Mastering
Mastering is the final polish: loudness, tonal balance and consistency so your track holds up next to commercial releases on streaming. This is the biggest AI-vs-human overlap point — AI mastering (LANDR, eMastered, iZotope Ozone's assistant, CloudBounce) is fast, cheap and genuinely good for most releases; a mastering engineer still wins for flagship singles. Target the streaming standard (around -14 LUFS integrated) rather than chasing maximum loudness.
The steps
- 1Master from a headroom-leaving mix (peaks ~-6 dBFS, no mix-bus limiter slamming).
- 2Use an AI master or engineer to set loudness, EQ and stereo balance.
- 3Target ~-14 LUFS integrated for streaming; check on phone + earbuds + speakers.
- 4A/B against a reference release at matched loudness.
- 5Export 24-bit WAV for distribution (distributors transcode to each platform).
AI mastering is the default for AI releases — fast and inexpensive; most listeners won't tell on a good master.
An engineer adds taste and translation for important singles; many indies use AI for album cuts and a human for the focus track.
Same target either way: streaming-loudness, translation across devices, 24-bit WAV out.
Tools compared
| Feature | LANDR | eMastered | iZotope Ozone | BandLab | CloudBounce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Online | Online | DAW plugin | Online | Online |
| Free option | Preview | Preview | ✗ | ✓ | Preview |
| Entry price | ~$9+/mo | ~$30/mo | $199+ once | Free | Paid |
| 24-bit WAV export | Higher tiers | ✓ | ✓ | Limited | ✓ |
| Best for | Regular releases | Warm genres (R&B/soul) | Mastering in your DAW | Free / quick | Budget |
Verified June 2026. Pricing & features change — check each vendor's own page for the latest. "—" = not a standard feature to our knowledge.
Some links to third-party tools are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our honest, dated picks.
Sources: AI mastering compared 2026 (Chartlex) · eMastered vs LANDR vs CloudBounce (MixingGPT)
AI mastering is the right default for AI releases — cheap, fast and good enough for streaming; save a human engineer for the single you're betting on.
FAQ
Is AI mastering good enough to release?
For most tracks, yes. Tools like LANDR, eMastered and Ozone produce release-ready masters cheaply. For a flagship single, an experienced engineer can still add an edge.
How loud should my master be?
Aim for roughly -14 LUFS integrated — the rough streaming reference — and prioritise translation across devices over sheer loudness, since platforms normalise volume.