
Similar to podcast but with more presence boost (2-4 kHz) for commercial impact. Higher compression ratio (4:1) for consistent levels. The Voiceover preset is tuned for broadcast-standard clarity. Target -14 LUFS for commercials, -18 LUFS for audiobooks.
YouTube normalizes to -14 LUFS, so that's your target. For social media (TikTok, Reels), you can push louder (-11 to -12 LUFS) since competitive loudness helps. For film/documentary, preserve dynamics with -18 to -20 LUFS — let the quiet parts be quiet.
Step 1: Upload. Load your audio file (WAV or MP3). The analyzer automatically measures LUFS, peak, and dynamic range.
Step 2: Choose experience level. Beginner mode gives you essential controls. Professional mode gives you full 17-preset access with 39 sliders.
Step 3: Select content type. Music, Podcast, Voice, or Video — then pick a preset within that category.
Step 4: Choose your environment. Select the target platform (Spotify, YouTube, etc.) for optimal loudness.
Step 5: Process and listen. A/B compare your original with the mastered version. Adjust if needed.
Step 6: Export. Download your mastered file as WAV (lossless) or MP3 (smaller file).
One-Click Mode: If you just want fast results, choose One-Click mode in Step 2. It automatically applies the best preset for your content type and exports immediately. Perfect for batch mastering.
Put this knowledge to work. Launch MasterForge Studio and hear the difference.
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