Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Why mastering EQ moves should look nothing like mixing EQ moves.
When you're mixing, 4 or 5dB cuts and boosts are normal because you're shaping individual sounds. When you're mastering, the track is already at near-final level and everything is glued together, so small moves go a long way.
I'm rarely going past 2dB on any single move when I'm mastering. Half a dB. One dB. Maybe two if I'm being bold.
If I find myself wanting to pull 5dB out of the low mids, that's not a mastering problem, that's a mix problem. The balance is wrong, not the master. In that case I'll go back to the mix, or open it up and rebalance properly.
What's the biggest move you've ever made on a master? Drop it in the comments.
#mastering #masteringtips #eqtips #musicproduction #mixandmaster
Why mastering EQ moves should look nothing like mixing EQ moves.
When you're mixing, 4 or 5dB cuts and boosts are normal because you're shaping individual sounds. When you're mastering, the track is already at near-final level and everything is glued together, so small moves go a long way.
I'm rarely going past 2dB on any single move when I'm mastering. Half a dB. One dB. Maybe two if I'm being bold.
If I find myself wanting to pull 5dB out of the low mids, that's not a mastering problem, that's a mix problem. The balance is wrong, not the master. In that case I'll go back to the mix, or open it up and rebalance properly.
What's the biggest move you've ever made on a master? Drop it in the comments.
#mastering #masteringtips #eqtips #musicproduction #mixandmaster
