From tools that grant deeper control, to those that hand-hold you through the entire process, 2023 saw mastering become a manageable process
In terms of the influence of AI on music production, the corner which has seen the most marked impact is certainly that of mastering. Often referred to (not least by us) as the darkest of dark arts when compared to writing, arranging and mixing, the skillset required relies on a different part of the brain, not to mention sensitive ears that can pinpoint when to make the type of mastering consideration that can make or break a track.
While there’s been endless debate about AI wading into the creative space, for those who rely on external mastering engineers to make those more big-picture changes, 2023 answered many of their prayers.
For over a decade, LANDR had already established themselves as a pivotal name in the AI mastering field, but the introduction of a dedicated plugin version of their hailed online mastering service caught our attention. The LANDR Mastering Plugin brought the shrewd algorithmic brain into your DAW, with simple controls enabling users to instruct the plugin to concoct a master based on your needs. While our full review is still being finished off, it’s certainly proved to be an impressive game changer for many. But, if you’ve got the ability to employ one, it’s not quite up to the level of a dedicated mastering engineer (yet!).
A significant release this year came via Musik Hack and their debut product Master Plan. This simple to use, algorithmic mastering plugin distilled the deep experience of its creators, Stan Greene and Sam Fischmann, into a mastering tool without compare. Balancing this ease-ofuse ethos with a scalability that might not be immediately apparent, Master Plan is an absolutely gold-standard finalisation tool. The levels of loudness and oomph that it can provide are unmatched, while clarity and frequency response remains uncoloured. “What really matters is the absolute sonic punch of the plugin, in this regard Master Plan is a hugely impressive modern mastering tool,” we said in our review. “Nervous about mastering? Master Plan has plenty of controllable content to make home mastering a reality for all.”
For those who require a little more scalability, brainworx delivered not one, but two mastering-angled releases this year in the shape of Amek Mastering Compressor and bx masterdesk Pro. Unlike the company’s previous Amek-emulating releases, the Amek Mastering Compressor wasn’t based on any specific hardware model, but incorporated elements of the GML 8900 compressor among other favourites of head honcho, Dirk Ulrich. Its rackstyle control panel included timing and shaping controls while its three true RMS detector circuits are sensitive to dynamic changes happening over periods of time. In use, it was – for want of a better word – masterful. “This is quite simp
