Mastering with iZotope Ozone

Mastering with iZotope Ozone is your step-by-step path from “finished mix” to a polished, competitive master that translates across streaming platforms, clubs, cars, headphones, and everything in between. If you have mixes you are proud of but struggle with final loudness, tonal balance, stereo width, or that last 5 percent of clarity, this course gives you a repeatable workflow you can trust. Across 10 focused video lessons, you will learn the mindset of mastering, how to choose and organize a mastering chain, and how to use each major Ozone module with intention, not guesswork.

You will start by learning what mastering actually is, what it is not, and how mastering decisions differ from mix decisions. From there, you will build a clean Ozone workflow that supports your genre, your monitoring situation, and your delivery goals. You will learn how to use reference tracks correctly, how to level-match so your ear stays honest, and how to make small moves that stack up into a big professional difference. As you progress, you will shape tone with EQ and dynamic EQ, control punch and density with dynamics tools, add character with tasteful saturation, widen without wrecking mono compatibility, and use spectral processing for targeted fixes that preserve musicality.

The course also covers the real-world finishing steps that separate a decent master from a deliverable master: loudness strategy, metering, True Peak control, and export choices for different platforms and clients. You will learn how to finalize masters for streaming services, how to avoid common loudness traps, and how to create multiple versions when needed, such as a streaming-focused master and a more dynamic hi-res alternative. By the end, you will have a clear mastering checklist you can follow every time, plus the critical listening habits that help you hear problems quickly and solve them efficiently.

What You’ll Learn

• Build a reliable mastering workflow and understand the mastering mindset
• Navigate Ozone confidently and choose the right module order for your goal
• Use Mastering Assistant intelligently as a starting point, then refine by ear
• Shape tonal balance with EQ, dynamic EQ, and mid/side processing
• Control punch, glue, and low-end clarity with dynamics tools and gain staging
• Add color with saturation while keeping detail and headroom intact
• Enhance width and depth safely while protecting mono compatibility
• Use spectral tools to tame harshness, tighten bass, and smooth resonances
• Hit loudness targets using LUFS and True Peak metering with confidence
• Export the right files for streaming platforms, distribution, and client delivery

Meet Your Instructor

Zach Kornhauser is a Billboard-charting, RIAA-certified mastering engineer with more than fifteen years of experience. He is a former head mastering engineer at Atlantic Records NYC and has worked on releases for artists including Kelly Clarkson, Jason Derulo, Sia, Charli XCX, Ava Max, Alex Warren, and more. He is also a Recording Academy member and active participant in the Producers & Engineers Wing, with a strong focus on education and critical listening. In this course, Zach’s approach emphasizes objective listening, technical clarity, and practical workflows you can apply immediately.

Is This Course for You?

This course is for you if you already have mixes that feel close, but you want your final masters to sound clearer, louder (without falling apart), and more consistent from track to track. It is a strong fit for independent artists who want to self-release music, producers who want their tracks to compete with commercial references, and mixers who want to add mastering as a reliable finishing service. It is also ideal if you have used Ozone presets before but never felt sure what they were doing, or if Mastering Assistant gives you a result that is “almost there” and you want to understand how to take control.

You will get the most out of this course if you can export a clean pre-master with headroom and you are ready to make careful, intentional adjustments rather than chasing loudness alone. If your mix still has major balance problems, this course will help you identify what is truly a mastering fix versus a mix revision, so you can make better decisions faster.

What’s Included

• 10 in-depth video lessons with clear, practical demonstrations
• Real-world mastering workflows using Ozone modules and reference methods
• Guidance on loudness, metering, and deliverables for modern release formats
• Export and delivery best practices for streaming and client work