Mastering in Logic Pro with Mastering Assistant

Platform and version

Master a song with Mastering Assistant

Mastering Assistant is an analysis-driven plug-in that lives only on the stereo output channel strip. Apple's support article and the Logic Pro User Guide parameters page (both under Sources) document the controls named below.

1. Finish the mix first. Leave headroom: peaks around -6 dBFS on Stereo Out and no limiter there. Bypass any bus compressor you are not sure about. Mastering Assistant analyzes what it hears, so a mix that is already slammed gives it nothing to work with.
2. Add Mastering Assistant. Click Mastering, the last Audio Effect slot on the Stereo Out channel strip, or choose Mix > Mastering Assistant. Apple's article states it should sit after any other plug-ins on the output. To analyze only part of the song, set the locators first; the button label changes to Reanalyze Section.
3. Let it analyze. Logic plays through the project, software instruments and effects included, and sets EQ, loudness and width from what it measured. This takes roughly as long as the song.
4. Choose a Character. Apple lists four: Transparent (the default), Clean (described for EDM and acoustic music), Valve (deep low end and refined highs, suggested for acoustic music and hip-hop) and Punch (aggressive mid-range emphasis, suggested for rock). Only Clean is available on a Mac without Apple silicon; all four work on Logic Pro for iPad.
5. Tame the Auto EQ. The Auto EQ slider scales the corrective EQ from the analysis; the default is 100 percent. If the result sounds overcooked, pull it toward 50 percent. For broad taste changes, turn on Custom EQ and drag its three control points; each band is limited to plus or minus 6 dB, with Low Freq 20 to 200 Hz, Mid Freq 200 Hz to 8 kHz and High Freq 8 to 20 kHz.
6. Set Loudness. Apple states that with the Loudness knob centered the output typically reads around -14 LUFS-I, and that pushing higher reduces dynamics. Nudge it up for dense genres, down for acoustic material, and watch the LUFS meter's integrated (I) reading over a full pass; press Reset and Start on the meter to measure cleanly.
7. Check true peak and mono. The True Peak meter shows dBTP and the maximum peak; Apple's parameters page states the plug-in limits output to -1 dBFS true peak. Turn Width fully left to hear the mix in mono, and keep the Correlation meter above zero.
8. Add Excite if the top is dull. Excite adds saturation in the upper mids. Use it sparingly; it is easy to make a master fatiguing.
9. A/B honestly. With Loudness Compensation on, Logic matches the processed level to the original so you compare tone rather than volume. Use Bypass to flip between them.
10. Before you bounce. Apple's article lists two steps: click Reanalyze if you changed anything in the mix after the first analysis, and turn Loudness Compensation off. Also make sure Bypass is off.
11. Bounce. Choose File > Bounce > Project or Section, PCM, Wave, 24 Bit, project sample rate, Normalize Off. The full dialog is explained on How to bounce in Logic Pro.

Mastering without Mastering Assistant

If you prefer manual control, the stock chain is Linear Phase EQ for broad tonal fixes, Compressor at a 1 to 2 dB ratio-light setting for glue, optional Multipressor for a wayward low end, and Adaptive Limiter or Limiter last with its output ceiling at -1 dBTP. Insert the Loudness Meter plug-in after the limiter so you read the final numbers. The same bounce settings apply.

True peak, in plain terms

Sample peaks are what the channel meter shows; true peak is the level the waveform reaches between samples once it is converted to analog or to a lossy codec. Lossy encoders (AAC, Ogg Vorbis, MP3) can push a master that sits at 0 dBFS sample peak over full scale and distort. That is why Spotify asks for -1 dBTP, and -2 dBTP if the master is louder than -14 LUFS, and why Mastering Assistant ceilings at -1 dBFS true peak. The Loudness Meter and Mastering Assistant both read true peak; the channel strip meter does not.

Dither

Dither is low-level noise added when you reduce bit depth, and it only matters when the file's Resolution is lower than the project's. A 24-bit project bounced to a 24-bit WAV needs Dithering set to None. A 24-bit project bounced to a 16-bit file (CD, or a service that asks for 16-bit) should use one of the POW-r options in the Bounce dialog, chosen once, at the very last step. Never dither twice, and never dither stems that will be processed again.

When to hire a mastering engineer

Mastering Assistant gets a well-mixed song to a competitive, consistent level, and for demos, singles for streaming and most independent releases that is enough. Hire an engineer when the release is an album that must sound consistent across songs, when the mix will also go to vinyl or broadcast, when you cannot hear low end reliably in your room, or when you have been staring at the same mix for weeks. A good engineer brings a calibrated room and a second opinion on the mix itself; they will often send back a note before they master. Send them a 24-bit WAV with peaks around -6 dBFS and nothing on Stereo Out, not a Mastering Assistant bounce.

Loudness and true-peak targets you can source

Figures in this table come from the linked pages and were checked on 3 November 2026. Platforms that do not publish a target are left out rather than guessed; check your distributor's own spec page for anything not listed.

Mastering Assistant controls at a glance

Check the master and deliver it

Bounce, then drag the bounced file onto a new track in an empty project, insert the Loudness Meter plug-in, and play the whole song once. You want the integrated reading you aimed for and a true peak that never passes -1 dBTP. Listen on earbuds and a phone speaker as well as your monitors; a master that only works on studio monitors is not finished.

Deliver a 24-bit WAV at the project sample rate; the per-destination rows on How to bounce in Logic Pro cover MP3 and AAC copies. If a label or engineer asks for stems instead, How to export stems from Logic Pro explains the export. If Mastering Assistant's analysis stalls with a system overload alert on a dense project, freeze tracks first using the steps on Logic Pro system overload.