Anyone have any tips for mastering and eq-ing, as well as any recommended programs for it?
I've been attempting to master in Logic, but can't seem to get it down.
Can't tell if its my sub-par speakers and headphones or i'm just bad at it.
Speakers are important, but the right technique and approach are more important.
There are tons of videos on youtube you'll find helpful, not to mention lots of blog articles all over the web - just Google whatever specific insight you're looking for. Consider browsing/joining/lurking forums like Future Producers, Gearslutz and KVR - they have conversations about mixing and mastering all day every day.
Personally, I've used T-Racks 3 and Ozone versions 2 through 5 for mastering. I find Ozone to be superior. You don't necessarily need a specific program to do it though - you can just drop your final mix into a track in whatever DAW you use and a get an effect rack setup going with the right effects in the right order.
Generally I'd go with an effects setup in this order:
EQ>compression (sometimes)>stereo imaging>reverb>saturation>limiting
You can change the order around a bit in the middle to suit your needs, but as a rule I always keep EQ first and limiting last, with maybe a second EQ a little later in the chain if necessary.
Make sure you bounce your final mix so that it's peaking at somewhere between -3db and -6db - just leave yourself some room because all the mastering effects are going to inevitably boost your signal and you don't want it clipping before you've even started.
I generally like to EQ mid/side instead of stereo (this goes with the V-effect I'll get to on stereo imaging) - gentle low mid boost, and a gentle high side boost/low side cut. I also always cut everything below 40hz and everything above 18khz - no subsonic rumble, no unwanted hissy air, and your overall mix sounds louder because you've lessened the non-musical frequencies and given your mix more room to breathe.
With stereo imaging, you want your mix to be like the letter V. Your lower frequencies (basses) should be narrow, as close to mono as possible, while your upper frequencies (vocals and melodies) more spread out in the stereo field as they get higher. If you can handle this effectively in the mixing process, you shouldn't worry about it too much in mastering.
With saturation I always crank it up to a point of audible distortion, then reel it back in until barely audible with a nice bump in volume. There's a subtle but noticeable added fullness you get with the right saturation settings. Be careful here.
Reverb - usually a small room with short tails is enough, just enough to add a little space and presence, barely noticeable. I don't always do this, but sometimes it helps.
Hard limiting at -.2db, boosting about 3-5db usually, depending on the signal level at that point and the style of music. The more your boost the limiter, the louder you'll get, but keep in mind at some point your sound is going to start to sound squashed.
Someone may suggest multiband compression somewhere in the chain. I'm not nearly good enough to use it myself without destroying my work, but if you think you've got a grasp on it, go for it. This is probably the easiest way I've found to destroy my work.
Consider what your work sounds like on multiple devices. How does it sound on your monitors? In your car? On your phone/mp3 player? On your gaming console connected to your TV? It can very well sound good in one place and sound like total hissy shit somewhere else because maybe your monitors are dull in the high range but full in the mids and lows, or maybe your mix is muddy because your subs produce too little bass response and you're boosting the lows too much to compensate. Take notes on that stuff in various listening environments and come back to your work environment and make adjustments accordingly. You've got to learn how to most effectively work with what you've got.
Another thing to consider from the DIY perspective is that it's difficult to master your own work after listening to it for too long - it becomes harder to identify the things you might need to correct as your ears become fatigued, so it helps to step away from it for a while (days/weeks) before you attempt mastering. The upside is if you're good at mixing your own work you can get most of it right in the mix process, and mastering can simply be just limiting for loudness. There's no wrong approach per se, but just be aware it's incredibly easy to fuck things up for most people, not just you.