Tape Mastering is Tape DSP’s online mastering: upload a finished mix and get a master printed through tape. The plugin pack does analog glue on the mix bus in your DAW. This walkthrough is the online path.
Master in the DAW or in the browser
Use the plugins on the mix bus in your session, or upload the final mix to Tape Mastering. It plans tone, dynamics and level for the song, prints it through tape and sets integrated LUFS and true peak for Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music.
Step 1: Start with a clean, headroom-friendly mix
Master a mix that peaks around −6 to −3 dBFS, with the brickwall limiter off the bus. Mastering builds on a mix that still has room. Prefer 24-bit or 32-bit float WAV and leave headroom for tape drive and final loudness.
Step 2: Pick the tape
In Tape Mastering, pick any 30 seconds and preview both presets for free. They play next to your mix at the same loudness, so the difference you hear is the tone. Details: what the engine actually does.
- Modern: a clean studio deck at 30 IPS that keeps the tone of your mix
- Vintage: a 15 IPS deck with tube electronics, with rounder lows, a softer top and more harmonics
Hear tape before you commit
Compare the homepage samples, or preview Modern and Vintage on your own mix at matched level.
Step 3: Hit the right loudness target
Streaming platforms normalize around roughly −14 LUFS integrated. Many releases land near −14 to −9 LUFS depending on genre; club-competitive material goes hotter. Keep true-peak at about −1 dBTP or lower so lossy encodes stay clean.
Tape Mastering masters to −14 LUFS integrated with true peak under −1 dBTP, the level Spotify and YouTube play at. More on the targets: automatic mastering for streaming platforms.
Step 4: Export the right format
Master the whole song with the preset you like and download a 24-bit WAV for delivery. Keep that WAV as your archive, and make MP3 or FLAC copies from it when you need them.
Common online mastering mistakes
- Mastering too loud: platforms turn you down, and you lose punch
- No headroom in the mix: leave room before the master stage
- Trusting volume over tone: always A/B at matched level
- Ignoring true-peak: intersample peaks clip on streaming codecs
FAQ
How much does online mastering cost?
Previews are free, and mastering the whole song is paid by its length, with no subscription. See Tape Mastering pricing.
Is tape enough to master a whole song?
For many mixes, tape plus careful loudness and true-peak is a complete musical master. Heavy corrective EQ still belongs in the mix. Tape Mastering adds the analysis, the glue and the final level around the tape.
Modern or Vintage?
Start with Modern for a clean master that keeps the tone of your mix. Pick Vintage when the song wants an older, rounder sound.
Finish a master today
Glue the mix with the plugins, then master the finished song through tape with Tape Mastering.