How to Master a Song in FL Studio: Step-by-Step for Beginners

Your beat or song is done, the mix sounds good, and now you want to master it yourself before it goes online. Good news: FL Studio's stock plugins get you a long way. In this step-by-step guide you'll build a simple mastering chain, export your track the right way and then check for free whether your master is ready for Spotify. Working in Logic Pro? Read how to master in Logic Pro with Mastering Assistant. In Ableton Live? Read how to master in Ableton Live.

First, let's be real: what does mastering actually do?

Mastering is the last step before your release. You're not rebuilding the track, you're polishing it. Think a few small EQ moves, bringing the loudness to the right level and making sure nothing distorts or goes over the edge.

What mastering doesn't do: save a bad mix. If your vocal is too quiet or your 808 is booming over everything, fix that in the mix.

Before you start: is your mix ready?

• No clipping on your Master track. If your mix already hits the red before anything is on the master, turn down your channels instead of just the master.
• Take your "make it loud" plugins off the master. Check what's already on the Master track in the Mixer first. A limiter you left on while mixing should be there on purpose, not by accident.
• Take a break. After hours on the same beat your ears are tired. Mastering works better with fresh ears, ideally the next day.

Step by step: how to master a song in FL Studio

Step 1: Export your mix and open a new project

You can work straight on the Master track of your mix project, but for beginners it's cleaner to export your mix as a WAV first and drop it into an empty project. That way you can't sneak back into the mix, and your CPU gets a break too.

Put the WAV file in the Playlist and route it to its own Mixer track. Put your mastering chain on that track or on the Master track, just stick to one place.

Step 2: Pick a reference track

Grab a song that sounds the way you want to sound, in the same genre. The key: compare at the same volume. A louder track almost always sounds "better", even when it isn't. Want to do this precisely? Master Checker Pro compares your master with a reference on loudness, dynamics and tonal balance.

Step 3: Small EQ moves with Fruity Parametric EQ 2

Fruity Parametric EQ 2 is a 7-band EQ with a spectrum display in the background, so you can see which frequencies take up a lot of space. On a master, keep your moves small:

• Does the whole thing sound muddy? Take out a little in the low mids.
• Sounds dull next to your reference? A small boost up top can help.
• Feel like you need a big boost or cut? Then the problem is probably in the mix. Go back to your mix project.

Handy: the bank buttons in Parametric EQ 2 let you store two settings and switch between them, so you can hear whether your change is actually better.

Step 4: Light compression (optional)

A bit of compression can glue your track together. Fruity Limiter has a COMP tab for that. If you own FL Studio Producer Edition or higher, you also get Maximus: a multiband maximizer with three adjustable frequency bands (low, mid, high) plus a master band, so you can, for example, tighten your low end without touching your highs.

Keep it subtle. If you can clearly hear the compressor "pumping" when that's not the vibe, you're doing too much.

Step 5: The limiter goes last

The limiter makes your track louder without the peaks going over the edge. Use the LIMIT tab in Fruity Limiter (or Maximus):

1. Set the ceiling (CEIL) just below 0 dB. That's the level above which the limiter kicks in.
2. Slowly raise the gain while listening to your drums and vocal. As soon as your kick loses its punch or everything starts sounding flat, back off a bit.
3. Bypass the limiter now and then and compare at the same volume. Does the limited version just sound louder, or actually better?

The limiter always sits last in your chain. Anything after it can push your peaks back up.

Step 6: Export your master

Open the export from the File menu and choose WAV. A few settings to watch:

• Mode: choose Song, not Pattern.
• Bit depth: FL Studio offers 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit float. Your distributor tells you what they want, and 24-bit WAV is a safe choice for a master.
• Dither: according to Image-Line, dithering applies when converting to 16-bit WAV and MP3. If you export 16-bit, turn it on.
• Tail: "Leave remainder" keeps the decay of your reverb and delay at the end, instead of your track cutting off abruptly.

Step 7: Check your master

Drag your exported WAV into the free Master Checker. Your audio isn't uploaded, the analysis runs in your browser. Among other things you'll see:

• Integrated LUFS: how loud your track sounds on average.
• True peak (dBTP): your highest peak, including the ones between samples. Spotify recommends staying below -1 dBTP, and below -2 dBTP if your master is louder than -14 LUFS.
• Stereo correlation: an indication of whether your track holds up in mono, like on a phone speaker.

True peak too high? Lower your limiter's ceiling, export again and check once more. Want to know exactly how loud your master should be? Read how many LUFS to aim for on Spotify.

Common mistakes when mastering yourself

• Making everything as loud as possible. Spotify turns loud tracks down anyway. What's left is a flat master.
• Mastering on one pair of speakers or earbuds. Also listen in your car, on your phone and on headphones.
• Slapping a preset on your master and calling it done. A mastering preset doesn't know what your mix sounds like. Use it as a starting point at most.
• Mastering every track on your EP differently. Play them back to back and check that they fit together.
• Checking your MP3 preview instead of your WAV. Always measure the file you send to your distributor.

When should you let someone else do it?

Mastering yourself is a great way to learn, and for demos and quick releases it often does the job. But when the song really has to hit, or you can't tell what's good anymore after ten listens, a second pair of ears helps. NameOnTheBeat also mixes and masters tracks for artists, so feel free to reach out if you want that.

FAQ

Can I master with only stock plugins in FL Studio?

Yes. With Fruity Parametric EQ 2 and Fruity Limiter you can build a complete basic chain. Maximus gives you more control per frequency band, but according to Image-Line it's only included in Producer Edition and up. Check Image-Line's edition comparison page to see which plugins come with your version.

Do I have to master to exactly -14 LUFS?

No. Spotify gives -14 LUFS as a guideline and turns louder tracks down. Mastering louder is fine, as long as it doesn't distort and your true peak stays below -2 dBTP.

Should I master on the Master track of my mix project or in a separate project?

Either works. A separate project with your exported mix keeps mixing and mastering apart, which is often easier to manage when you're starting out.

Should I export in 16-bit or 24-bit?

Check what your distributor asks for. 24-bit WAV is a safe choice. If you go with 16-bit, turn on dithering.

Sources: Image-Line FL Studio manual (Fruity Limiter, Fruity Parametric EQ 2, Maximus, Exporting Audio), Spotify for Artists "Loudness normalization".