Inside a mastering project for better exports
By examining a template project for music mastering, let’s learn how this advanced technique can deliver better shared songs
• App credit: Apple Inc
Garage Band
Developer Apple Inc
Difficulty
Time needed
18-36
Mastering is essentially the final process in music production – when the ‘master’ copy of a song is made. Nowadays we digitally export or ‘print’ to file our masters for sharing across numerous formats. GarageBand lets us ‘Share to Disk’ and send the output of the Master Track to MP3, AIFF or WAV. But how should we master a finished project to get the best results? Expert users advise using an empty project containing master plugins for this. By using a single project with the same plugins, you achieve a consistent sound across every song. Additionally, the reduced CPU drain on exporting ensures the highest quality output.