Basic Mastering in Ableton

Notes on the tips provided in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrroYDVdPUc&ab_channel=AbletonTipsbyPML

1. Check you have headroom on the master track ~5db is ok
2. Add a limiter to the master track with lookahead to 6ms and the ceiling to -1.0db. Puch the gain until you can ear audible distortion. At that point, wind the gain back by 1db.
3. Then add 'ulene loudness meter' after the compressor. If you can't turn the gain on your limiter up and get to around 10Lufs without distortion, then you need to go back to your track and mix it better as one of the sounds is smashing the limiter and needs fixing.
4. Add an eq8 to the master track before the limiter. turn off the visualiser on it. We'll come back to this later.
5. Next we check the mono and mid/side mixes separately. Set 2 utility plugins on the master track, one with the mono button pressed, one with the mid/side knob turned up to 100%. Now we can listen to both individually and hear what might need to happen in the eq we just added.
6. Start with the mid/side. Listen to it and see if its muddy (it often is due to stereo effects bleeding into each other. If it is muddy: turn off the mid/side utility first then set the eq8 to mid/side mode and set a low cut. move the low-cut freq up and down until the track looses its warmth, then pull it back a little bit. Then listen out for elements in the mix that are too forward, or causing mud and use a band-cut to remove them. Eq it up, small changes, this is mastering, not creative.
7. Add a glue compressor after the eq and before the limiter. Set the eq on the glue compressor to the fundamental of the kick (use a spectrograph to find it) Set the q quite tight ~3. Set attack a bit slow ~10 and the release fast to about 0.10. Pull the threshold down until the kick sits in the mix better and feels cleaner. N0 makeup gain.
8. Add another eq after the compressor and use this as makeup gain. add gain to it based on how much you lost in the compressor (see the meter) then add a little light eqing as necessary. We now have a clean sound and can boost it.
9. Finally add another compressor at the end of the chain after the one we previously added. Set the set the old one back to 0db ceiling and the new limiter ceiling to -1db with 1.5ms lookahead. Push the gain until you hear audible distortion and then pul it back by 1db as we did before.

You should be able to et to -8db LUFS with this. if you cant you may need to think about your mix again.