Mastering trance for the club
A trance master has to hold up on a club system next to every other record a DJ plays, and still sound good when a streaming service turns it down. Here's how to hit both.
How loud?
Loudness is measured in LUFS: the average level of the whole track, the way streaming services measure it.
Club-focused trance masters commonly sit around −9 to −6 LUFS, so they match other records in a DJ set. Streaming services turn loud tracks down to their own target, about −14 LUFS on Spotify and YouTube, so a very loud master gains nothing there and can lose punch.
Leave room for true peak
Converting to MP3 or AAC (as stores and streaming services do) can create peaks between the samples, higher than your meter showed, and those can clip. Set the limiter's ceiling to −1 dBTP (true peak) and turn on its true-peak mode if it has one.
A simple mastering chain
No single plugin should do all the work. Each stage does a little, so nothing is pushed hard enough to sound strained.
Starting points
- EQ
- Small moves, ±1–2 dB
- Glue compressor
- 1–2 dB reduction
- Clipper
- Shave 1–2 dB
- Limiter
- 2–4 dB reduction
- Ceiling
- −1 dBTP
Keep the punch
The quickest way to ruin a trance master is to crush the kick. If the kick gets smaller as you push the limiter, back off. A clipper before the limiter, shaving just the kick's sharpest peaks, often keeps more punch at the same loudness.
Compare at matched loudness. A louder version always sounds better for a few seconds, which is why it's so easy to over-master. Turn the louder one down to match before you judge.
Sending to a label?
Many labels master releases themselves. If so, they'll want a premaster: your finished mix with no limiter on the master, peaking around −6 dBFS, as a 24-bit WAV at the session's sample rate. If they want it mastered, send the master as above, and keep a premaster ready in case they ask.
More guides
How to write trance chord progressions
Numerals, why trance lives in minor keys, the raised V and voice leading.
How to write a trance melody
Call and answer, chord tones on the beat, rhythm, range and the peak note.
Trance basslines
Offbeat, octave, galloping and rolling: the four patterns and the sound.
Trance arps and plucks
Arp patterns and rates, the pluck sound, the dotted delay and layering.
How to make an uplifting trance lead
Unison, the octave layer, filtering, delay and the mix tricks that make a lead huge.
How to make a trance pad
Slow attack, long release, width, chorus, reverb and movement.
Trancegate settings explained
Patterns, smoothing and where the reverb goes, for gates that chop cleanly.
Acid in trance
The 303 sound, accents and slides, and the filter movement that makes it talk.
Programming trance drums
Four to the floor, the offbeat hat, velocity, swing, fills and sounds.
Trance track structure
Section lengths, timings at your tempo, and why DJs need the first and last 32 bars.
The trance breakdown
What to strip away, revealing the melody, and keeping it moving without a kick.
How to make a trance build-up
Snare rolls, risers, filter sweeps and the gap before the drop.
Mixing kick and bass in trance
Tuning, timing and frequency: a low end that hits hard without fighting.
Sidechain settings for trance
Depth, release and what to duck, for a pump that breathes with the kick.
Mastering trance for the club
Loudness targets, true peak, the mastering chain and streaming.
Getting your trance track signed
Picking labels, sending demos, premasters and what happens when a label says yes.