Plug-In Power: The Precision Mastering Series
By Dave Crane

To celebrate the fact that the Precision Mastering Series plug-ins and bundles are 20% off in UA’s online store, I am going to demonstrate the power of the Precision Mastering Series of plug-ins. The Precision Series is now six plug-ins strong, and we have a fantastic-sounding and easy-to-use tool for just about every aspect of mastering. Some of the Precision Mix series plug-ins are also useful in mastering. The Precision Mastering Series consists of the Precision Multiband Compressor, the Precision Equalizer, the Precision Limiter, and the Precision Maximizer. Each of these plug-ins has a special role in the mastering chain. The Precision Mix series includes the Precision Buss Compressor, the Precision Enhancer kHz, and the Precision De-Esser.

While many mastering houses use a mix of digital and analog processes, more and more or mixing ITB (In The Box) with plug-ins, and many of those engineers are using UA’s Precision Series plug-ins. While there are no rules per se, if you were to use every Precision Mastering plug, plus some of the Precision Mix series plugs, a typical Precision Series mastering chain would be connected like this: Start with the Precision EQ, to make subtle changes and to correct sonic problems. This is a good place to engage the high pass filter. Most mastering engineers typically filter at around 30 Hz, because you don’t want frequencies that low to cause the compressors to pump, or rob the limiter of headroom. If there are still problems with some frequencies, turn to the Precision Multiband compressor, to use compression to control the problem areas, like excessive low-mid frequencies, or de-essing. Then, if more dynamic control is needed, use the Precision Buss Compressor from the Precision Mix Series. The Precision Buss Compressor allows you to increase the overall volume of the track by compressing the peaks and adding some make-up gain. At this point, if you feel the mix is lacking excitement, or seems a little flat, you can try another Precision EQ and give a slight high frequency boost, or try the Precision Maximizer. If used carefully, the Precision Maximizer can add just the thing your mix is missing, and you can pump up the output a bit, too. You can also try the Precision Enhancer kHz here too. Finally, once you are satisfied with tonal balance, use the Precision Limiter to bring the levels up (without creating a “digital sausage” please!).

The Precision Series is now six plug-ins strong, and we have a fantastic-sounding and easy-to-use tool for just about every aspect of mastering.

If the track is mixed well, you won’t need all of these plug-ins, but it is good to have them all on hand to handle any job. And at the great prices UA offers, as well as great bundles, and the May 15% off sale, you can own all of them for around the same price that some companies charge for one plug-in! And of course they sound fantastic and are among the most highly regarded plug-ins available.

In the video links below, I demonstrate mastering material using the Precision Series plug-ins. To see more videos of these plug-ins in action, please visit the Demos and Tips section on the product page of each plug-in, or search the Webzine Archives.

Precision EQ

Precision Multiband Compressor

Precision Buss Compressor

Precision Maximizer

Precision Enhancer kHz

Precision Limiter

"Digital sausage," created by overlimiting in mastering

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