But even expert mastering engineers can only accomplish so much, and it’s largely dependent on the raw materials they’re given to work with. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the top mistakes people make in preparing their mix for mastering, with the help of veteran engineer of Universal Mastering Studios West, Pete Doell.

I use Universal Audio plug-ins in every track of every mix I do. It’s great to see the company do these types of articles. Not only do they tell us what the top mistakes are, they tell us how to fix them too.