Master your first single

Master your first single

This path is for a musician or producer with a finished mix and no mastering engineer. You will learn what mastering changes and what it cannot fix. You will learn how loudness is measured and what a true peak ceiling is. And you will see why a louder master is not a better one on a streaming service.

The guides are in the order the questions come up. The first two settle what mastering is and how it differs from mixing. The next three explain the numbers: LUFS, true peak, and what Spotify does to a file that is louder than its playback level. The chain guide shows the stages in order, and the vocal-led guide applies them to an acoustic Indian track. The last guide is the release itself.

How to use this path

• Read the lessons in order. Each one ends with a link to the next.
• Keep your mix open as you read the LUFS and true peak guides, and measure it with the free mastering tool at the end of the path.
• If you only have ten minutes, read the LUFS guide and the Spotify guide. They settle the two decisions that matter most.
• Master once, listen on a phone speaker and on headphones, then release. Do not chase the loudest master you can make.

The lessons

1. 1
   What is Audio Mastering?

   explainer · 4 min

   Everything you need to know about audio mastering: from basic concepts to professional techniques used by industry engineers.

2. 2
   Mixing vs. Mastering

   comparison · 1 min

   Every professional track goes through two distinct stages: Mixing (balancing the ingredients) and Mastering (polishing the presentation). Here's how to know which one needs your attention.

3. 3
   LUFS explained: how loudness is measured and what to master to

   explainer · 5 min

   LUFS, or loudness units relative to full scale, measures perceived loudness over time using frequency weighting and averaged signal power. For Spotify, aim for about -14 LUFS integrated (whole-track loudness), with true peak (estimated reconstructed waveform peaks) below -1 dBTP (decibels true peak).

4. 4
   Peak limiting explained: true peak, ceilings and how not to squash a master

   explainer · 5 min

   A peak limiter turns down peaks above its ceiling, the output limit you set, so raising the input can increase overall level. Set the ceiling below digital full scale to allow for true peak, the estimated reconstructed waveform peak between samples, and overshoot from lossy encoding.

5. 5
   Mastering for Spotify: loudness, true peak and what normalization does

   reference · 5 min

   Master to Spotify’s recommendation of about -14 LUFS (loudness units relative to full scale) across the track, with reconstructed signal peaks below -1 dBTP (decibels true peak). Loudness normalization, playback adjustment toward a similar level, turns louder masters down and raises quieter ones only as far as their peaks allow.

6. 6
   Mastering Chain Explained

   explainer · 3 min

   Understand the complete mastering signal chain from input to output. Learn the optimal processing order, plugin choices, and parameter settings used by professional engineers.

7. 7
   Mastering vocal-led acoustic Indian tracks

   tutorial · 7 min

   Aim around minus 14 LUFS, a unit measuring loudness, with true peak, the maximum reconstructed signal level, at or below minus 1 dBTP (decibels true peak). Use gentle processing and preserve dynamic range, the contrast between quiet and loud passages, to keep the voice forward, the drone steady and vocal ornaments expressive.

8. 8
   How to Release Music on Spotify

   tutorial · 1 min

   You've finished your track. Now it's time to share it with the world. Learn how to get your music on Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok without a record label.

Start with lesson 1