Topic
Automated mastering services and assistants analyse your mix, compare it with a target, and set EQ, compression and a limiter to close the gap. This guide explains that loop step by step, what the measurements underneath it are, and the limits you should know before you trust the result. Standards and manuals checked on 25 Oct 2026.
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A limiter is a very fast, very hard compressor that stops your track going over a ceiling. True peak is the level your audio reaches between the samples, after it is turned back into a waveform or encoded to a lossy format. This guide explains both in plain terms, shows how to set a limiter step by step, and explains why a -1 dBTP ceiling is the safe default, using the ITU, EBU and Spotify specs read on 25 Oct 2026.
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A reference track only helps if you compare it fairly. A mastered release is louder than your mix, and louder sounds better, so an unmatched A/B pushes you towards more EQ and more compression. Here is how to match levels with a loudness meter, which meter readings to use, how to pick references, and why streaming normalisation changes what "loud enough" means.
Workflows
Most lists of beginner mixing mistakes tell you what not to do. This guide pairs each of ten common bedroom-mix problems with a quick test you can run on your own track, on your own headphones or speakers, so you can hear the problem before you fix it.
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Most "streaming loudness target" charts mix official numbers with figures nobody at the platform ever published. We went back to each service's own pages on 24 Oct 2026. Spotify publishes a full spec, Apple and Amazon describe the method but no number, YouTube says normalisation-style processing is off for music, and for TIDAL and Deezer we found no current artist-facing page at all. Here is what is documented, what is reported, and a target plan you can defend.
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