How to master a song

Mastering in Take One is the last pass on a mix you have already balanced. The Master screen measures that mix against common streaming references and applies true-peak protection. It is a guide. Listen before you release, and check your distributor's delivery requirements.

Steps

1. Finish the mix first. Balance the vocal against the instrumental. EQ, compression, and effects are included with the free download.
2. Open Master. This screen is part of Studio, bought inside the app and billed by Apple.
3. Read the meters. They show how the mix sits against common streaming references, with true-peak protection applied.
4. Listen to the finished master on the phone, then again somewhere else, before you send it out.

If the vocal still feels too loud or too quiet, go back to the mix. Mastering will not put a vocal in the right place. The difference is spelled out in mixing and mastering.