Daniel Wyatt on Mastering Electronic Dance Music
Daniel Wyatt is a multi-platinum, award-winning recording and mastering engineer with over 30 years of experience in sonic perfection. His diverse credits span genres, from Norah Jones, Curtis Mayfield, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and Blues Traveler to Mos Def and numerous international artists. He has also served as a senior instructor and course designer for SAE New York and Dubspot.com. We caught up with Daniel to discuss his approach to one of his recent specialties: mastering Electronic Dance Music (EDM).
Tell us about your approach to mastering EDM.
"When it comes to EDM mastering, like it or not, loudness matters. The real challenge is making tracks as loud as the current good-sounding masters on Beatport. My commitment is to make them 'as loud' but not louder, to avoid contributing to the loudness war.
Loudness is crucial because people respond to the sheer energy of loud music, especially in live settings. In clubs, after a few drinks on a Saturday night, partygoers explode with excitement when a really loud track drops. DJs know this and push their systems to the limit to keep the energy high. As a DJ set reaches its climax, only the loudest masters make the most impactful entrance. That's the reality for masters heading to Beatport—they need to be loud but still sound great. Producers like Knife Party, Noisia, and Hardwell are prime examples of those who achieve exceptionally loud yet clean masters."
Do you prefer stereo or stem mixes?
"I always encourage clients to opt for stem mastering over stereo mastering. With stereo, I’m bound to the mix as it is, and while I have tools to shape things, it's difficult to, say, brighten the kick, de-ess the lead synth, or widen the percussion. There are many great stereo mastering tricks, but it’s not my first choice. I love stem mastering.
With stems, I have incredible flexibility to rebalance mix elements, side-chain the bass harder, cut low-end on the vocal, or adjust anything that needs improvement. Stem mastering is a more creative and satisfying experience for both the client and the engineer. It often involves a lot of limiting (often serial), saturation, and de-essing—both on the final stereo output and on individual elements."
How do you incorporate your Sonnox plugins into this approach?
"My first go-to is the Inflator (Exciter Plugin). This plugin is sheer magic—simple, elegant, and powerful. It’s a clean, single-flavor saturator that adds sonic density in a musically flattering way. For years, the Inflator has been my only choice of saturator on my stereo masters.
My first go-to is the Inflator (Exciter Plugin). This plugin is sheer magic—simple, elegant, and powerful.
Next is the SuprEsser. With all the limiting required to achieve EDM loudness, there can be a buildup of energy in the mid-range. This is a natural artifact of heavy limiting. To address this, I use subtle de-essing on individual elements or stems and a small amount on the stereo output. The Oxford SuprEsser is the best-designed, best-sounding de-esser for mastering—it allows you to pinpoint exactly which sibilant frequencies are problematic and control them surgically, while preserving the good mid-range and high-end in the mix.
Lastly, the Oxford Limiter (True Peak Limiter Plugin) is crucial. What sets great single-band limiters apart for EDM mastering is their ability to retain low-frequency dynamics while handling extreme limiting. Many limiters sound fine until pushed, at which point you might hear crunchy distortion or lose the low-end impact. The Oxford Limiter excels in delivering significant limiting without sacrificing low-end dynamics, allowing for extreme loudness without distortion.
Mastering for EDM is a highly competitive field, and loudness is a critical factor. Once we accept this, we rely on the tools that enable us to create loud, yet clean and listenable masters. My Sonnox plugins provide the richness, finesse, and power I need to keep my tracks competitive on the Beatport charts."