A good example of this is electronic music where various sections within a song (e.g. Therefore, a critical, thoughtful ear is key when utilizing automation in mastering.Īs mastering engineers, we have more freedom to use automation to change treatments between sections of a song in some genres more than others. In mastering, 1 dB of change could already yield drastic effects. Mix sessions could have automation rides spanning 5–10 dB or more. Therefore, adjustments are done in much smaller increments. In contrast to mixers, mastering engineers have to work within a significantly limited amount of headroom.

However, one detail that sets mastering automation apart is scale. The actual method for setting your automations might vary depending on your DAW, but the principle remains the same. You’re still setting a predetermined time-based adjustment on your parameter of choice using a DAW-whether it’s volume rides, EQ, compression threshold adjustments, etc. In the case of music production and audio mastering, automation means having a DAW (Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, Ableton, etc.) automatically perform tasks over time, particularly moving knobs, faders, and switches for you.īefore digging into our examples, how does one exactly define what mastering automation is in the first place? And how does it compare to automating in the mix stage?Īutomation in mastering versus mixing is not that much different.

Automation refers to automating, meaning having a robot or a computer do some task(s) for you.

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