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TBProaudio’s mvMeter and PreSonus’ VU Meter).
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Happily, you can add one of those for free (eg.
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Cubase Pro 11 has comprehensive loudness metering, courtesy of its SuperVision plug‑in, but users of Elements or Artist don’t have that and nor does it provide us with one of Ian’s favourite tools: a virtual VU meter. Ian discussed how useful he finds it to be able to visualise both the spectral balance and loudness of the audio. That got me wondering how someone might attempt DIY mastering for the first time if using a relatively basic DAW such as Cubase Elements 11, perhaps with the help of a few freebie plug‑ins. One of the key things Ian explains is that, for the basics of mastering, his processing chain is always simple: it consists only of gain adjustment, EQ, compression and limiting, although he also makes use of various meters. Our recent six‑part video series on the subject by mastering engineer Ian Shepherd ( ) is a great introduction to the topic, and I’d encourage you to watch it. But we still want our material to sound ‘finished’ so it’s natural that many of us look to dabble in a little DIY mastering. Realistically, we can’t all get every track we write mastered professionally. Want to try a spot of DIY mastering? You can do so in any version of Cubase 11, including Elements. Some freeware plug‑ins that can enhance your DIY mastering experience in Cubase Elements.