How to Master a Song in FL Studio with Stock Plugins
Learn how to give your FL Studio tracks a professional finish using only native tools like Fruity Parametric EQ 2 and Maximus.
Mastering provides the final polish and competitive volume your track needs before release. This guide shows you how to use a standard stock plugin chain to balance and boost your mix effectively.
Follow these steps
Clean up the Low End
Open the Mixer and select the Master track. Load Fruity Parametric EQ 2 and apply a high-pass filter around 30Hz to remove inaudible low-end rumble.
Apply Light Compression
Add Fruity Limiter or Maximus to the chain. Use a gentle compression ratio (around 2:1) to glue the elements together without squashing the dynamics.
Enhance Tonal Balance
Use Fruity Parametric EQ 2 again to add a subtle high-shelf boost of 1-2dB above 10kHz. This adds 'air' and clarity to the overall sound.
Final Limiting and Loudness
Increase the Gain or Ceiling in Maximus or Fruity Limiter until the volume matches commercial tracks. Ensure the Ceiling is set to -0.3dB or -1.0dB to prevent digital distortion.
Common mistakes
- Adding too much bass in the EQ which kills headroom.
- Over-compressing the signal until the life is sucked out of the drums.