Mastering with Ozone 10 Explained
Mastering, once thought to be the audio equivalent of the dark arts, has become much more accessible to us mere mortals, thanks to incredibly powerful software like iZotope's Ozone mastering suite. In this Ozone 10 tutorial, mastering guru Larry Holcombe will teach you how to use Ozone to achieve professional-sounding masters that rival those of your favorite artists. As smart and robust as Ozone 10 is, you still need to know what you're doing, and this course will make sure you're getting the absolute best results you can. These videos are for those new to mastering with Ozone 10.
Videos
• Introduction & Mastering Assistant (12:04) - We introduce the series in this video and discuss an overarching mindset for mastering. We then continue on to create a master using Master Assistant so we can understand the workflow for creating a quick, high-quality master.
• Match EQ, Referencing, & Analyzing Tracks Using the Assistant (10:32) - We discuss integrating reference tracks next, comparing your music against the competition using the reference feature within Ozone 10's mothership plugin. We also look at Match EQ and using the assistant to bring tracks closer to the sonic characteristics of a folder of reference tracks.
• Rebalancing & Low-End Separation (15:24) - We look at Master Rebalance and Low End Focus to create a pre-master with a better balance, allowing us to transparently fix mix deficiencies. We also discuss low-end crest factor to ensure a tight low end for our track.
• Managing Transients Using the Impact Module (08:48) - This video focuses on using Low End Focus to fix the problem of a kick drum that's too prominent and a bass part that's buried. This allows us to make sure the low end breathes, which is essential if you want a track to move people! We continue to demonstrate using the Impact module to tame a pre-master with over-hyped transients.
• Taming Harshness & Enhancing Tonal Balance Using (09:05) - Spectral Shaper and Stabilizer - In this video, we try to naturally enhance the tonal balance of the track using Stabilizer and then tame harshness on a very nasal pre-master using Spectral Shaper.
• Mastering a Dance Track Pt. 1 (15:08) - We begin creating our bespoke mastering chain for the dance track "Elevation" in this video combining EQ, clipping, and mid/side multi-band compression. We then spread the stereo image using Imager.
• Mastering a Dance Track Pt. 2 (12:39) - This video is concerned with bringing the track up to competitive level using two-stage maximization with Low End Focus being introduced to compensate for any change in low-end dynamics.
• Mastering a Pop Track Pt. 1 (14:39) - We begin creating our bespoke mastering chain for the pop track "Standing Tal" in this video combining tonal balancing with Stabilizer, EQ, clipping and mid/side multi band compression and also harmonic excitation. We then spread the stereo image using Imager.
• Mastering a Pop Track Pt. 2 (12:23) - This video is concerned with bringing the track up to competitive level using maximization, which we try to make as transparent as possible using the Maximizer's character control. Again, we use Low End Focus to compensate for any reduction in low-end dynamics.
• Mastering a Country Track Pt. 1 (11:05) - We begin creating our bespoke mastering chain for the country track "Stranded on a Planet - When You Think About Me" in this video, combining tonal balancing with Stabilizer, EQ, clipping, mid/side multi-band compression, and transient shaping using Impact.
• Mastering a Country Track Pt. 2 (11:22) - Here, we bring the track up to competitive level similarly as with the pop track. We also reference against the pre-master to make sure we are tonally improving the track.