Guide
Electronic Music Mastering
Everything that goes into getting an electronic track to sound finished — from why mastering is needed, through the process itself, to loudness, low end and preparing your mix.
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Why is electronic music mastering necessary?
You play a song that took hours to create only to realize it doesn't sound good across different playback systems?
It sounded fine in your headphones at home but listening in your car or on your phone important parts are either buried or too loud and out of place.
Maybe you are a DJ and tried playing it along to other tracks in a set and it fell flat and sounded out of place? Or you sent some music to a label and got no response. Was the song the issue or did it just not sound professional enough for them to even listen to?
All of these problems can be a result of a poor mix and master leading to no bookings, label interest, or fans. Labels won't listen past 30 seconds if it sounds amateur. DJs won't risk playing it out if it ruins the flow of their set.
Let's fix that.
Imagine your music sounds the way it did in your head across every system you play it on?
Electronic music requires a high level of balancing and processing to blend and enhance all the elements that make up the song. That way they work together instead of fighting each other.
Drums groove together with the right amount of punch so they aren't buried by synths. Basses add weight, warmth and movement in the low end while not interfering with the kick. Synths add melodic interest and depth without overpowering the drums and vocals.
Vocals that sound smooth and provide clear hooks with a human touch the listener can't get out of their head instead of harsh or uneven.
Effects and ambient sound help each section of the song transition to the next and provide complex textures to tie the track all together and give it more interest.
With so many elements of a song competing, if any one of these is out of balance or not serving its role correctly the track won't work the way it was intended.
What are some common issues with electronic music mixes?
For many electronic tracks, especially club or dance orientated songs, the kick drum will be the loudest element. This is often the biggest failure point in a mix I see. A good sample will go a long way to ensure it works in the track without excessive processing. If you rush this part the entire mix will be much more difficult which results in hours of wasted time trying to fix it.
I encounter many tracks where a different kick drum sample works better instead of trying to over process it. Unnecessary layering can also make the problem worse.
Once the right kick sample is chosen subtle compression and EQ is usually enough to help it work with the rest of the drums and bass.
Pairing a bass sound that complements the kick is also very important. This includes choosing the key of the song as this will determine what sub frequencies are present which can radically change the feel of the low end. I've seen many tracks come in with kicks or basses tuned too high or low which limits the feel of the low end. This isn't something that mixing itself can overcome so choose the key carefully.
Getting both the kick sample and bass sound right depends on the accuracy of your monitoring which many home studios don't have access to. A major advantage to my setup is I can clearly hear these problems and help your low end sound solid and warm so it hits cleanly whether in a club or on earbuds.
Genres
How does genre affect mastering? Most electronic music styles have a certain type of sound of their masters. This is partly down to the types of sounds that make up the music. So for instance a kick on a techno track might be different than one that's house. Standards emerge over time that will affect the sound too such as overall level and EQ balances.
Since most electronic music artists want their music to stand up to other tracks in the genre a certain amount of matching is done which results in a sameness across the genre. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it's something to watch out for early on in the process to make sure you can arrive at the intended destination.
It's important to not leave these decisions until the final mastering stage thinking that you can make your song fit on mastering alone. Sound selection, arrangement and mixing will be major factors in how your song will compete and blend into the genre standards. Covering every genre here would take too much space but a good rule of thumb is to just listen to lots of music in the style you're creating and make notes of how the low end is constructed all the way up to the top.
What does a mastering engineer do for electronic music?
Since electronic music can vary quite a lot from ambient to techno and everything in between it really helps if the mastering engineer has many hours of listening to those genres to know how to balance a track so it sounds like the artist envisioned.
Lots of mastering engineers will take on work for an electronic track without the knowledge of how it should sound. They'll process it in the wrong direction which doesn't fit the vibe for that kind of music and take it off course from where you wanted it to be.
You end up with the low end wrong, too thin or too full, mid range or highs that end up harsh and the track doesn't feel right.
I use my skills developed with experience and accurate monitoring combined with a proven set of tools to achieve all of the above to a high level.
With over 30 years experience listening and working on thousands of songs in all types of electronic music I am able to apply the right type of processing depending on your project so it hits the way you intended both sonically and emotionally. Whether it's the right amount of low end on a techno kick vs an electro one, hats on a house track, or synths in a trance song.
What happens during the mastering process?
The process starts with understanding what stage the song is at.
If the mix is well balanced without too many glaring issues a stereo master is the next step. But, if the kick or bass aren't sitting tight together, the synths are not clear enough, or other larger problems exist then a stem master usually works better.
When all done correctly the track doesn't just sound like a collection of different sounds but a piece of music that lives and breathes and has a vibe that allows the listener to feel the music not just hear it.
The tools used for mastering electronic music can vary depending on the taste of the engineer. I prefer a hybrid approach of analogue and digital. Plugins have gotten better over time but to me there is still a very noticeable difference that I get from analogue. It doesn't always suit every genre but certain ones like house, disco, and anything with a nod to the 80s or 90s benefit from it.
