So after watching a few replays the kick is supposed to sit at 0 on the VU meter. Does it have to sit at -5 on the LUFs meter? Sometimes my kick is: *PERFECTLY at 0 on the VU meter, *but is like -7db on the LUFs meter. OR •PERFECTLY at -5db on the LUFs meter •but completely in the RED on the VU meter. They are not covering this in these videos. @Caleb Loveless please help!

Hi everyone, I’m currently training myself to master songs. I train my ears every day using SoundGym, and I master with Ollo headphones. However, when I’m mastering, it usually takes me around 2–3 hours to finish a mix and get it to sound right. I’ve read online that a mastering session should last no more than 30–90 minutes, which makes me wonder if I’m doing something wrong. My workflow is: 1. Find a reference track 2. Level-match the reference with the mix and compare 3. Apply compression if needed 4. Use EQ to solve problems and fix any inconsistencies 5. Apply the final limiter The issue is that after exporting the final master, I listen to it through my laptop speakers and compare it with other songs. Then I notice new problems, such as a lack of punch or low end. I go back to the mastering session, try to fix these issues, export again, and repeat the process by listening on different devices and comparing to other profesionally master songs . Sometimes I have to do this three or four times before the master sounds good. So my question is: how did you break this habit and become more efficient at mastering?