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Lesson time: (1min 27sec)
Paul Whalley explains the kind of mastering that makes your own tracks sound polished, professional and big - not the pro mastering done before release.
This lesson is part of the course Produce a killer pop track
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Hey, guys! In this last step, we're going to talk about the mastering of a song.
Now, I'm not talking about the professional mastering that you send tracks off for when they're getting ready to be released by an artist. I'm talking about the mastering that I do to my own tracks to make them sound really polished and presentable.
An important thing to remember is:
So, it's really important that your tracks, whatever stage they're in, sound:
Everything needs to sound good, and following these few steps can really help.
For many years, I neglected this myself. I just had one or two little things that didn't really do anything apart from make my tracks sound loud, but they didn't really help the sonics.
What I'll do now is walk you through the steps that I've added over the years:
By following these techniques, your track will start sounding really, really special on top of all that good work you've done.
So let's get started!

Paul Whalley is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter with a deliberately broad sound. He spent years on the road as a touring session musician with artists including Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding. Classically trained, he holds an undergraduate degree in instrumental performance and a Master's in composition from the Guildhall School of Music. Since moving from touring into production and songwriting he has worked with artists such as NAO, Wretch 32 and Nina Nesbitt, and played on top-40 records around the world, including Little Mix's 'Shout Out to My Ex'. He is based at Tileyard Studios in north London, where he writes and produces for major UK labels and develops new artists. On MusicGurus he and Emmi Green deconstruct a pop record from scratch - every arrangement and production decision laid bare - for songwriters and producers who want to hear how hit records are really built. read more