SetMaster Pro gives you four mastering profiles - Streaming / Radio, Club / Festival, Warm / Analogue, and Podcast / Vocal Clarity - and for most DJs, most of the time, the answer is simply Streaming / Radio. The others are there for specific jobs. Here is what each profile does and how to pick the right one in a few seconds.
The short answer in 30 seconds
If your mix is going online - SoundCloud, Mixcloud, YouTube, or a radio show - use Streaming / Radio. That covers the large majority of sets, because most mixes are made to be uploaded and heard on a phone or a laptop.
Reach for the others only when the job is different: Club / Festival for a louder master you will play back on your own sound system rather than upload, Warm / Analogue for a softer, rounder character, and Podcast / Vocal Clarity for spoken-word audio rather than music.
If you are ever unsure, pick Streaming / Radio. It is the safe default, and you can always master the same mix again with another profile in a couple of minutes.
Streaming / Radio: the one most sets need
This is the profile built for uploads and broadcast, and it is the right choice for the vast majority of DJ mixes.
It levels your set to around -14 to -12 LUFS integrated - the range that plays at a comfortable, consistent loudness on SoundCloud, Mixcloud, YouTube, and radio, without being so hot that a platform turns it back down. It keeps the tonal balance neutral and controlled, so the set holds up on anything from earbuds to a laptop speaker to a car, and it manages the peaks so nothing clips when a platform re-encodes the file.
If your uploads have ever sounded flat or quiet next to other people's, that is almost always a loudness problem rather than a mixing one - we broke that down in why your DJ mix sounds bad on SoundCloud. Streaming / Radio is the fix, and it is where you should start.
Club / Festival: the loud option for offline listening
The Club / Festival profile gives you a louder, heavier master, with firmer peak limiting and a low-end and high-end lift for weight and impact.
Here is the honest part: this is not the profile to upload. Because it is mastered hot, streaming platforms will normalise it back down, which undoes the extra loudness and can leave it sounding pumped. Its real job is offline playback on a system you control, where loudness matters more than streaming-safe levelling - your own setup at home, a car, a decent hi-fi, or background playback somewhere like a bar. If you want a version of a mix that simply hits harder when you play it back yourself, this is it.
For a set that will actually be uploaded, stay on Streaming / Radio.
Warm / Analogue: a softer, rounder character
Warm / Analogue is a tone choice rather than a loudness choice. It masters your set with a gentler, rounder character - a little less clinical, a little more relaxed in the top end - for genres and mixes where a smoother feel suits the music better than a bright, forward master.
It still levels the set sensibly for listening, so you can upload a Warm / Analogue master if you prefer its character. Think of it as the same job as Streaming / Radio, with a different flavour.
Podcast / Vocal Clarity: for voice, not music
Podcast / Vocal Clarity is built for spoken-word audio - podcasts, radio talk segments, voice-overs - not music mixes.
It levels every episode to -16 LUFS, the loudness Spotify and Apple Podcasts expect, and lifts vocal presence so voices cut through clearly and stay consistent from one episode to the next. If you are mastering talk rather than a DJ set, this is the profile; for a music mix, it is not the one to use.
The four profiles at a glance
ProfileBuilt forWhat it doesUpload it?Streaming / RadioSoundCloud, Mixcloud, YouTube, radioLevels to about -14 to -12 LUFS, neutral balanceYes - the defaultClub / FestivalOffline playback on your own systemLouder and heavier, more low-end and top-endNo - gets turned down by streamingWarm / AnalogueA softer-sounding uploadSame levelling, rounder and gentler characterYesPodcast / Vocal ClarityPodcasts and spoken wordLevels to -16 LUFS, lifts vocal presenceYes (for voice, not music)
How to pick, in one line each
Uploading a DJ mix? Streaming / Radio.
Want a louder version to play back yourself, offline? Club / Festival.
Prefer a softer, warmer sound on your upload? Warm / Analogue.
Mastering a podcast or spoken word? Podcast / Vocal Clarity.
Not sure? Streaming / Radio - and master it again with another profile later if you want to compare.
How to master your set
Whichever profile you pick, the process is the same three steps:
Upload your set. Drop in your recording - a single mix, a radio show, or a long mix up to twelve hours.
Choose the profile. Pick the one that matches the job from the list above.
Download and use it. Get a broadcast-ready master back in minutes, then upload it or listen back.
Because the processing is measured and repeatable, the same set through the same profile gives you the same result every time - so once you know which profile a job needs, you never have to guess again. For the full walk-through of getting a mix ready to publish, see our complete guide to mastering your DJ mix for streaming platforms, and if you want the loudness science behind the levelling, start with what LUFS means for a DJ mix.
Frequently asked questions
Which mastering profile should I use for a DJ set going on SoundCloud? Use Streaming / Radio. It levels your set to around -14 to -12 LUFS integrated and keeps a neutral balance, so it plays at the right loudness next to other uploads and sounds right on any device. It is the correct profile for SoundCloud, Mixcloud, YouTube, and radio.
What is the Club / Festival profile actually for? It is a louder, heavier master for offline playback on a system you control - your own setup, a car, a hi-fi, or background playback somewhere like a bar. It is not the profile to upload, because streaming platforms normalise a hot master back down. For anything going online, use Streaming / Radio.
What does the Warm / Analogue profile do? It masters your set with a softer, rounder character - gentler in the top end and less clinical than the neutral Streaming / Radio master. It still levels the set for listening, so you can upload a Warm / Analogue master if you prefer its feel. It is a tone choice, not a loudness one.
Which profile is best for a podcast or spoken word? Podcast / Vocal Clarity. It levels every episode to -16 LUFS, the standard Spotify and Apple Podcasts expect, and lifts vocal presence so voices cut through and stay consistent. Use it for talk audio rather than music mixes.
Can I master the same set with more than one profile? Yes. You can master the same recording as many times as you like and pick a different profile each time - for example, a Streaming / Radio master to upload and a Club / Festival master to play back yourself. Each one takes a couple of minutes.
If I am not sure which profile to pick, what should I choose? Choose Streaming / Radio. It is the safe default for any music mix that will be heard online, which is most of them. You can always run the set through another profile afterwards to compare.
Not sure how your current mix measures up? Run it through our free DJ mix analysis and see its loudness, peaks, and balance before you master anything - no card required.