How to Master a Song: Step by Step for Beginners
Learn the steps, then try them on your own song: upload it, preview eight sound profiles free and read its loudness.
Upload your track
Drop your finished mix here to get started.
Upload only audio you own or have permission to process. See Terms and Privacy.
What is mastering a song?
Mastering works on the finished mix as a whole, shaping its overall tone, dynamics and loudness. It doesn't write or rearrange the song. Apple's guide for mastering engineers, Apple Digital Masters, says the main tools are "equalization, compression, limiting, or combinations of these", and that making decisions about gain levels, dynamic range and frequency response "is what mastering is all about". Those are the steps below.
In short
To master a song, start from a finished stereo mix with headroom, adjust its tone with EQ, control its dynamics with compression and limiting, and then check its loudness before you export. This page explains each step as Apple's guide describes it. On the tool, you upload a mix, choose one of eight sound profiles, adjust intensity and EQ, preview the result free and read the LUFS and estimated true peak.
Prepare your mix before you master it
- Choose your best-quality finished mix. The site's FAQ advises checking it for unwanted noise, clicks or distortion first and avoiding clipping in the source.
- Export a WAV or AIFF if you can. The tool also reads MP3 and FLAC, but converting an MP3 to WAV won't restore lost detail.
- Leave headroom. Apple recommends at least 1 dB of headroom to avoid clipping when audio is oversampled for playback.
- Upload a finished mono or stereo mix, not separate stems.
- Fix mix problems in the mix. If a vocal is too quiet or an instrument masks another part, the FAQ says fixing the mix first gives you more control. If the whole song is too quiet, see make an MP3 louder.
How to master a song in 3 steps
Listen, then measure your mix
Play your mix on headphones and on speakers and note what bothers you: harsh, boomy, dull or flat. Upload it here (WAV, MP3, FLAC or AIFF, up to 200 MB and 10 minutes, mono or stereo). In the studio, expand "Audio details & processing report" under the player to see the Original's loudness in LUFS, estimated true peak in dBTP and sample rate.
Shape tone, dynamics and level
By hand, that means EQ, compression and limiting (see the manual steps below). In this tool, pick one of eight sound profiles: Universal gives balanced tone with gentle compression, Fire adds weight, brighter highs and stronger compression, and Natural uses gentle compression for a lighter touch. Move Intensity in steps of 10 from 0 to 100 and use the low, mid and high EQ, up to ±6 dB each, if one area still bothers you. Switch between Original and Mastered, but remember the two play at their own levels, so the louder one can sound better for the wrong reason.
Check loudness and true peak, then export
Read the Mastered figures in the report and compare them with the service you release on. Spotify, for example, publishes −14 dB integrated LUFS with true peak below −1 dB (source); our LUFS for Spotify page lays out every figure. Members download 24-bit WAV, 16-bit WAV or 320 kbps MP3. The report is measured on the profile's base render, so Intensity and EQ changes you make afterwards aren't re-measured; check the exported file with a dedicated meter.
The manual steps: EQ, compression, limiting and loudness
Apple's guide defines each step in a sentence. Here is each one next to what the tool offers.
| Step | What Apple's guide says | In this tool |
|---|---|---|
| EQ | Controls the volume of specific frequencies, such as bass and treble | Low, mid and high bands, ±6 dB each (a low shelf at 140 Hz, a mid peak at 550 Hz and a high shelf at 6 kHz) |
| Compression | Automatically controls volume over time and decreases dynamic range | Built into each sound profile; there are no threshold or ratio controls |
| Limiting | A fast-acting form of compression with a high ratio, often used to attenuate peaks that could cause distortion | A built-in brickwall limiter with a −1.5 dB ceiling on the base render; the ceiling isn't adjustable |
| Loudness | In digital files, 0 dBFS is a hard limit; louder than that causes clipping and a loss of dynamic range | No target field; each profile has a built-in goal, and the report shows what was measured |
The loudness row needs one more line. At the default Intensity of 50 the engine aims for about −14 LUFS (−15 for Natural), rising to about −11 at 100. The engine's own note calls these goals experimental starting points, not platform delivery standards.
