Here’s what I would suggest. First of all, don’t start with an MP3 file. In fact, you don’t have to leave Cubase with the original. Set your buffer size up high (say 1024) so you don’t run into ASIO issues. If you’re going to use the tools that Cubase gives you, here is what I would do. I’m assuming you’re doing some rock something or other.
- On the first insert slot of the output bus, put the Cubase compressor. Pick the “light master” preset. Now play the song, and watch the amount of gain reduction you are getting. Adjust the threshold until the most you see is about -2db. This will smooth it out just a little bit.
- On the second slot, you could use some sort of amplifier simulation plugin. Cubase comes with DaTube, but I don’t use that one, using instead a free one I got from the internet somewhere. The idea is to pick a mild “warming” preset to add a little bit of distortion.
- On the third slot, you could use the stereo enhancer if you like the way it sounds. The cubase plugin has a “light master” preset. Be careful, it tends to change the overall eq balance. I used to use it, but found that while it makes it sound wider, it also sort of wipes out your stereo placement, so what I do instead is use mono delays on specific instruments moved to the other side of the stereo field. But that’s a longer discussion.
- On the fourth, maybe put the 10-band equalizer. I think slots 3 and 4 could be switched. Others may have strong thoughts about the right order. Anyway, what you want to do here is do some a/b comparison with some reference track or two that you think sound anything like what you wish your track would sound like. Then you can judge whether there’s enough or too much bass, mids, highs, and so forth. You could also just do this in the four-band parametric equalizer built in to the bus, if you like.
- Next, you can insert the Maximizer. Leave the output at 0, and turn the optimize knob until it’s loud enough. Not too much! I think it defaults to 25. Again, do a/b with your reference tracks, and don’t try to be as loud as they are because they have better plugins than you do! But make it somewhat louder. If you put too much on, you’re ears will get tired of it. Try to keep some dynamics in place. Hopefully there were some dynamics in your song originally.
- Last, assuming you recorded in 24-bit, put the UV22HR plug in the 8th slot, and have it reduce to 16 bits.
Just some thoughts to get you started - others may have strong views. After you mess around with this stuff for a while, you can just throw it all out and buy ozone!