#CREATING STEREO MASTER TRACK PRO#

#CREATING STEREO MASTER TRACK PRO#

You can then load all of these files into a single Pro Tools session for mastering. Mastering an album is as much about the order, flow and overall sound of the project as it is about the sound of each track, so as a starting point, it’s good to have each individual song bounced out as a stereo file. In the non-linear, non-destructive world of Pro Tools we can benefit from more flexibility, non-destructive processing and perfect recall, allowing us to easily make adjustments following the ‘cold light of day’ approval sessions. In the analogue days, mastering would involve setting up a chain of processors for each song, recording the processed version to the master format, logging settings, resetting the equipment and moving on.

It’s also pretty handy for mastering work. Pro Tools isn’t just for recording and mixing. When you’ve achieved settings that you’re happy with for the songs on both tracks, render the first one using Track Commit or AudioSuite plug-ins. If your computer can’t handle running a separate track with its own real-time plug-in chain for every song on an album, a good compromise is to use two tracks with plug-in chains.

Creating stereo master track