Mastering chain order
What Goes Where, And Why?
A mastering chain is not a row of magic plugins. It is a set of listening decisions in a specific order, where each move changes what the next processor hears.
The short answer
Start simple. Change order for a reason.
A sensible starting point is corrective EQ, tonal shaping, gentle compression, saturation or clipping if the record needs density, final limiting, then metering. That order is not law. It is a calm default.
The real skill is knowing why a processor is there. If the EQ is removing mud before compression, it belongs early. If it is adding air after compression has settled the movement, it may belong later. If the limiter is doing the job of five earlier decisions, the chain is probably asking too much from the last plugin.
Small cuts for problems you do not want the rest of the chain to exaggerate.
Weight, air or balance once the obvious distractions are under control.
Movement and glue, not a fight against every peak in the track.
Density, colour or edge when the record needs more body between peaks.
Peak shaving before the limiter when transients need controlled shape.
Final level and safety, checked against punch, tone and translation.
Why order changes the sound.
Every processor receives the result of the processor before it. That sounds obvious, but it is where most mastering chain confusion begins. A compressor after a low-end boost reacts differently from a compressor before that boost. A limiter after clipping behaves differently from a limiter asked to catch every transient by itself.
iZotope’s mastering-chain guidance makes the same core point: a chain should be built with an intended result, because processors can start fighting each other when the order is not thought through. In practical terms, do not ask a later plugin to undo a problem an earlier plugin created.
The useful test: bypass one stage. If the record simply gets worse, the stage has a job. If nothing meaningful changes, or the next plugin suddenly behaves better, the chain may be too busy.
EQ placement
EQ before compression is not the same as EQ after compression.
EQ before compression changes what the compressor reacts to. If the low mids are making the compressor work too hard, a small cut before compression can make the whole chain calmer. EQ after compression changes the finished balance after the movement has already been shaped.
That is why many masters use more than one EQ position. One may be corrective and boring. Another may be tonal and musical. The mistake is treating EQ as a single slot rather than asking what the move is meant to do.
Use EQ before compression when…
You want to stop a problem frequency from driving the compressor, or when the mix has a distracting build-up that will only get worse downstream.
Use EQ after compression when…
The movement feels right but the record wants more air, body, forwardness, or tonal finish after the dynamic shape is settled.
Use no EQ when…
The mix already feels balanced and the EQ move only makes you feel productive. No move is often the most professional move.
Compression, saturation and clipping
Do not make one processor do every job.
A chain gets ugly when the limiter is asked to create tone, control wild peaks, add density, glue the record, and win loudness all at once. Those are different jobs. Sometimes a little saturation gives the record body before limiting. Sometimes gentle clipping catches drum spikes before they slam the limiter. Sometimes compression is not needed at all.
Final limiter
The limiter belongs near the end for a reason.
The final limiter is where level, peak control and delivery safety meet. It should receive a record that has already been shaped enough to limit gracefully. If it is being forced to fix the low end, add excitement, glue the middle, and catch huge transients, it will usually make the master smaller.
True peak limiting, oversampling, output ceiling and dithering are delivery decisions as well as sound decisions. FabFilter’s Pro-L 2 documentation is useful here because it separates the sound of limiting from final output settings such as true peak behaviour, oversampling and dither.
When to break the order
The right order is the one the record proves.
Some masters want compression before most tonal shaping. Some need clipping before saturation. Some need no compression, no widening, and barely any EQ. A fixed chain is useful for learning, but dangerous when it becomes a superstition.
Sources
Further reading without turning this into a plugin advert.
FabFilter Pro-Q interfaceUsed as a real EQ interface reference for the chain-order visuals.
FabFilter true peak limiting helpUsed for true peak context and why final output behaviour matters after the creative chain.
ESM quiet master guideRelated reading on limiter stress, mix density and why more level is not always a stronger master.
Next step
If the chain is fighting the song, send the song.
The chain order is only useful when it serves the record. If you are stuck moving plugins around and the track keeps getting smaller, a direct listen will usually tell you faster than another preset.
