Step-by-step Guide to Mastering Pop Music | Are You Listening? Season 6, Ep 5

iZotope, Inc. • March 21, 2023

iZotope, Inc.

About

iZotope makes innovative products that inspire and enable people to be creative. With over a decade developing award-winning products and audio technologies for professionals and hobbyists alike, and used by millions of people in over 50 countries, iZotope products are a core component of GRAMMY-winning music studios, Oscar and Emmy-winning film and TV post production studios, and prominent radio studios, as well as basement and bedroom studios across the globe. iZotope is part of Native Instruments, whose mission is to make music and audio creation a more joyful and inspiring experience for creators everywhere. Stemming from the union between NI, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx, together we inspire and empower creators to express themselves and reimagine the future of sound.

Video Description

Learn how to master a pop song from start to finish in this step-by-step mastering guide. In the fifth episode of Season 6, professional mastering engineer and Berklee professor Jonathan Wyner teaches you how to master a pop song with iZotope Ozone, covering key aspects of pop music like level and low end before diving deeper into limiting, automation, dynamics processing, and stereo imaging. By the end of this video, you’ll be able to confidently master a song with a commercial pop sound. Watch all seasons of ‘Are You Listening?’: https://www.izotope.com/en/lp/are-you-listening.html?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=are_you_listening_s6_ep_5 Get 50% off mastering tools used in ‘Are You Listening?:’ https://www.izotope.com/en/shop/deals.html?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=are_you_listening_s6_ep_5 Learn more about mastering with free tutorials: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn.html?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=are_you_listening_s6_ep_5 Learn more about Jonathan Wyner: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/jonathan-wyner.html?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=are_you_listening_s6_ep_5 The song being mastered in this video is "Give it Time" by Braden the Young: https://www.marmosetmusic.com/browse/78179-give-it-time-explicit Chapters 00:00 - Intro 00:29 - Mastering in genres 01:33 - Prepare your track for mastering 04:04 - Listen to your track 06:54 - Validate your decisions with visualizer 13:11 - Using the Master Assistant 17:30 - Start by adjusting for tone 23:26 - Setting the limiter 26:33 - Automation for emotional impact 30:01 - Dynamics processing in mastering 35:53 - Excitation in mastering 37:48 - Stereo imaging in mastering 38:27 - Final thoughts MB01EA0JQQHMK8Z #iZotope #AreYouListening #Mastering