Mastering Chain Order (What Goes Where)

Updated August 2026 · by Loopin

The short answer: corrective EQ → compression → saturation → stereo imaging → loudness & true-peak limiter, with metering the whole way through. Each stage cleans up the signal for the next, which is why the order matters as much as the settings. Here’s what goes where, and why every professional chain follows roughly the same sequence.

The order at a glance

A mastering chain is a pipeline: each processor hands its output to the next, so a bad order makes every later stage work harder for a worse result. The standard sequence is deliberate, not arbitrary.

Corrective EQ — high-pass rumble, fix problem frequencies
Compression — glue and multiband control
Saturation / harmonics — colour and warmth
Stereo (M/S) imaging — width, with low end kept mono
Loudness & true-peak limiter — last, ceiling at −1 dBTP, target around −14 LUFS

1. Corrective EQ — clean before you compress

Corrective EQ comes first for one reason: you don’t want the compressor reacting to junk. Sub-sonic rumble below the musical range and any harsh or resonant problem frequency will trigger gain reduction that has nothing to do with the music you care about.

So the first move is a gentle high-pass to remove rumble, plus small corrective cuts on any problem frequencies. Clean the signal, then let dynamics work on what’s left. Feed a compressor garbage and it chases the garbage.

2. Compression — glue after the cleanup

With the signal cleaned, gentle bus compression glues the mix together — a low ratio and only a decibel or two of gain reduction to make the elements feel like one cohesive record rather than separate stems.

Multiband compression sits here too, targeting a specific problem band independently — most often an unruly low end — without squashing the rest of the track. Because it runs after corrective EQ, it’s reacting to real musical energy, not rumble.

3. Saturation — colour on a controlled signal

Saturation and harmonic processing add warmth, density and perceived loudness. It goes after compression so you’re colouring a signal whose dynamics are already under control — the harmonics land evenly instead of flaring up on every uncontrolled transient.

Saturation works by generating new harmonic content, which is why it can make a track feel louder and richer without the level meter moving much. Placed after the compressor, that harmonic generation is consistent; placed before it, the compressor would just clamp down on the very energy the saturation was adding.

This is a character stage, not a corrective one. A little goes a long way: it should make the master feel fuller and more “finished” without you being able to point at it.

4. Stereo (M/S) imaging — width, low end mono

Stereo processing shapes the width of the master using mid/side techniques — you can widen the sides for air and space while keeping the centre solid. The golden rule: keep the low end mono.

Wide, phasey bass smears on speakers and can collapse or cancel on a mono phone speaker or club system. Keeping the sub and bass centred gives you a low end that stays powerful and translates everywhere, while the width lives up top where it’s safe.

5. Loudness & the limiter — always last

The true-peak limiter is the final stage, full stop. It sets the ceiling and brings the track up to a target loudness — and it has to be last because every earlier stage (EQ boosts, saturation, width) changes the peak level. Limit before them and later stages would blow through your ceiling.

Set the ceiling to −1 dBTP to stay clean after lossy encoding, and raise the level until you land around −14 LUFS integrated for streaming. Keep the gain reduction modest — the limiter finishes the master, it doesn’t rescue it.

Metering, and when the order bends

Metering isn’t a stage — it’s on the whole time. A spectrum analyser shows tonal balance for your EQ moves, a gain-reduction meter tells you how hard the compressor and limiter are working, and a LUFS/true-peak meter confirms you actually hit −14 LUFS at −1 dBTP. Ears lead, meters confirm — and always A/B against the original at matched loudness so you’re judging the processing, not just the fact that the master is louder.

The sequence above is the reliable default, and the vast majority of masters follow it exactly — but it’s a guideline, not a law. Some engineers place a broad tonal EQ move after saturation to counter the brightness harmonics add, or split EQ into two stages: corrective before compression, musical after. What never moves is the principle — clean before dynamics, and the limiter always last. Knowing why the order exists is what lets you bend it safely; the limiter is the one rule with no exceptions, because anything after it would push peaks back over −1 dBTP.

If you’d rather skip the meter-watching entirely, Loopin’s free online mastering runs the metered chain for you in the correct order and lets you A/B instantly.

Run the whole chain free, in order

You don’t have to build this by hand. Loopin’s free online mastering runs the full sequence automatically — corrective EQ, multiband compression with an independent mono bass band, character EQ, saturation, M/S stereo with the low end kept mono, and a two-pass true-peak limiter to around −14 LUFS at −1 dBTP.

It runs entirely in your browser with nothing uploaded — free, no signup, no watermark, and a full-quality WAV export. Here’s the whole process:

Bounce your mix as a WAV with headroom (peaks near −6 dB, no mix-bus limiter).
Open Loopin’s free online mastering and drop the file in — nothing is uploaded, it processes on your device.
Let the chain run in order: corrective EQ, compression, saturation, stereo, then the true-peak limiter last.
A/B Original vs Mastered at matched loudness to hear what each stage contributed.
Export the full-quality WAV — free, no signup, no watermark.

Frequently asked questions

What is the correct order for a mastering chain?

Corrective EQ first, then compression (glue and multiband), then saturation, then stereo imaging with the low end kept mono, and finally the loudness and true-peak limiter. Metering runs throughout. Each stage cleans up the signal for the next.

Why does EQ go before compression in mastering?

So the compressor isn’t reacting to junk. Sub rumble and harsh problem frequencies would trigger gain reduction unrelated to the music. High-passing and correcting first means dynamics act only on the content you actually care about.

Should the limiter always be last?

Yes. Every earlier stage — EQ boosts, saturation, stereo width — changes the peak level. The true-peak limiter has to sit last so it can set the final ceiling at −1 dBTP and hit your loudness target without later stages blowing through it.

Where does stereo widening go in the chain?

After saturation and before the limiter. Use mid/side processing to add width up top, but keep the low end mono so the bass stays solid and translates on mono phone and club systems instead of smearing or cancelling.

Can I master without building the chain myself?

Yes. Loopin’s free online mastering runs the entire chain in the correct order automatically — corrective EQ through to a true-peak limiter at −1 dBTP and around −14 LUFS — in your browser, with nothing uploaded.