Launch Pad Music Services - Audio Mastering

Please feel free to download our audio mastering examples in order for you to be able to make comparisons between the original track and the finished product.

Breaks music uses loads of sub bass, sometimes more than Dubstep or Drum & Bass.

This minimizes the headroom available for other elements; therefore you have to be very careful to maintain the levels of bass while letting the higher elements come through adequately.

The main focus when mastering Drum & Bass is to achieve loudness and plenty of punch from the beats and bass lines. Another factor which is key for this genre of music is for it to sound good on small system as well in a club.

When mixing down a Drum & Bass tune avoid using any compression or limiting before the mastering stage as this will destroy the dynamics.

Dubstep tunes have a tendency to sound very muddled due to the wobbly bass lines. We approach this genre in a similar way to Drum & Bass with the aim being for the beats and bass lines to have plenty of punch without over doing it on the limiting.

As with Reggae, Hip Hop and Urban music needs to be as loud as possible without losing any of its dynamics. It's very important not to use any compression or limiting on Hip Hop tunes before the mastering process.

House, Electro and Trance also require allot of focus on their loudness to ensure they sound fat and upfront. However unlike Drum & Bass and Dubstep, House and Trance need to keep much more of their dynamics.