What automated mastering does vs doing each step by hand
| By hand in a DAW | This tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Every parameter | Eight profiles, Intensity, three EQ bands |
| Decisions | Yours at every stage | Presets, not a trained AI model (the site FAQ says so) |
| Measurement | A meter you choose | LUFS, estimated true peak and sample rate in the report |
| Reference | Your own comparison | Reference matching, a membership feature in Beta |
| Output | Any format you export | 24-bit WAV, 16-bit WAV or 320 kbps MP3 for members |
Where beginners go wrong
- Chasing loudness. Apple's guide says songs mastered loud play back at a lower volume and can sound weaker. Spotify lowers louder masters too.
- Clipping. Apple's guide says the digital limit is 0 dBFS and pushing past it causes distortion from clipping.
- Fixing a mix in mastering. Fix balance problems in the mix first.
- Judging at different volumes. The louder version tends to win a quick listen. Read the numbers as well.
- Skipping the final check. Listen to the export before you share it, especially before putting the finished song on SoundCloud.
Who this helps
- Anyone with a finished mix. The site's FAQ says you can master your own recordings and mixes from a DAW.
- Anyone using AI-generated music. The site says you can export a song from Suno, Udio or another generator and upload it, though results depend on the source. For link import, see Suno mastering and Mureka mastering.
- Anyone checking levels before a release, using the report's LUFS and estimated true peak.
The honest limits
- It's automated mastering with presets. You get eight profiles, Intensity and EQ, not a full mastering suite.
- It can't fix the song. The FAQ says it can't restore missing notes, rewrite lyrics or reliably remove severe generation artifacts.
- True peak is estimated. The engine uses a four-times oversampled estimate, not a certified meter.
- The report reflects the base render, not later Intensity or EQ moves.
- Not for you if your track is over 10 minutes or 200 MB, or you need individual stems processed.
How to master a song FAQ
How do I master a song as a beginner?
Prepare a finished stereo mix with headroom, adjust tone with EQ, control dynamics with compression and limiting, then check loudness and true peak. In this tool you upload the mix, pick a sound profile, adjust Intensity and EQ, and read the report before exporting.
What is mastering a song?
It works on the finished mix as a whole, shaping its tone, dynamics and loudness. Apple's guide says the main tools are equalization, compression, limiting or combinations of these.
What's the difference between mixing and mastering?
Mixing balances individual vocals, drums, instruments and effects. Mastering works on the finished mix as a whole. The site's FAQ says that if a vocal is too quiet or an instrument masks another part, fixing the mix first generally gives you more control.
What file should I upload?
A finished mono or stereo mix in WAV, MP3, FLAC or AIFF, up to 200 MB and 10 minutes. The FAQ prefers lossless WAV or AIFF when available and notes that converting an MP3 to WAV won't restore lost detail.
How loud should I master a song?
There's no single answer. Spotify says to target −14 dB integrated LUFS with true peak below −1 dB, or below −2 dB if louder. Apple's guide says loud masters play back at a lower volume. See LUFS for Spotify and loudness normalization.
How much headroom should I leave?
Apple recommends at least 1 dB of headroom to avoid clipping when audio is oversampled for playback. Spotify asks for true peak below −1 dB. Measure rather than guess.
Can I master a song for free?
You can upload, try the eight sound profiles, adjust Intensity and EQ and compare Original and Mastered for free, without signing in. Downloads need the $9.90 USD monthly membership, which renews until canceled.
Can I master AI-generated songs?
Yes. Export the song from Suno, Udio or another generator and upload a supported file. Results depend on the source.
Is this a trained AI model?
No. The FAQ says it offers automated mastering using audio-processing presets, rather than a trained AI model.
What are the eight sound profiles?
Universal, Fire, Clarity, Tape, Natural, Spatial, Cinematic and Punch. Examples: Clarity gives brighter highs with less low-mid weight, Tape a warm tone with gentle saturation, and Spatial wider stereo with a touch of reverb.
Are my uploads stored?
Mastering runs in your browser, then your source audio, master, settings and report are uploaded for private cloud history. Saved results remain until deletion is requested or storage is discontinued with notice. The Privacy page says audio isn't sold or used to train AI models.
Ready to master your first song?
Upload a finished mix above, try a sound profile and read the loudness report. → AI music mastering
Apple and Spotify are trademarks of their owners. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Statements were checked on 27 October 2026 and may change.
Last updated: 2026-10-27