Mastering and loudness

Mastering is the final pass on a finished track. It sets the overall loudness, balances the tone and checks the stereo width so the music sounds right next to other tracks and on different speakers. For creators who make their own intro music, jingles or video scores, AI mastering services do a passable version of this in minutes.

LANDR and eMastered work the same way at heart: upload a mix, pick a style or a reference, compare the master against the original and download the one you prefer. BandLab includes a free automatic mastering tool inside its online studio, which is handy if you made the track there.

Platforms normalize loudness, so a master that is pushed very loud is often turned down on playback and can sound flatter than a gentler one. For video, the music is usually mixed under speech anyway, so leave headroom and avoid squashing it. Listen to the master on headphones, a laptop and a phone before you settle, and keep the unmastered mix in case you need to start again.

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3 AI music tools in mastering and loudness

LANDR

by LANDR Audio

AI mastering for finished tracks, alongside samples, plugins and music distribution.

  • Works in the browser
  • Desktop app or plugin

eMastered

Online AI mastering with controls for loudness, tone and stereo width, plus reference matching.

  • Works in the browser

BandLab

by BandLab Technologies

Free online studio with recording, mixing and an automatic mastering tool, on web and mobile.

  • Free plan or free version
  • Works in the browser
  • Mobile app

If you send music to a mastering service, export the mix with no limiter on the master bus and a few decibels of headroom. A mix that is already squashed leaves the service little to work with. Use a reference track you like in the same genre, and compare masters at the same playback volume, since louder always sounds better at first.

Keep every version you download, labeled with the service and settings, so you can go back if a later master sounds worse on a speaker you had not tried.

Questions about mastering and loudness

Does AI mastering replace a mastering engineer?

For demos, channel music and quick releases it is often good enough. For an album or important release, an engineer listens to the music itself and catches problems a preset will not.

How loud should my track be for YouTube or Spotify?

Both turn loud tracks down to a playback target, so very loud masters gain little. Aim for a clean, balanced master with some headroom, and check it after upload.

Should I master music before putting it under a voiceover?

A light master helps tracks sit at a consistent level, but leave headroom. The music will be mixed below speech, so heavy limiting adds little and can make it tiring to listen to.

Can I master a song made with an AI generator?

Usually yes, if the generator lets you download the audio and its license allows editing. Mastering can tidy loudness and tone, but it cannot fix artifacts in the generated audio itself.

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