Dry Vocal Mastering Online — Clarity and Intelligibility (−14 LUFS)

Dry vocal — without reverb or effects — is used for a cappellas, samples, voiceovers, and material that will be processed further by another specialist. Here, mastering's job isn't to "decorate" but to preserve maximum cleanliness and intelligibility. The target loudness is around −14 LUFS, a universal level for distribution and subsequent mixing.

Magic Master 2.0 focuses on de-essing — gently taming excess sibilance without making it sound "lispy," careful multiband dynamics that even out phrase loudness, and minimal tonal correction that preserves the voice's natural timbre. Reverb and spatial effects are barely applied — they'll be added later in the final mix.

• If the vocal is headed for sampling, avoid extra processing — the "drier" and more natural the material, the more flexibly you can work with it later.
• Check intelligibility on different speakers — from studio monitors to a phone.
• A similar approach applies to podcast mastering — see the article on podcast mastering.

Also read: Podcast Mastering · What Is LUFS