Double-click on the Sound Forge 7 desktop logo to open the program; it may take a few seconds to fully launch. The last session you saved will automatically load. If you want to master music from another session, click "File" and select "Open Recent." Then select the desired session.
Click "File" and select "Export as Wav." This renders the entire audio mix as a single, lossless file. When prompted, name the track "[Song Name], Final Mix." Close the session.
Click "File" and select "Open New." This opens a blank session.
Click "File" and select "Import Audio." Click "[Song Name], Final Mix" to load it into the blank session. You will apply mastering to the entire mix, so it's imperative to use a single mix file.
Click "Tools" and select "Wave Hammer." This is Sound Forge's compressor tool. Compressors let you smooth out the volume peaks in a mix by cutting the highs and enhancing the lows. Wave Hammer has three parameters; threshold, ratio and output gain. Threshold dictates the lowest and highest points at which compression takes place. Ratio governs the intensity of the compression. Output gain controls the overall level of the compressed audio.
Press play so you can hear your mastering adjustments as you make them. Tweak the compressor parameters by moving the slider dials up and down on the screen. Compression is a matter of personal preference; however, if the audio begins to sound fuzzy or muffled, reduce the ratio parameter.
Click "Tools" and select "Paragraphic EQ." This is Sound Forge's equalization tool. It opens in a separate window. The equalization interface has a grid with a frequency curve superimposed upon it. The horizontal axis of the grid represents frequency band, and the vertical axis represents the gain, or strength, of the frequency band.
Click on the curve in the grid and drag it around. If at any point the sound becomes unpleasant (for example, tinny or muddy), release the mouse. Look to the horizontal axis to determine which frequency is responsible. Adjust the slider dial governing that frequency band to attenuate that particular frequency.
Adjust the other frequency dials to tweak the balance of frequencies to your taste. Save your work when satisfied.
Click "File" and select "Export as Wav." Rename the song "[Song Name] Final Master."