OrynosMusicMixing & mastering guide
How to prepare your mix for mastering
A practical export checklist for clipping, headroom, file format and the details to listen for before mastering.
Start with the balance you want to keep
Mastering works on the combined stereo recording. It can change tone, dynamics, stereo presentation and peak level, but it cannot independently turn down a vocal that has already been mixed into a beat. If a lyric disappears, a snare hurts or the bass masks the kick, fix that relationship in the session first.
Listen to the verse and the busiest chorus at a moderate volume. Check that the vocal stays intelligible, the bass has a defined role and the transition into the chorus still feels intentional. Save a copy of the session before changing a mix you already like.
Check clipping before chasing a headroom number
Headroom is the space between your signal's peaks and the maximum level your destination can represent. Avoid unintended clipping at the recording input, on individual channels, inside processing and at export. Turning down a file after it has clipped does not restore the lost waveform.
There is no single peak value that makes every mix ready. Leave comfortable room below full scale and preserve the dynamics you want. If a limiter is only there to make the rough mix louder, compare an export with less limiting. Keep processing that is part of the sound after checking that it is not causing unwanted distortion.
Further reading: iZotope: headroom and mix-bus preparation (opens in a new tab)
Export from the original session
A lossless export from the session avoids adding another lossy encoding stage before mastering. Use the session's working sample rate rather than converting upward just to select a larger number. Upsampling an existing recording does not recover information that was never recorded.
For a conventional fixed-point handoff, 24-bit WAV is a useful starting point. Keep a higher-resolution source when your workflow needs it, and make any final bit-depth reduction deliberately. Export the stereo mix, not a phone recording of its playback or an MP3 converted back to WAV.
| Setting | What to check |
|---|---|
| Source | Export directly from the DAW session you approved. |
| Format | Choose a lossless file such as WAV for the handoff. |
| Sample rate | Keep the session rate unless a delivery specification requires conversion. |
| Range | Include the complete beginning, ending and effect tails. |
Listen to the file you will actually upload
Open the exported file in a separate player. A session can sound correct while its export misses an intro, cuts off a reverb tail, includes a muted part or prints an unintended solo. Check the first and last seconds, then the loudest section. Listen for clicks at edits, crackles, overload and a stereo image that collapses unexpectedly in mono.
If you revise the session, give the replacement a clear version name. Keep your approved mix locally so you can compare later without confusing it with an earlier bounce. A clean file name also helps you identify the right result when downloading several versions.
Use the prepared mix in OrynosMusic
Open Master, sign in with your verified account and upload your stereo mix once. The website reuses that upload for analysis and rendering. Choose a model and begin with its standard processing mode so you have a clear starting point. Change a setting because you hear a need, rather than enabling every available tool.
Power, Ultra and Max, where supported, invest more analysis effort and use more credits. They do not repeatedly master an already mastered output, and a higher mode is not a guarantee that you will prefer the result. Compare a short, representative section before committing to the whole sound.
Compare, then download your master
Match the original and the master in listening volume before choosing. Check the vocal, kick attack, bass notes, cymbals, reverb tails and the contrast between sections. The better result is the one that supports the song and your delivery needs, not automatically the one with the biggest waveform.
Download the finished file while it is available. Upload and render audio is temporary; the five-minute result window begins after rendering completes. Keep your original and final master locally. Mastering offers WAV, FLAC and MP3 downloads; at 192 kHz, use WAV or FLAC.