FL Studio Mastering Chain: Stock Plugins, in Order (2026)

The short answer: a solid FL Studio mastering chain uses six stock plugins on the master mixer track, in this order: Fruity Parametric EQ 2 (corrective cuts), Fruity Compressor (gentle glue), Fruity Soft Clipper (peak shaving), Maximus (multiband control, used lightly), Fruity Stereo Shaper (width and low-end mono), and Fruity Limiter (final ceiling at -1 dB true peak). The order matters more than the plugins: cleanup before glue, peaks before the limiter, limiter last. You don't need a single third-party plugin to master a release-ready track in FL.

I've built mastering chains for every major DAW from the same template I use on my own releases (Sony, Universal, Ultra, Dim Mak, 50M+ streams). FL's stock tools are more capable than their reputation.

The chain, in order

Stage notes

EQ first, and cuts over boosts. The master EQ fixes the balance; it doesn't redesign the mix. If you need more than 3 dB anywhere, the fix belongs in the mix. The mix prep checklist covers what to fix before this chain ever sees the file.

Compression is glue, not loudness. A slow attack lets the transients through so the drums keep their punch. If you see more than 2 to 3 dB of reduction, back it off.

The soft clipper is FL's secret weapon. Clipping a dB or two of peaks before the limiter means the limiter works less, which is how masters get loud without sounding crushed. This is the same principle behind saturation-driven loudness.

Maximus is where FL masters go wrong. It's a powerful multiband compressor, and its presets (Soundgoodizer included) are extremely aggressive. On a master, use one or two bands with light settings, or skip it entirely. If the mix sounds hollow or over-bright after Maximus, it's doing too much.

Keep the low end mono. Stereo bass wobbles and collapses on club systems and phones. Stereo imaging explains why; Stereo Shaper sets overall width, but it works on the whole signal, so mono the lows with Maximus' low band stereo control instead.

The limiter goes last, before dither. Set the ceiling at -1.0 dB for streaming (-1.5 on very loud masters), which leaves room for true peak overshoots during encoding. For loudness readings, a free LUFS meter like Youlean Loudness Meter on the output is the easiest check; targets by genre are in how loud your master should be.

The mistakes FL users make most

1. Mastering on the master track while still mixing. Build the chain on a finished mix. Mixing into a limiter hides problems.
2. Soundgoodizer on the master. Fun on a single sound; brutal on a full mix.
3. No headroom going in. Mix peaks should sit around -6 dBFS before this chain. Headroom explained here.
4. Judging louder as better. Level-match before comparing. The free Reference Match tool makes that easy against any commercial track.

Want a finished chain instead?

FL Studio doesn't have a dedicated stock chain in the lab yet, but two of my chains run inside FL through its plugin hosting: the Ozone Master Chain (iZotope Ozone 9 to 12, transparent) and the Waves Master Chain (StudioRack, console character). Same philosophy as the stock chain above, with every stage documented. The other DAW builds are in the Ableton chain and the Logic chain guides.

Quick answers

Can you master in FL Studio with stock plugins? Yes. Parametric EQ 2, Fruity Compressor, Soft Clipper, Maximus, Stereo Shaper, and Fruity Limiter cover every stage of a professional mastering chain.

What order should an FL Studio mastering chain be in? EQ, compression, soft clipping, multiband (optional), stereo, limiter. Cleanup first, ceiling last.

Is Maximus good for mastering? It's capable, but its presets are heavy. Use one or two bands lightly on a master, or leave it out.

What should the Fruity Limiter ceiling be? -1.0 dB for streaming releases, -1.5 on very loud masters, to leave room for encoding overshoots.