Double-click the Cubase SX3 desktop icon. It may take a few seconds for Cubase to fully launch.
Click "File," "Open" and select the song for mastering from the drop-down menu.
Click "Export as Wav" and when prompted, name the file "Song Title Final Mix." Wav is a lossless, uncompressed file format that preserves the integrity of the audio during export.
Click "File" on the Cubase SX3 interface and select "Open New." This opens a clean session.
Click "File" and select "Import Audio." Browse for "Song Title Final Mix" and click on it when you see it. This loads the final mix audio into the blank Cubase SX3 session.
Click "Plugins," "Filter" and select "Q." This is a paragraphic equalizer, a combination of parametric and graphic equalizer formats, that lets you boost and cut the various frequency bands present in the audio. Selecting "Q" opens up the equalizer interface in a new window.
Adjust the "Lo," "Lo Mid," Hi Mid" and "Hi" dials to your preference. These govern the strength of each frequency band in the final mix. To start with, set each to the middle and use that as a starting point for tweaking.
Click "Bypass" to hear the audio without the equalization effect on it. This enables you to accurately judge the effects that the equalizer has.
Click "Plugins," "Dynamic" and select "Multiband Compressor." The compressor enables you cut the volume peaks and boost the volume dips to temper the dynamics of the track. This creates a more coherent dynamic with fewer unexpected deviations from the average volume. The aim with compression is to create a smooth listening experience without erasing the subtle playing dynamics. If a singer's breath is as loud as her most powerful note, the compression is too strong.
Adjust the "Threshold" dial to set the sensitivity of the compressor. Set it low for an active kind of compression that reacts to any volume either side of the average. Set it low for a "picky" type of compression, where only the very loud and very quiet sounds are affected.
Adjust the "Ratio" to determine the intensity of the effect.