How to Master Loud and Clear Without Sounding Harsh

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[@itssylv]

I've been a pro sound engineer for more than 10 years. Sometimes even the pros need revision and renew (NEVER STOP LEARNING). I've rarely seen videos as clear and innovative than yours. GOOD JOB!!!!

[@sageaudio]

Thanks SYLV! Great to hear that even after working in the industry for some time, you still found the video helpful. SageAudio.com

[@rx456]

watching music livestreams gets me to the zone,resets me. i usually watch the same stream over and over.

[@professorscrim5303]

Hi Sage - What literature would you recommend that goes as in-depth/possibly more in-depth as your videos? Cheers.

[@mixphantom0101]

Worth noting is FabFilter L2 is sort of 2 limiters... "look ahead" is the transient limiter only and "attack & release" are the RMS/average limiter. So, a longer "look ahead" will trim the transients and the "attack & release" are focused on controlling the "body" of the sound.

[@sageaudio]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing and detailing how that works! SageAudio.com

[@ThalamusGhipopotamus]

@@sageaudio When attacking in 10 seconds it works like a clipper

[@rionvalet]

OmG this is what I've been waiting for💌

[@sageaudio]

Awesome! Thanks for watching and commenting Rion! SageAudio.com

[@area11d]

yeah same

[@123ATank]

I don't want to sound like I'm disagreeing with a professional mastering engineer, but I feel like the attack and release times on limiters are misunderstood. For me, I use Sonible Smart:Limit which also has the same concept of attack and release times as FabFilter Pro-L2 which sets the attack time before the release is initiated. In my understanding and experimentation, the release time needs to be extremely fast, like under 3ms because the real culprit is the attack time. When you have your release time too long, it messes with the ability of the limiter to sound clean and instead pumps the track. At least with Sonible Smart:Limit, an attack time of 150ms with a release averaging around 2ms acts more natural and basically no artifacts. 150ms sounds like a lot for an attack time on a limiter, but trust me, it's crazy how clean it is and no pumping occurs. Of course, I'm typically not limiting more than 6dB so with harder limiting scenarios, this may not work out the same, but with these settings, you'll still hear the "clipping" effect in the limiter in "Delta" mode, but it acts a lot more like a clipper in this scenario but cleaner sounding. KClip3 is great for clipping, but there's a very unpleasant distortion with clipping I don't particularly like even without hardly clipping at all, it just removes soul from the track whereas the limiter trick I describe keeps everything the way it is and just gets rid of those nasty peaks. Sorry if that's too long.

[@user-kr4lz7xd5k]

The Attack in Sonible limiter is not really usual attack. I have not understood it completely yet though

[@xtldubz]

Tried these and the steps work. I love the calculation of attacks and releases. My master sounds miles apart from my old tracks were.

[@theslideguy4228]

The best straight-forward video on mastering on KZbin. I learned much in ten minutes. Thank you!

[@sageaudio]

That's great to hear! SageAudio.com

[@catocaydoh]

i wish i had the ear to understand more intuitively the differences here or what half of what you were saying meant lol. This however is a fantastic video and will keep it for reference once I get more foundational knowledge.

[@catarsispodcast8556]

The song is fire, very sensual.

[@phnxjordan]

Perfect timing literally. I just exported a mix lmaoo

[@sageaudio]

Haha thanks for watching! Hope the mix/master is sounding great! SageAudio.com

[@Pear_slingshot]

What i do is I use a compressor and afterwards do a makeup gain of -3db then find an analog modulating plugin to give it an additional +3db before clipping and limiting.

[@OneStepToday]

You should use that yellow highlight for mouse pointer for better display . This one is great video with lots of technicalities and maybe it will take some time to really test and use those techniques. Thanks

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching and for the suggestion! SageAudio.com

[@HLRxxKarl]

I would've loved if you went as in-depth with the attack parameter as you did with release. When you said you were going to demonstrate it, I was hoping you were talking about the attack, but then you didn't touch it at all. Thankfully I can test it myself, but missed opportunity for everyone else tbh.

[@h.n.r_funi3324]

i'll be needing a tutorial of this tutorial

[@sageaudio]

Lol thanks for watching! If you have a question let me know! SageAudio.com

[@vancenichols9490]

Oh man! I love it! Keep feeding us this information! AWESOME!!!

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching Vance! glad you liked the video! SageAudio.com

[@catarsispodcast8556]

The release time tip is beautiful.

[@deadlockmusic9200]

great video your saving life

[@sageaudio]

Hey Deadlock Music! Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@AsiCmusic]

Thanks ! Great Video ! Will Def Use this knowledge in my next Masters !!!!

[@sageaudio]

Awesome! Glad it was helpful! SageAudio.com

[@georgezorbas6422]

You are incredible..thanks for info. So well explained man..you gonna reach 100K easily

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching and leaving a comment George! We definitely hope so! SageAudio.com

[@shangomensy7403]

Oh my god! It's so amazing.

[@sageaudio]

Awesome! Thanks for watching Shango! SageAudio.com

[@rafalvarezsevilla]

uhhh ursa dsp boost and newfangled punctuate sound awesome!

