Mastering processing should be applied on a track-by-track basis, although as all of the songs are active as part of the same project you can work comparatively to some degree, building up a balanced and coherent overall sound. At the end of the song you’ll probably need to apply some form of fade (using the Fade tool), mainly to tidy up the decay of reverb tails but also to prevent instruments ringing-out for too long. Ensure that there’s a frame or so of pre-roll before the start of the music, and that the end of the file is placed appropriately. You’ll need to set the precise In and Out points for each region, using either the Scissors tool or resizing the region by adjusting its borders. As well as having a more meaningful way of reading a song’s duration, you’ll also be able to gauge the duration of the complete playlist, which will be important if you’re assembling a Red Book CD.īefore you start applying signal processing, it might also be a good opportunity to do some basic top-and-tailing of the files. Rather than using the default Bar setting, change it to the Time mode, as a bars-and-beats division has little relevance for mastering. An obvious example is the timeline, which you’ll need to change using the small icon in the top right-hand corner of the Arrange area. Again, use colour-coding to maintain this distinction.Īs you start assembling your playlist, it’s interesting to see how subtle features of the application take on a new significance. Having a separate reference track lane will allow you to audition your audio material against commercial recordings, arguably applying a gain adjustment (especially if you’re comparing mastered and unmastered material). Ultimately, the ‘Masters’ track will be the final destination for rendered sound files, so that you have a solitary track lane for the final playlist. It’s also worth toggling between two colours for ‘mix’ files to keep some distinction between different songs.Īs well as tracks for the individual songs, it’s also beneficial to have a dedicated track for the final master files, and another spare track for reference material. Ensure you colour the mixer channels using the View>Colours option before you import the audio regions. Given that you’ll eventually have both mastered and unmastered versions of the project, it’s worth using colour-coding to distinguish between the two stages of production (mixes and masters). In the case of mastering, therefore, it’s best to work to a system that uses a different track for each song in your playlist, allowing you to audition and instantiate different mastering settings for each song, as well as getting some indication as to how the tracks might be best ordered to make a complete listening experience.
Even if you’re not assembling a full CD, it’s highly likely that you’ll be working with a collection of songs, trying to ensure that there’s some consistency in level, punch and timbre across the various mixes.
In mastering, though, the equation is slightly different in that we’re dealing with a series of songs that need to be knitted together in sequence to form a final playlist. In Logic, we’re typically used to working with a series of tracks, each representing a different instrument that contributes to a bigger overall mix.