How to EQ the master bus
To EQ a master, keep every move small and wide, usually under 1.5 dB. Clear inaudible rumble below 20 to 30 Hz, ease mud near 300 Hz by about 1 dB, and add a gentle shelf above 10 kHz if the mix sounds dull next to a reference track. Fix bigger problems in the mix.
Master buses have 5 bands worth knowing, from sub (below 30 Hz) to air (10 to 16 kHz).
The starting point on this page makes 1 cut, 1 boost and uses 1 filter. The other 2 bands stay flat until you hear a problem there.
Work through the bands in order from the bottom. Cuts come first because they clear space; boosts come last and stay small.
The 5 master bands
| Band | Range | When it's wrong | The move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub | below 30 Hz | Rumble you can't hear that eats headroom | High pass at 20 to 30 Hz |
| Low end | 50 to 120 Hz | Too much or too little bass next to a reference | Low shelf of 0.5 to 1 dB either way |
| Mud | 200 to 400 Hz | Thick, cloudy mix | Wide cut of 0.5 to 1.5 dB |
| Harshness | 2 to 5 kHz | Tiring at loud volume | Wide cut of 0.5 to 1 dB |
| Air | 10 to 16 kHz | Dull next to your reference | High shelf of 0.5 to 1.5 dB |
The moves, in order
Sub, below 30 Hz
Rumble you can't hear that eats headroom. It lives below 30 Hz. High pass at 20 to 30 Hz. The starting point is a high pass at 25 Hz. Raise it until the part starts to thin out in solo, then back it off a little.
Low end, 50 to 120 Hz
Too much or too little bass next to a reference. It lives between 50 and 120 Hz. Low shelf of 0.5 to 1 dB either way. This band stays flat in the starting point; touch it only when you can hear the problem in a master bus.
Mud, 200 to 400 Hz
Thick, cloudy mix. It lives between 200 and 400 Hz. Wide cut of 0.5 to 1.5 dB. The starting point is a 1 dB cut at 300 Hz with a Q of 0.7, wide enough to sound natural.
Harshness, 2 to 5 kHz
Tiring at loud volume. It lives between 2 and 5 kHz. Wide cut of 0.5 to 1 dB. This band stays flat in the starting point; touch it only when you can hear the problem in a master bus.
Air, 10 to 16 kHz
Dull next to your reference. It lives between 10 and 16 kHz. High shelf of 0.5 to 1.5 dB. The starting point is a 1 dB boost at 12 kHz with a Q of 0.7, wide enough to sound natural.
The settings in Live 12
Channel EQLite, Intro
- Highpass On
- Off
- Mid Freq
- 300 Hz
- Mid Gain
- -1.0 dB
- High Gain
- 1.0 dB
Keep the high pass off on the master: it sits near 80 Hz and would cut the kick and bass. Channel EQ can't clear the sub on its own, so use EQ Eight for that in Standard or Suite.
EQ EightStandard, Suite
- 1 Filter Type A
- High Pass 48dB
- 1 Frequency A
- 25.0 Hz
- 2 Filter Type A
- Bell
- 2 Frequency A
- 300 Hz
- 2 Gain A
- -1.0 dB
- 2 Resonance A
- 0.70
- 3 Filter Type A
- High Shelf
- 3 Frequency A
- 12.0 kHz
- 3 Gain A
- 1.0 dB
Keep every gain under 1.5 dB. If a move needs more, the fix belongs in the mix, not on the master.
In short: low cut at 25 Hz, 1 dB cut at 300 Hz and 1 dB boost at 12 kHz. Then listen in the full mix, not in solo, and undo anything you can't hear.
What master EQ is for
The master bus is the last stop before your mix becomes one file. An EQ there changes every part at once, so its job is small. It adjusts the overall tone of a finished mix, the way you might turn the bass or treble knob on a stereo a tiny amount. It is not the place to fix a single part.
Good master EQ moves are small and wide. A wide band changes a broad area gently, and that sounds natural on a full mix. Narrow cuts on the master pick out one frequency across every track, which can make the mix sound hollow. Most master moves are around 1 dB, and they rarely go past 1.5 dB.
