Prep your track for a
flawless master
A great master starts with a great mix. Follow these steps to give duet.to the best possible input — no reference track, no guesswork.
No reference track needed
duet.to analyses your mix and shapes the EQ curve, tightens the low-end, and dials in loudness automatically. Vocal and instrumental tracks are detected on the fly. Just upload your best mix and let the engine do the rest.
Start with a balanced mix
Mastering polishes a mix — it can't rescue one. Make sure every element sits well together and your lead parts come through clearly.
- Balance levels so nothing fights for space
- Clean up noise, clicks, and pops
- Tame harsh or resonant frequencies
- Check phase correlation across the stereo field
Leave some headroom
Give the engine room to work. Peaks around −6 dB and a clean, unclipped bounce are all it needs.
- Aim for peaks around −6 dBFS
- No clipping or distortion on any track
- Export lossless — WAV, AIFF, or FLAC
- 44.1 kHz / 24-bit or higher
Clean your master bus
Remove anything that pre-masters your track. Limiters and heavy bus compression fight the mastering stage and crush your dynamics.
- Disable peak limiters on the master bus
- Remove heavy compression and 'mastering' presets
- Make sure no plugins are left active by accident
- Save a separate copy of the mix just for mastering
Do a final listen
Trust your ears on more than one system before uploading. Small speakers reveal balance problems studio monitors hide.
- Check on monitors, headphones, and a phone or car
- Make sure the low-end is controlled and defined
- Confirm the stereo balance feels consistent
- Sleep on it — a 24-hour break catches a lot
Recommended specs
Guidelines for the best possible master — not hard requirements. duet.to will happily master whatever you upload.
Do this
- Upload the best, cleanest mix you have
- Keep your dynamics — leave room to breathe
- Control the low-end before you export
- Bounce lossless at full resolution
Avoid this
- Upload MP3s or other lossy files
- Over-compress or brick-wall limit the mix
- Let excessive bass mask everything else
- Leave clipping or distortion in the bounce
Ready to hear it mastered?
Upload your best mix and get a studio-quality master in seconds — free, no credit card.