Mastering Assistant can automatically analyze and apply key changes to EQ, stereo width and loudness, so you may get your track fit for distribution in no time. Here’s how to get started using it right away.
Requirements to Run Mastering Assistant in Logic Pro X
The Mastering Assistant plugin was released with Logic Pro 10.8 and to run this version of Logic you will need macOS 13.5 or above.
Intel Mac users will only get to use the default profile “Clean” (suited for EDM or Acoustic music). So, expect to make a few more adjustments for the best results.
You canfind out if your Mac uses Intel or Siliconin a few easy steps.
It’s not a good idea to update your macOS midway through a project. Always check that your third-party plugins are compatible before doing so.
1. Add Mastering Assistant to Your Project
There are two ways you can add the Mastering Assistant plugin to your project.
On the stereo output channel strip, click theMasteringeffects slot that appears at the bottom of the effects chain. This will prompt an automatic analysis of the session and apply changes.
Alternatively, you can access it from the navigation menu by going toMix>Mastering Assistant.
2. Compare It to the Original Track
As with any plugin, you can hear how it sounds with and without the effect.
Mastering assistant has aBypassandLoudness Compensationbutton that can be used to compare the changes to the original.
Bypass lets you hear the original track without Mastering Assistant. While loudness compensation lets you hear all the changes to the mix (EQ, Stereo Width) minus the adjustment to how loud the mix is.
3. Change the Mastering Profile (Silicon Macs Only)
If you own a Apple Silicon Mac, you’re able to access the complete list of preset mastering profiles. These profiles are designed for specific genres of music and can be used to quickly set a profile that matches.
ClickCharacterin the top left corner and select from Clean, Valve, Punch or Transparent. You can click through each profile to hear how it sounds, or read more about each profile in theApple Manual.
If you’re considering upgrading your Mac, make sure to read our guide onhow to choose the best mac for Logic Pro X.
4. Tweak Parameters in Mastering Assistant
You don’t need to change any of the settings if you’re happy with how it sounds. But for many people, Mastering Assistant will be just the starting point for creating a good Master.
Here’s a quick overview of what you might change in each section.
The solid colored line you see in the EQ module shows where Mastering Assistant has applied EQ changes. When you hit play on your mix, you can also see a handy spectrum analyzer underneath that shows the magnitude in decibels of each frequency band.
Start by moving theAuto EQslider on the left to change the amount of automatic EQ applied to your mix. Slide it down to 0% to remove all the EQ adjustments, then gradually re-introduce the changes to hear the difference.
Next, click onCustom EQ. This will reveal a blue dotted line with three control points. Drag these around to adjust the frequency distribution. Obviously, the effect will be pretty broad, but that’s part of the point of using an automatic plugin.
Mastering Assistant changes the loudness of your mix by bringing it up to industry standards measured in LUFS—a vital requirement if you want toget your music on a platform like Apple Music.
Added to this, a limit of 1 dBFS True Peak is applied to meet the standard for streaming platforms. This ensures that the signal won’t clip.
Feel free to adjust theLoudnessknob if you don’t think your track is sounding good. While standards exist, not every genre of music sounds great at this given level, and it’s normal for a mastering engineer to tweak this setting anyway.
TheExcitebutton is also worth a go. This will boost the upper-mid range frequencies to add brightness to the mix, helping it sound closer to a professionally mastered track. According toLogic manual, this results in a sound close to that of vintage transformer-based consoles used in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Hit the button and see what you think.
Stereo Width
Finally, you have theWidthknob. This controls the stereo spread of your mix.
After analyzing your session, Mastering Assistant will adjust the width and try to create a balanced sound that isn’t too wide or narrow.
Set this to -1.00 to hear your track in mono. Remember that people listen to music on all kinds of devices, some which don’t have stereo, making it important to check that it still sounds good in this setup.
5. Bounce Your Track
When you’re done tweaking the settings in Mastering Assistant, double check that Loudness Compensation is off, then go ahead and bounce your track.
Keep in mind that each time you make changes to the mix, such as edits to individual tracks in the session, you will need to hit theReanalyzebutton.
If you find Mastering Assistant useful, you might be interested in exploringAI tools that help you mix and master your music.
Get Your Music Out There
Mastering Assistant can help get your music in front of people that much more quickly. Especially if you don’t know about music broadcasting standards or if you aren’t sure how to apply EQ at the final stage. Use it as a starting point, and tweak the settings to get your mix sounding just right.
