Saving
Save project, in the project bar, keeps the song in this browser’s library. The studio also saves recovery copies on its own a few seconds after you stop making changes; once one exists, the project bar says Recovery saved on this browser.
Projects, in the masthead, opens Your project: YOUR SAVES lists what you saved, and AUTO-SAVE RECOVERY the recent recovery copies. Click one to open it.
TipProjects live in this browser only. Clearing its site data, or switching to another browser or device, leaves them behind. Download a song file (below) for anything you would hate to lose. And be careful with ✕ in the list: it deletes a save immediately.
The Finish tool
Export ↗ in the project bar, or tab 08, opens Finish.
- DOWNLOAD JSON
- Saves the whole project as a song file. Open it later, anywhere, with IMPORT JSON. When your song uses samples it reads SONG (.JSON), and the file refers to them without including them.
- SONG + SAMPLES
- Appears when your song uses samples: a song file with its sounds inside, for moving a project to another device.
- IMPORT JSON
- Opens a song file. It replaces the song you have open, so save first.
- MIDI
- Imports a MIDI file or connects a MIDI keyboard (chapter 13). There is no MIDI export.
- EXPORT WAV
- Renders your song to an audio file.
- MASTER
- Opens the mastering suite.
Exporting a WAV
- Open Finish and press EXPORT WAV.
- If your arrangement has more than one clip, the studio asks: PATTERN exports just the open pattern, FULL SONG the whole arrangement.
- Wait while it renders (EXPORTING… shows its progress), then save the file.
Muted channels are left out, and so is everything but the soloed channel if one is soloed. As the Finish tool notes, WAV and mastering renders use straight timing: live swing, transplanted groove, creative master effects and sidechain are not included.
What mastering is
Mastering is the last step before a song goes out: a gentle pass over the whole mix rather than any one part. Its jobs are an even tonal balance (not too boomy, not too thin), a sensible overall loudness, and a sound that holds up on phone speakers and headphones alike.
The golden rule: compare at the same loudness. Louder almost always sounds better for a moment, so a change is only an improvement if it still sounds better when the volume matches.
The mastering suite
MASTER opens the Master preview: the same project, laid out for a final listen. Use its own ▶ PLAY; the transport’s Play waits until you go ← BACK.
- MASTERING SUITE presets
- CLEAN, WARM, LOUD, RADIO and SPACIOUS: starting points for the whole chain.
- A/B
- Switches the mastering on and off, to compare.
- 7-BAND EQ
- Tone across the whole mix, from SUB to AIR.
- DYNAMICS
- Multiband and parallel compression, for weight and punch.
- TONE & WIDTH
- An exciter, bass enhancement and stereo width.
- LIMITER
- Sets the final loudness without letting peaks clip.
- BOUNCE WAV
- Renders the song with the mastering applied. EXPORT WAV, in Finish, does not include mastering.
The mix assistant
- Choose what matters most: Preserve punch, Balanced or Denser.
- Press Analyse my mix. It listens to up to 45 seconds from a busy part of the track.
- It suggests changes: Level change, Low shelf change, High shelf change and Extra peak compression.
- Play ▶ Original settings and ▶ Suggestion to compare them.
- Press Apply suggested settings to use them, or Keep my current settings.