For a beginner, the best approach is to use an AI mastering service like Mastering France (€2) and focus first on learning how to mix. Mastering comes after.
Mixing vs mastering: what's the difference?
Mixing balances each individual track: volume, panning, EQ per instrument. Mastering processes the final stereo mix as a whole to make it competitive on streaming platforms.
As a beginner, start with mixing. Mastering your own work requires great objectivity and trained ears — two things that develop with experience.
How to prepare your mix before mastering?
- No limiter on the master bus — leave headroom
- Aim for -4 to -6 dBFS peak level on the final mix
- Export as 24-bit WAV (never MP3 for mastering)
- Check there's no clipping on individual tracks
- Leave 1 to 2 seconds of silence at the beginning and end of the file
Option 1: AI mastering (recommended for beginners)
Upload your WAV to Mastering France. The AI analyses your mix and applies a mastering chain tailored to your genre. You get 4 formats in under 3 minutes for €2. It's the simplest and most economical method to get a professional result without experience.
Option 2: master it yourself (for more advanced users)
If you want to learn to master yourself, you'll need: quality monitoring (or a reference headphone with correction), EQ and compression plugins, and lots of practice in comparative listening with commercial references.
Most common mastering mistakes by beginners
- Pushing the volume too hard (saturation, loss of dynamics)
- Mastering with tired ears — always take breaks
- Not comparing to references in the same genre
- Mastering a mix that isn't finished yet
- Using an uncalibrated headphone as the only listening reference
