More on Mixing and Mastering: How to Create a Preview Master

In another AC post I explain the importance of creating multiple mixes of your song to make sure you have enough for the mastering engineer to choose the best mix mastering. In this piece I'll show you a way to test your mix to hear what it could sound like when it's mastered. This technique can help you to better judge which mixes may be the best to submit for mastering, thereby cutting down on the number of mixes you'll need. Keep in mind that a preview/test master is for your ears only; don't take it to mastering.

First, I will assume that you are mixing your song within a DAW program (Pro Tools, Cubase, Sonar, etc.). It does not matter which DAW you're using; what I'm about to reveal to you will work with any of them. Go ahead and get your mix the way you want it, with all the necessary effects plug-ins, equalization and compression on individual tracks only. Never use effects on the main output channels during normal mixing.

Listen back to your mix to make sure that nothing sticks out too far or is buried too much; in other words make sure it's 'even'. You'll want to play your mix through a few times and watch the main output's meters, which should NOT peak beyond -3.0dB. And under no circumstances should it ever go into the red (beyond 0.0dB). If it does, you need to make volume adjustments either to each individual track, or you may need to lower the entire mix until it stays below -3.0dB throughout the entire song. This is important.

Now, on the main output channel strip you need to insert a limiter (or peak limiter) plug-in. Note: You'll be removing this plug-in before finalizing your mix. With most DAWs, once you've inserted the plug-in its control panel should open up automatically, revealing all the controls for tweaking the plug-in. My favorite limiter plug-in happens to be the Waves L2 with comes with the Waves Gold and Diamond Bundles. However, for the sake of this exercise any limiter plug-in will serve the purpose.

In the limiter plug-in's control panel there will likely be 'sliders' similar to those on a hardware mixer. One slider will be for the output level control, which by default will most likely be set to unity gain (0.0dB); we'll leave this setting as-is. The slider we want to control will be the one that increases the amount of limiting that will be added to your mix. As you click on this slider with your mouse, slowly drag it downward. The further you drag it downward the more limiting is added, making the mix louder and louder. Drag it down enough to add 5 to 10dB of limiting (a good average number is about 8).

The increase in overall volume you'll hear at this point should be substantial. You'll also notice that the low frequency instruments (bass guitar, kick drum) are MUCH louder than the mids, and the high frequency instruments (cymbals, hihats) are louder than EVERYTHING. You're now listening to you preview master.

Leaving the limiter setting the way it is, go to each of the tracks that sound like they're too loud and lower them until everything sounds more balanced to you. Now you can remove the limiter plug-in and finalize (in some DAWs this may be referred to as bouncing, print, or mix down) your mix to a 2-track wave file. This should be at least 16bit/44.1k, but I do recommend 24bit/96k. Remember: Do not finalize your mix with the limiter or any other plug-ins inserted on the main outputs.