Mixing, mastering, vocal production & release preparation
Mastering hub
Mastering guides
Loudness, streaming & release preparation
Mastering is the last step before distribution — loudness for streaming, tonal balance across systems, and metadata-ready exports. It assumes your mix is already balanced; it does not fix a rough mix.
This hub covers LUFS targets, Spotify and Apple Music preparation, and how to know when your track is actually ready for a mastering engineer.
12 guides in this hub · Written by GigTunes engineers
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Essential mastering guides
Start with what our engineers recommend most — cornerstone reading for this topic.
Pathways
New to mastering? Start here
A short, ordered path — read in sequence for the fastest understanding.
Problems
Common mastering struggles
Pick the symptom that sounds like your session — we'll take you straight to the fix.
Library
All mastering guides
Browse every mastering article in the GigTunes knowledge hub.
Mastering
Do you need mastering?
When mastering is essential before release, when you can skip it, and how to tell if your mix needs work first.
Mastering
How loud should a mix be before mastering?
Mix headroom, peak levels and why you should not pre-master your bounce — what to aim for before sending to a mastering engineer.
Mastering
How to prepare a track for mastering
Step-by-step — approve your mix, export WAV with headroom, add references and notes before uploading for mastering.
Mastering
LANDR vs professional mastering
How LANDR-style automated mastering compares to engineer-led mastering for releases, revisions and album projects.
Mastering
Mastering for streaming platforms
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and more — loudness normalization, file specs and how to master once for multi-platform release.
Mastering
Mastering vs online AI mastering
Compare automated AI masters with engineer-led mastering — quality, revisions, translation and when each makes sense.
Mastering
Online mastering vs real engineer
Automated online masters compared to human mastering — quality, feedback, albums and official releases.
Mastering
Mastering for Spotify
How Spotify loudness normalization works, what to send your engineer, and how to get a master that translates on the platform.
Mastering
What dB should I master to?
Mix headroom, peak levels, LUFS and true peak explained — what to aim for before mastering and what engineers target on the final master.
Mastering
What files do you need for mastering?
Export one stereo mix with proper headroom — format, peak levels, references and metadata explained before you upload for mastering.
Mastering
What is mastering?
What mastering does to your stereo mix, when you need it before release, and when mixing should come first instead.
Mastering
Mastering loudness explained
LUFS, true peak, streaming normalization and why louder masters are not always better — before you upload or book mastering.
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FAQ
Mastering FAQ
What LUFS should I master to for Spotify?+
Spotify normalizes around -14 LUFS integrated for most tracks. Louder is not always better — a dynamic master often wins after normalization. Our Spotify mastering guide breaks down targets and pitfalls.
Can mastering fix a bad mix?+
Only slightly. Mastering enhances a good mix — it cannot undo muddy low end, buried vocals or distortion baked into the mix bus. Fix balance in mixing first.
What file format should I send for mastering?+
A stereo mix with headroom (no limiter slamming 0 dB), usually WAV 24-bit, plus notes and references. See what files you need for mastering in our prep guide.
Is online AI mastering the same as a human engineer?+
AI tools are fast but generic. A human engineer listens in context, corrects problem frequencies and prepares masters for your genre and platform — we compare both approaches in our guides.
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