This applies whether we’re talking about 0 dB, 0 dBVU, 0 dBFS (Full Scale), 0 LUFS, or 0 LKFS. The first Golden Rule of digital recording is simple: There’s nothing above zero. The key to accomplishing all three objectives is to get your levels right, and in this article we’ll take a detailed look at how to do so. (Note the use of the word “unintentional.” If you’re mastering a thrash metal track, there will no doubt be plenty of it already, but on purpose.)
But perhaps most importantly, you don’t want there to be even a hint of unintentional distortion. Secondly, you want to make sure that all the elements in the mix can be clearly heard, with a proper balance of frequencies. This is your last chance to get things right… and no time to mess things up!įirst, your goal should be to deliver a master that can compete in volume with other commercially released music in the same genre. So you’re ready to begin mastering that great mix that you (or someone else) engineered to perfection. How much is typical for today’s music? How loud is too loud? Get valuable tips on how to maintain proper levels for effective mastering.
Setting levels for compression and limiting is a vital part of the mastering process.
