Need a “good place to start” stereo mastering preset?

First, keep in mind that any preset you find in a plug-in library should never be thought of as “the” preset to use, but should be thought of as merely a good starting point. Such is the case with the following parameters I use as stereo mastering preset and then adjust accordingly to fit the condition of the particular track.

As a general rule, most mix tracks I work on tend to have some build up in the lo-mid 300hz range and so I start with some reduction in that area with a fairly narrow “Q”. This takes some of the cloudiness out of the track and allows me to boost a little in the bottom end with a wider “Q” if need be without getting too muddy. Then a little bit of high-pass filter to roll-off some super lo stuff as well as adding some “air” on top around 11k.

The plug-ins you actually have on your system will affect your eq choice and the color it adds. As far as a relatively “colorless” eq I think the Pro Tools 7-band EQ-III, as shown, works pretty well. This also leaves some bands open to hit other problem areas if needed. Don’t forget to periodically hit the “bypass” button to review what your eq is doing to your mix track.

If you find yourself using some aggressive eq’ing to get your track sounding the way you think it should then perhaps it’s time to rethink some of your mixing techniques. Remember this, mixing is a lifelong learning process, the more you learn, the better your mixes come out. When you stop learning it’s probably time to stop mixing.