The one firm move is the high pass. Deep rumble below 20 to 30 Hz takes up headroom, yet most systems can't play it and nobody hears it. A steep high pass there clears it without touching the kick or bass. In Live 12 Standard and Suite, EQ Eight can set a steep 48 dB high pass, which is the best tool for it. Channel EQ's high pass sits near 80 Hz, which is too high for a master, so leave that switch off.
If you plan to send the mix to a mastering engineer, ask what they want. Many prefer a master bus with no EQ at all, so they can make the call in their own room. If you like how your EQ sounds, send them a version with and without it.
Compare against a reference track
You can't judge the tone of a whole mix in isolation, because your ears adjust to whatever they hear. A reference track gives them something fixed to compare against.
Pick a finished song in the same style that you know sounds good. Drop it on its own track in Live and route it straight to your speakers, so your master EQ doesn't change it. Then turn it down until it plays at the same loudness as your mix. This step matters. A louder track always sounds better, so if the reference is louder, you will chase it with boosts.
Now switch between the two and listen to one area at a time. Is your low end bigger or smaller? Is the middle thicker? Is the top duller or brighter? Make a small, wide move toward the reference, then switch again. Stop as soon as the two sound close. They don't need to match, because your song isn't the same song.
Check on more than one system. A tone that matches on your speakers may not match on earbuds or in a car, and the reference helps you hear where your mix differs on each.
When the problem is in the mix
The master EQ is a good test of what the mix needs. If a small move fixes the problem, keep it. If you find yourself pushing a band past 1.5 dB, the problem almost always lives in one or two tracks.
Use the master EQ to find them. If the mix sounds muddy and a cut near 300 Hz helps, sweep that cut, note the frequency, then switch it off and check which tracks are strong there. Often it is one guitar, a piano or the low end of a pad. Cutting that track fixes the mud and leaves the rest of the mix alone.
Harshness works the same way. A mix that tires your ears at loud volume usually has one part that is too bright, such as a hi hat, a synth or a vocal with too much presence. Fixing that part sounds far better than a wide cut that dulls every other track too.
If the low end is wrong, check the kick and the bass together before you touch the master. A boost or cut on both at once often means one of them was set wrong in the first place.
Mistakes on the master bus
Big boosts are the most common one. A 3 dB lift of low end or air on the master can sound exciting for a minute, then makes the mix tiring and eats headroom before the limiter. Keep moves small.
Narrow surgical cuts on the master are another. Cutting one frequency hard takes it from every part, including the parts that needed it.
EQing at high volume can mislead you. Loud listening makes a mix seem to have more bass and more top than it does. Check your moves quietly too.
Changing the master EQ late in a mix, after the other parts were balanced around it, can undo good work. Set it early and leave it mostly alone, or add it at the very end.
Last, forgetting to bypass is easy. Switch the master EQ off now and then, with the levels matched. If you can't hear it helping, take it out.
Questions people ask
What is a good mastering EQ?
A good mastering EQ is one that makes small, wide moves cleanly. In Live 12 Standard and Suite, EQ Eight does the job with a steep high pass near 25 Hz, a wide 1 dB cut near 300 Hz and a 1 dB high shelf at 12 kHz. In Lite and Intro, Channel EQ can handle the mud cut and the shelf.
Is it okay to EQ the master?
Yes, as long as the moves stay small. A wide cut or boost of about 1 dB on the master can fix the overall tone of a mix. If a move needs more than 1.5 dB, the problem usually sits in one part, such as a boomy bass or a harsh synth, and fixing that track will sound better than changing everything.
How do you use EQ in mastering?
Play a finished track you like in the same style, matched to the same loudness, and compare. If your mix has more mud, less air or a different low end, make a small, wide move toward the reference, usually under 1.5 dB. Switch the EQ off and on often, and stop as soon as the two sound close.
What are the three types of EQ?
The three types are parametric, semi-parametric and graphic EQ. A parametric EQ lets you set the frequency, gain and width of each band, like EQ Eight. A semi-parametric EQ lets you set the frequency and gain but not the width, like the mid band of Channel EQ. A graphic EQ has fixed bands on sliders.