AI in music production is taking off, and there is one particular part of the production process where AI now can give you the edge you need as a producer: Mastering of your music.
Mastering is the final step in the production chain, where an engineer (or an AI) make sure that the song is balanced and optimized to be played back on a variety of speakers and devices. Typical tools used in this process are Equalization, Dynamics & Saturation and Stereo Imaging.
Here’s 5 AI mastering tools you should know about:
Masterchannel.ai
Website: https://masterchannel.ai
Masterchannel is a Norwegian service, co-founded by DJ and producer Matoma and audio engineer Simon Hestermann, and has been praised for its audio quality, which is similar to that of a human mastering engineer. The quality is provided due to the use of reinforcement learning, which mimics how a mastering engineer is working, in order to provide a service that is both agnostic to mood and genres.
Pros
- Professional audio quality, similar to a human engineer; best mastering results on the list.
- Unlimited downloads of mastered songs for only $25 / month or $15 / month (when yearly).
- User-friendly and easy to understand what has been done.
Cons
- No post-mastering adjustments.
Landr
Website: https://landr.com
Landr is a Canadian company that started out with AI mastering in 2014 and is the oldest company within this domain. Since its inception, the company has developed several new creator tools tailored towards artists.
Pros
- Several creator tools that can help you in different aspects of your career.
- Good price when going for the full suite and not only mastering.
Cons
- Audio known to sound artificial compared to other services.
- Expensive – mastering costs $39 / month.
- For the more affordable subscriptions, number of WAV masters is limited.
eMastered
Website: https://emastered.com
eMastered is a company that both develops their mastering AI in addition to being the company behind the ATOM Synth. The company was one of the first mastering services out there.
Pros
- Quick results.
- Offers post-mastering adjustments.
Cons
- Lightweight mastering; lags behind competitors.
- Expensive – mastering costs $39 / month.
Mixea
Website: https://distrokid.com
Mixea is a mastering service created by the distribution company Distrokid, and is the newest one to be added to the list. Distrokid is a New York based company that has been operating since 2013.
Pros
- Unlimited number of mastered songs.
- Cheap solution if you have a frequent output.
Cons
- Less flexible pricing, as you need to pay for a full year.
- Audio known to sound artificial compared to other services.
Bandlab Mastering
Website: https://bandlab.com
Bandlab is a Singapore based company creating several tools to use when making music. The company started as a social network and has gone on to explore several parts of the industry.
Pros
- You don’t need an account to master your songs
- A free service that can be good for beginners.
Cons
- The audio quality is very limited compared to other services
- The presets does not tackle on of the main problems with mastering, which is dynamic sound across devices.
Conclusion
While each of these services are good in their respective way, Masterchannel.ai is easily the best service on this list for music mastering. Whilst other services can be cheaper if you commit to a yearly subscription (some are even free): If you care about the end result of your tracks, choose Masterchannel.
