Remember LANDR, the AI-powered online mastering platform? The Canadian company caused quite a stir among sound engineers and musicians 10 years ago with the launch of their service.
In the following years, LANDR expanded its offer becoming a 360-degree digital music creation platform (going from royalty-free samples to distribution).
This week LANDR has released its first plugin, an AI mastering plugin with – according to the company – groundbreaking technology supported by a 10-year data set and millions of satisfied artists, including Lady Gaga, NAS and Gwen Stefani. Users will benefit from increased speed and efficiency for creative and precise mastering in their digital audio workstation (DAW) workflow.
How Does The Plugin Work?
Unlike related software and plugins such as Izotope Ozone or IK Multimedia Lurssen Mastering Console, where users generally start from a preset and then fine-tune the results, the LANDR Mastering Plugin relies on the company’s AI technology listens to your track to deliver three masters for each song (Warm, Balanced, Open). Finished masters can be released as-is, or revised using advanced controls (a basic EQ, compressor, character, de-esser, presence, saturation, stereo width, loudness).
The plugin boasts a minimalist, user-friendly interface that takes all the complications away from the mastering process, as you can see in the video below:
Is This The End Of Mastering As We Know It?
I don’t think so. LANDR Mastering Plugin can be a highly valuable tool in any producer’s arsenal, as it’s able to provide a quick, good-sounding, finalized version of your tracks (especially within mainstream music genres). It’s not cheap, but in the long run, it can save you a great deal of money.
That said, depending on the type of project you’re working on, and its sonic textures/complexity, you might still want to hire a dedicated mastering studio, with great gear and a proven track record. I know I would, but this is a very subjective field, so I’ll leave it up to you.
Pricing and Availability
LANDR Mastering Plugin is available now for $299 USD directly from LANDR, or through leading music software retailers like PluginBoutique.
