...or six easy steps to ultimate happiness!
Let’s imagine we’re working with some rock music. It’s the final mix from that very expensive recording studio down the road, but for some reason there is 5.0 dB of headroom left, wasting precious volume reserves. No compression was applied to the stereo mix. (Actually, we are happy about this because it leaves all options open).

1. Setup
Before we start, let’s set up MasterX3 as follows:

2. Input Level Adjustment
Set the input level for both channels to +5.0 dB. In our example, this will bring the input level up to an optimal value of 0 dB. Adjust this value until no clipping is indicated (i.e., until there are no Consecutive Clips in the input). For this example, set it to +4.9 dB. Remember: as long as you don’t alter any settings in the signal chain before MasterX, you won’t get any changes in the input level, so there is no risk of clipping once you’ve set the level correctly!

3.Turn on the Compressor block
The FREQUENCY / LEVELS display in the upper-half of the Plug-In window, the three displays beneath them, and the Compressor’s parameter faders come to life! The music has probably come up in volume already, and the sound has changed a little too – and perhaps some “pumping” is evident. So, let’s set the Compressor properly to get rid of the pumping, beef up the overall sound, and, yes – we want it louder!

Let’s set the Attack and Release Times to remove the “pumping” from the sound.We start with small values for both parameters. If the attack time is too short, we may remove some“kick” from the material.That’s certainly not what we want, so if it happens, try a greater value. Heavy peaks can be smoothed using the limiter section.
If the release-time is too fast, it will result in a terrible “pumping,” because the compressor returns to the uncompressed signal immediately whenever the signal falls below the compressor’s threshold setting. Increase the value of the release time until you are satisfied with the result. In our example, we have chosen an Attack time of 1ms and a Release time of 0.2 s. If you don’t get the desired result, try some different crossover frequencies. Keep in mind that you have three independent bands – why should a bass drum signal affect the mid and high bands when its peak is in the low end? (We chose 125 Hz and 2.5 kHz as the settings for our example.)

Now we will adjust the compressor’s threshold and ratio. Set these parameters to the desired values. In most cases, you would use a low threshold in combination with a small ratio and vice-versa. Let’s choose a low threshold of -20 dB and a small compression ratio of 2.5:1 to be satisfied.
Satisfied? Why be satisfied? We have now set the compressor – but with identical settings for all three bands! With identical settings, we are not taking full advantage of the multiband capabilities.This is where the famed Target Curves and the Target Factor come in.
The Target Curves create different settings for each of the three bands.The displayed values in each fader section are always the mid-band settings. If the Target Curve is set to “Linear” (or if the Target Factor is set to “Off”), the values will be identical for all three bands. If you select the “Hyped” curve, for example, the high band will be compressed more than the others.
The Target Factor defines how much the target curve characteristics will influence the hi or low band.To set the Target Curve and Factor properly, we recommend that you compare the processed signal with the uncompressed, because you can use it to change the overall sound impression. Does your mix lack treble? Use the “Hyped” curve and adjust the target factor to your liking.Too bright? Select “Pink" and adjust the target factor. Not enough treble and bass? Go for “Smiley” and you’ll be smiling too!

To get a better impression of how the sound – as opposed to the output volume – is
influenced by MasterX, reduce the output level so the bypassed and processed signals are equally loud – but don’t forget to bring the output level back up in the end!
The band levels in the upper display supply you with an additional tool for easily adjusting the sound of your mix. Use them like a low, mid, treble EQ!

4.Activate the Limiter
We’ve pumped up the volume and reduced the dynamics to optimize the sound and to make it more compact and “punchy.”
But there’s something really nasty that can happen when you work with digital audio:
digital clipping. If you have more than one tiny sample clip, your whole master will be
worthless for serious use – such as putting the music on CD.
That’s why there is a Limiter block in MasterX. It ensures that you get only the levels you want, and eliminates the ones that would not only spoil your day but also your whole mix!
You should use the Limiter carefully, as a limiter is always a somewhat “drastic” tool to apply to your audio. Just a couple dB should be enough to limit strong peaks. Softclip will help the limiter work even more smoothly.
For our example we have chosen a threshold of -4 dB and a Softclip of 20%.The Attack Time is short (50 µs), so the Limiter is capable of preventing clips.The release time is set to a value that avoids unwanted pumping (0.3 s).
Set the target factor in the same way you set the compressor.Trust your ears (and the Consecutive Clips meters) to judge whether a band needs more limiting.

5. Expand!
By compressing the signal we made it sound louder. However, an unwanted side effect is that the ground floor level is also brought up (which may cause you to remark,“Where did all that noise come from?”).The noise will be most evident in the pauses.
The Expander is one possible cure for this. (Obviously, the Expander can’t replace broadband noise reduction – but it will reduce audible noise when applied to vocal tracks, for example.)

Use the Expander carefully.The modulated noise of the ground floor level is much more audible than a higher ground floor level without such modulation.
The Expander’s threshold must be lower than the compressor’s threshold. If you raise it too much, you might cut into low parts of the signal, such as reverb tails.
The Expander’s range parameter determines the width of the level range.Also, the target Factor enables you to determine whether to apply different settings to all three bands, and ifso, just how different the settings should be!

6.Adjust the Output Level
We are almost finished – just one parameter left: the Digital Ceiling. Set this parameter to a value lower than 0 dB to prevent unwanted clipping.
The most common value is -0.01 dB.With this setting, the maximum output level is -0.01 dB.
No portion of your signal will be able to pass this absolute setting. Now you can be
absolutely sure that there is no clipping – and the difference from 0 dB will be imperceptible.