Analogue helps soften transients in a unique way for a smooth polish, rich dynamics and harmonics. But, if a track needs controlled precision I'll lean more on digital. Having both gives me the option to master music the best way for its needs.
How does mastering affect dynamics?
Mastering will almost always reduce some dynamics but that's not a bad thing since it can help a track sound tighter. Too little dynamic control can make a song sound all over the place with certain sounds too loud or other elements buried. This is partly down to how it was mixed since most of the work is done there, however. It's important to understand that controlling dynamics also helps give the music shape which contributes its feel.
How does mastering affect bass and low end?
For electronic music the low end is vital to get right and something I spend most of my time on when working on a track. It requires a properly treated room, which I work in, to be able to judge the level and quality of the low end to get it tight and moving the track forward.
Most tracks come in with either too much or too little low end. Many producers don't have the ability to judge this area due to lack of accurate monitoring. This leads to guessing and relying on meters. There's nothing like feeling the weight of a sub on a good system to make sure your song will translate across clubs to small speakers correctly.
Mastering shouldn't change the mix too much. Many engineers over process to make up for mix issues. That's why I offer to give feedback to help an artist get their song sounding its best before sending it to be mastered. Bad mastering can ruin a track or take it in a direction it was never meant to. Great mastering will fix any minor issues with the least amount of harm and enhance the musicality and feeling of the song.
How loud?
Debates about how loud tracks should be are common. The loudness war has even been declared over because streaming services expect a lower LUFS target.
Streaming targets shouldn't be the main deciding factor on what level the song is mastered at. I find that since limiting affects a track's dynamics the amount of gain reduction should be thought of stylistically and not just as a number to target. Many electronic music genres benefit from some limiting to help glue them together.
I do offer streaming versions for artists who prefer to keep with the limits that those places ask for. Just be aware that your song might sound quieter compared to others even with the automatic gain places like Spotify and YouTube apply, especially in genres like commercial tech house or EDM where being loud is part of the vibe.
Preparation
So how should an electronic music track be prepared for mastering? It's really important to double check the mix and make sure any big issues are taken care of there first. Leaving things to mastering is almost always going to result in a worse outcome.
Kicking the can down the road just leads to more frustration at the master stage. If it all seems good to go then export the track without the limiter at 24bit and whatever sample rate the project was in. The overall level should be just quiet enough to not incur any clipping.
Another option is to export the main parts of the track such as the kick, bass, synths, etc... as groups and work as a stem master. This helps reduce the complexity of the full mix while giving enough control over the main elements.
Formats
Today most music is either downloaded or streamed. Formats include a version for digital downloads and possibly one for streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube. See the earlier section on loudness for my thoughts on whether you need both.
If you want your music to end up on vinyl there are a few things that can help get it to sound its best there too such as less width, more dynamics and a slightly reduced bandwidth. If these things aren't taken care of it can either cause problems with the cutting lathe or more work for the engineer on that side so it's a good idea to make sure the track is already in the right direction for a vinyl cut.
DIY vs Pro Mastering
If you're reading this you might be considering doing your own mastering. So the question is what difference does a dedicated mastering engineer make over a DIY approach?
There is a perception that mastering engineers have special tricks or equipment that allow them to produce their results. But it's simpler than that. It mostly just comes down to execution and taste developed through practice and excellent monitoring — two things that aren't easily replicated at home.
In my case I listen to hours of music just to hear the subtle differences in tone and character so I can apply that to songs I master. This isn't just a process of making it louder but better. If you're spending most of your time creating music there aren't many hours left to hone in these types of skills. Setting up a properly treated room and learning that also takes years of time and expense.
So to answer the question, yes you can master your own music. But, you'd really be missing out on what mastering is really about, precision with artistry that can only be obtained through long hours of dedication to the craft itself.
You have to make the decision — are you prepared to sink the hundreds to thousands of hours to learn? Or work with someone who enjoys the craft of mixing and has put the time in already?
Outcomes from mastering
What can you expect from a finished mastered song? What you don't want to try is to fix major issues with the kick and bass or harsh elements in mastering. These are usually too difficult to isolate in a stereo mix and you'll have to over process in an effort to control them which will have a negative effect on the final outcome.
Assuming your mix was done well the master can either make a huge difference or be subtle depending on how much work is needed. Fewer changes usually are better.
It should sound finished and have a vibe to it where everything just flows and sounds balanced on a level the mix didn't reach. This is where analogue can really shine. Even with subtle colouration the song gets lifted and feels better and more 'real'. The true effect of mastering is difficult to put into words but you know it when you hear it which is all that matters.
Something that sounds finalized and not just different or processed. It's a subtle but very important difference. It's why a home master doesn't sound the same as a pro one. A pro might do less moves but make better decisions and that's where the art and experience come into factor.
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