[@sageaudio]

Awesome! Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@kingaya.3124]

Thanx Alot your Videos Are always Helpful

[@sageaudio]

Thanks King Aya! Glad you enjoyed this one. SageAudio.com

[@GFire303]

Thank you for these great tips!

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching!

[@nyxrecords2489]

Knowledge knowledge knowledge....Love You lot ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@sageaudio]

Hey Nyx Records! Thanks so much for watching! Glad you're liking the videos! SageAudio.com

[@joemarta8221]

Great video as always! Could you do something on pros/cons of mastering on a track by track basis vs loading all of the 2-buss tracks on the album into a single session and mastering the album as a whole? Thank you!

[@sageaudio]

That's a good idea! Thanks for sharing! SageAudio.com

[@uglyfingers624]

Great content. All your videos are full of real tips.

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching! Glad you got some good tips from this video. SageAudio.com

[@pavendax]

gotta watch this in the studio to make sure i understand what every action does on the track

[@thegroove2000]

Brilliant as always.

[@sageaudio]

Thanks Self-Law! Glad you like this one. SageAudio.com

[@riktascale4]

Wonderful job

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching Miguel! SageAudio.com

[@mosesmlowe8033]

Thanks!!!!!!!!. God Bless You.

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching Moses! SageAudio.com

[@rogcustom_2017]

when to limit, when to soft clipping? great content, keep up!

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching! A soft-clipper works well before the limiter! SageAudio.com

[@pineoandloeb]

Great tutorial!

[@sageaudio]

Awesome thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@Reggi_Sample]

This is the lesson I needed. How did I get it so wrong. Got this on repeat watch 😭

[@dantig]

Really great videos!

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@Avatar7x7]

@Sage Audio The track that you used as a reference in this video: Was that mixed in the box, partially or completely out of the box? Is the reverb a plugin or hardware reverb ? What microphone and mic pre etc ? I ask because the track sounds amazing and I want to get better results from my mixes!!! Help ! 😁

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching Avatar7x7! Since we didn't perform the tracking or mixing session we're not sure unfortunately! Wish we could be of more help! SageAudio.com

[@rage9296]

Nice but my masters sound chrippy what should I do?? And whts this song??

[@nonamus]

What song was that?

[@jimeluk6697]

Wow thanks

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@TheTeacherMusic]

I like what you are saying but what i never understand is that you are using only one limiter??? At the end the L2 is set to 9.3 db of gain. Why not split that gain and split the load between two or three limiters. For example a 6 and 3.3 db of 3, 3 and 3.3 db. This way the limiters balance the load and you get a much clearer sound IMO.

[@Keroser1983]

AMAZING CONTENT!!!!!

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching! Glad you're enjoying it! SageAudio.com

[@chike1866]

Great video and content as always. How do you determine the right settings for the look ahead?

[@sageaudio]

Hey Brian! All I can think of is to not use too long of a lookahead, but I'll look more into it and include an answer in a future video. SageAudio.com

[@Venleve]

Beautiful vocal :)

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching!

[@Hassan_Omer]

Great tutorials and really cool song. Is this song in Hip Hop genre ? please give details about the song as well. Thanks

[@JohnDoe-pc9qf]

I have these frequency options to adjust on my AVR; 63Hz 125Hz 250Hz 500Hz 1kHz 2kHz 4kHz 8kHz 16kHz Voices sound a bit thin/ harsh and lack depth. Can you recommend what I might try using these options?

[@MATA_HARI_1312]

I have pc but i love to do it on phone

[@HaharuRecords]

Hi there, You have calculated the duration of 20Hz (50ms) and agan you are talking about human hearing rage in reference to release time saying 50mili sec. Did somebody confused about 20Hz and 20KHz!!!

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching! If 20Hz is distorted, it'll generate harmonics that will be easier to hear. So 50ms is a good, quickest option to avoid distortion.

[@jonathanmandia8566]

I need to know a transient shaper comes right after compression? And between those where to put saturator?

[@sageaudio]

Hey Jonathan! It depends on the master and what you're trying to accomplish. I typically find it best to compress and saturate first and then use a transient shaper. SageAudio.com

[@catarsispodcast8556]

This is awesome... AWESOME. I wonder, can one do the upward or "low level" compression with the Pro MB just like you did there? Thank you! Subd, likd and shared, man!

[@Brutuscomedy]

One technique: Bounce to tape! That helps, not to mention analog outboard gear.

[@sageaudio]

Analog gear is helpful for sure, but I post these in case people don't have access to outboard gear

[@Brutuscomedy]

@@sageaudio With Access Analog and Mix:analog anyone with internet can access it now. One can even try out the latter for free, which I recently did.

[@saricubra2867]

I use the safe function for L2 limiter.

