
That means keeping your levels in check at every stage of your process-from tracking to mastering. The real trick comes from good gain staging.

This can help in a pinch, but it’s not the best solution for managing levels at the master bus. One solution is to just pull down your master fader until the volume is at a healthy level. If the output level of the master bus is too high, it will cause harsh clipping when you export your mix. If you’re just getting started with music production you might not realize how quickly tracks can pile up when summed together at the mix bus. Levels are the main technical issue that beginner and intermediate producers face with their master bus.
Tonal balance control on drum bus how to#
How to get healthy levels at your mix bus Master bus processing can make a very big impact since you’re affecting every single track at once. Many producers rely on master bus processing to shape the overall tone of their mix. I’m talking about basics like loudness, headroom and gain staging.īut there’s more than just technical issues when it comes to your mix bus. Problems that occur at the master bus are often symptoms of bigger mix issues that need to be addressed for good results. If something is wrong at the master bus, it will almost certainly be an issue in the bounced file you send for mastering. That means it’s one of the most crucial places to check for qualities like output level and dynamics. The master bus is the closest representation of what your mix will be like as a rendered stereo file. Some engineers use the master bus to add additional processing that affects the entire mix. The master bus represents the sum of all the tracks in your mix, but it’s also a track with its own meters, inserts and fader. It’s sometimes called the stereo bus, the 2-bus or the mix bus. That means every other track and aux return channel included in your mix is eventually routed here.


The master bus is the final stereo channel in your DAW’s mixer before your audio outputs to your speakers. In this article I’ll explain everything you need to know about the master bus to get a perfect bounce of your mix. So how should you treat your master bus? What processing should you use and what issues should you watch out for? If you make poor decisions here, they’ll affect your entire mix. It may sound simple, but managing your master bus is important for getting a good mix overall. It’s the final stage in your DAW before your mix goes to your audio interface and out to your speakers. Your master bus is the mixer channel where all your sources sum together.
