izotope ozone User Manual
WHAT IS MASTERING?
Although there are many definitions of what “mastering” is, for the purpose of this guide we
refer to “mastering” as the process of taking a mix and preparing it for manufacturing. In
general, this involves the following steps and goals.
The “Commercial Sound”
The goal of this step is to take a good mix (usually in the form of a stereo file) and put the
final touches on it. This can involve adjusting levels and in general “sweetening” the mix.
Think of it as the final coat of polish, or the difference between a good sounding mix and a
professional sounding master. This process can involve adding broad equalization, multiband
professional sounding master. This process can involve adding broad equalization, multiband
compression, harmonic excitation, loudness maximization, etc. This process is often actually
referred to as “premastering” but we’re going to refer to it as mastering for simplicity. Ozone
was created to specifically address this step of the process: to put that final professional or
“commercial” sound on a project that’s been mixed down to a stereo file.
“commercial” sound on a project that’s been mixed down to a stereo file.
Consistency across the CD
Consideration has to be made for how the individual tracks of a CD work together when played
one after another. Is there a consistent sound? Are the levels matched? Does the CD have a
one after another. Is there a consistent sound? Are the levels matched? Does the CD have a
common “character”? This process is generally the same as the previous step, with the
additional consideration of how individual tracks sound in sequence. This doesn’t mean that
you can make one preset in Ozone and just use it on all the tracks so that they all have a
consistent sound. Instead, the goal is to minimize the differences between tracks, which will
consistent sound. Instead, the goal is to minimize the differences between tracks, which will
most likely mean different settings for different tracks.
Preparation for Duplication
The final step usually involves preparing the song or sequence of songs for manufacturing and
duplication. This step varies depending on the intended delivery format. In the case of a CD it
can mean converting to 16 bit/44.1 kHz audio through resampling and dithering, and setting
track indexes, track gaps, PQ codes, and other CD specific markings. Ozone is not designed to
address these functions by itself, but instead meant to work within dedicated products such as
address these functions by itself, but instead meant to work within dedicated products such as
Steinberg Wavelab, Sonic Foundry Sound Forge, Cakewalk SONAR, Adobe Audition (Cool Edit)
and others.
Ozone™ Mastering Guide
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©2003 iZotope, Inc.