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for sharing and leaving a comment! SageAudio.com

[@nickhyder9141]

Would you say the Ursa DSP does upward compression without phasing issues? I started with MV2 and OTT and discovered they affect phasing. Thanks

[@mik636]

supper useful

[@jonaswang3936]

Thanks for the content. My issue with the lookahead function on pro-l though, after I apply the lookahead, it should theoretically mean the limiter is squashing more of the transient, right? So in my case, this actually lower the perceived loudness, and takes me to bring up the limiter level even more, which then creates more distortion. Would like to know your thoughts on that. Again thanks for all the contents!

[@sageaudio]

Great question! You're right. More lookahead will cause a quieter sound, which you may need to compensate for by increasing the gain. If you use both oversampling and a small amount of lookahead though, this should help. SageAudio.com

[@Tom-Studios]

Too much headroom for Mastering making more distortion. Because more we need to push. How could we deal?

[@deamhub]

Awesome video as always. Please does URSA DSP have same function as waves MV2 and Oxford inflator?

[@sageaudio]

Hey Demag! It's similar but has some differences. Ursa DSP has upward compression, maximization, and limiting, whereas the other two seem to mainly utilize upward compression. SageAudio.com

[@shirkbitslice4608]

Oxford Inflator adds harmonics only where as Boost appears to utilise emphasis in this process.

[@rickmiller5716]

Who is the artist of the track used in this video?

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching! It's called 'Oh' by Nu Alkemi$t SageAudio.com

[@MATA_HARI_1312]

Have fro phone or only pc ?

[@RRR-vj1sy]

Is i get full mastered song for free with your website ?

[@Yemceez]

Please I need to understand this very I begin to learn but I don’t understand this cos I use cubase 5

[@guriworlds]

Bro i need this cracked Newfrangled & Booster Plug-in for mac can u provide me ???

[@sageaudio]

Sorry I'm not sure where you could find those! Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@clintonpeck]

Great video, but I have Waves L2, Ozone 9 Advanced, (incl Neutron, Nectar, etc), BX Masterdesk, Soundspot Nevo, SPL IRON and a few other compressors/limiters. Would I really need to still get Fabfilter plugins, seen as I haven't seen that Look Ahead feature anywhere else (unless it is already there on one of mine)?

[@mixphantom0101]

Ozone 9 has "look ahead"... it's a global setting for dynamics engine - click on the "cogwheel" at top right of interface. 2-5ms is plenty!

[@clintonpeck]

@@mixphantom0101 Thank you. That should put any need for Fabfilters to rest now.

[@sageaudio]

Hey Clinton! Lookahead is a cool function but not needed, so I wouldn't feel obligated to buy FabFilter plugins. Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@dulmin_]

Really Informative, Thanks!..

[@sageaudio]

Awesome! Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@alanmckee1553]

Any good plug ins for low level compression??

[@sageaudio]

OTT and MV2 are good options! SageAudio.com

[@menjahboy]

This is my main problem in mastering omg.

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching! Hopefully the info helps! SageAudio.com

[@rx456]

aometimes its simple, if you listen on loud vol it will sound harsh,especially in earphones,headphones

[@MATA_HARI_1312]

Yo bro i need that for phone ?

[@TheLachie1992]

Does the bpm affect how fast a cycle goes aswell so is their an equation we can x by the bpm to get an exact Ms in release time by the speed of bpm?

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching Lachlan! If you divid 60000 by the BPM of the session, you'll get a quarter note in milliseconds. Ex. 60000/120 = 500ms. You can then multiple or divide to get the timing of other note lengths. SageAudio.com

[@TheLachie1992]

Thanks for the reply really helpful loving your vids keep em coming 🙌❤

[@robertsanders8835]

How much is the fee

[@LandoAbnormalE]

What's the name of that song playing?

[@sageaudio]

It's called 'Oh' by Nu Alkemi$t SageAudio.com

[@flaviozarza1735]

Sage: where did you learn all this? Where did you study? I will be very grateful if you could share this info. And as usual, thanx for sharing your knowledges.

[@VirzyGuns]

What is the title of this song?

[@sageaudio]

It's called 'Oh' by Nu Alkemi$t. Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@user-ug9cs4uk1q]

Take some metal tracks for examples or drumandbass.

[@sageaudio]

Sounds good! Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@mhkkarami2435]

♥️

[@tyreemorrison732]

I’ve been following these step by step and my mix still feels squashed

[@sageaudio]

Is the mix over-compressed? If so, it'll be hard to make it sound dynamic during mastering

[@zimouspero]

Its is all about mixing... Bad mixes take to no where

[@sanojpj5230]

💙💛💛

[@sageaudio]

Thanks for watching! SageAudio.com

[@nkwenkwezi9537]

I can't understand a simple sentence

[@CristianVargaMastervargas]

"a lower sample rate will result in a less accurate encoding" - Uh, no! the SR determines the max freq you can sample, and perfectly reproduce, as per Nyquist's theorem. please be accurate with these things, people will take you for granted and this is how myths and legend are propagated. And don't showcase that stepped "wave", the signal never ever looks like that, EVER! when it's analog it's analog, when it's digital it's ones and zeros, and when it's recreated, again, as per Nyquist's theorem, it's the same as before the sampling, no steps whatsoever!