Mastering is often the difference between a good recording and a bad one, but mastering is notoriously difficult to understand. In this two-day workshop, sound engineer Jesse Cannon — who’s worked with the likes of Ross Robinson, Saves the Day, Animal Collective, The Misfits and Man Overboard — shares what he’s learned about mastering from working at top-tier studios like WestWestSide Music and Cannon Found Soundation.

While there’s no substitute for having an engineer master your music, that’s just not feasible for many artists. This class is the next best thing: a comprehensive guide to DIY mastering.

Jesse breaks down the mastering process from start to finish. You’ll discover the basic principles behind mastering, and learn about the processes and tools at your disposal. Jesse will identify and troubleshoot basic rookie mistakes, discuss lesser-known essential concepts as well as share his essential behind-the-board tools as he takes you through a few real-life examples.

After two days with Jesse, you’ll have everything you need to master your tracks with affordable tools.

2,000+ classes ranging from fundamentals to advanced techniques.

DIY Mastering

Lessons

Introduction

What is Mastering

Dynamics and Loudness

Compression, Clipping, and Distortion

Compression & Distortion Demo

Headroom and Gain Structure

Bit Depth and Sampling Rate

What is Objectivity

Proper Monitoring Volumes with Q&A

Sequencing and Track Spacing

Individual Track Volumes and Demo

2:30 pm - Metadata and Key Points of Mastering

Audio Interface

Speakers

Headphones

Room and Acoustics

DAW & Meters

EQs

Bus Compressor

Multiband Compressor and Brickwall Limiter

Clipping and Distortion

Dithering

Common Problems and Solutions

Example Masters

Demo: Mastering a Dance Track

Demo: Mastering an Acoustic Track

Class Description

Class Materials

Ratings and Reviews

Student Work

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Jesse Cannon

topics covered in this class

Michael Pena

Bruce Wayne Rash

a Creativelive Student