A.I. Audio Mastering vs. Human Mastering Engineers
Artificial intelligence is changing the world, whether it’s cars or health care. Over the past years, A.I. has stepped into the music-making industry as well. It’s not only helping with writing melodies but also in producing complex music parts.
A.I. is putting in question the need for human mastering engineers as it’s making the mastering process. Music Mastering is the last essential step in audio post-production. It refines the elements of the song so that the song sounds steady, whether you’re listening to it on iTunes or Spotify.
Song Mastering is used to make sure that listeners have a cohesive listening experience. Read on to explore how A.I. audio mastering is getting popular in the music mastering industry.
What’s Human Music Mastering?
Human music mastering includes preparing a song or an album for distribution by a human engineer. As A.I. audio mastering gained a lot of popularity, human mastering studios are becoming few.
Human mastering engineers have used tons of processing techniques to make better sound quality. They made the overall sound quality so well that it can translate into a multitude of listening systems.
A.I. audio mastering is the production of some experienced music mastering engineers. Although the technology is new in the industry, it’ll grow and produce significant results once developed.
But for people who are looking to master their albums, human mastering engineers are still the best option.
Human mastering can do better than online mastering services if artists want to release their music on a vinyl record or a streaming service like Spotify. The human mastering engineer will know how to make your music sound best for a particular streaming service.
But if you choose an online mastering service, it may master your song that is not tailored correctly for specific distribution services.
Cons of Human Mastering
Although human mastering is still the best option if you want your music to be mastered on a specific platform, the biggest con of human mastering is it is expensive compared to A.I. mastering?
As A.I. mastering is becoming popular, artists are shifting more towards it because it’s cheap. But it would be best to look for different factors when choosing a mastering service for your album.
Human mastering services take more time on the master than A.I. mastering. If you have ample time for music mastering, you can opt for human engineers; otherwise, it won’t be fruitful.
A.I. Online Mastering Service: Beneficial or not?
There are loads of online services that can master your songs instantly. Some of the master services include eMastered, A.I. Mastering, and Landr. These online mastering services are beneficial in how they can master your songs in less time.
A user has to upload his songs on the online mastering platforms, and in a few minutes, you’ll get the result. Besides, the online mastering services are cheap as it costs only $5-$40 for a month.
Now comes the critical question of whether all these online mastering services are worth it. Well, it depends on your budget and the time you have.
If you have a short budget, choosing Landr and other mastering services is the best way.
But these online services offer you very few editing options, and the song doesn’t sound that good. Human mastering engineers could do the quality you want to add to your songs.
Some Major Advantages and Disadvantages of A.I. Mastering
Now you may have understood how A.I. processes your song based on its frequency response, loudness, and other factors. It still isn’t capable of mastering your songs uniquely.
A.I. alters the processing based on your mix, but it’s not as good as the actual human engineer will do it. The human mastering engineer will change the processing that best accommodates your style and genre.
One thing that can be a disadvantage of A.I. mastering is that it’s cheap unless you don’t have a lot of songs to master. Once you increase the quantity of your piece, it’ll add up an extra $5-$15 for each song you want to master.
To stay on a budget for music mastering, you can go to Landr, but you have to make a compromise on the sound quality of your mix.
Besides, money quality is the primary concern when you choose the mastering service.
You want your songs to sound the best, so your listeners could enjoy and have the best experience. Traditional marketing can do wonders for your mixes than the A.I. mastering.
On the bright side, A.I. mastering is perfect for new producers who have limited resources. Also, if you know little about mastering, you can use online services as a reference.
There are tons of artists who are saving the costs of mastering service by learning it themselves. It’s no big deal and is the most cost-efficient method of all time.
How important is Music Mastering?
Now you have the rational idea of which model you want to choose for your music mastering. And you clearly understand what to look for by choosing a particular mastering service. You should know that mastering your albums is crucial if you want to be successful.
Mastering is the ending process. It shapes the quality of your music. It’s as important as promoting your music on different online platforms. You wouldn’t want to promote your albums unless it sounds professional.
Always stay away from online services that offer automatic mastering if you don’t want to ruin the quality of your mix. There are many freelance platforms where you could find and hire a professional engineer. Make sure that the expert you’re hiring has enough experience and knows all the technical things.
The Bottom Line!
A.I. mastering has a long way to go, but it can certainly take on human mastering in the future. As technology is getting better, there are significant changes that people will only prefer A.I. in the future.
But as the industry is not that refined yet, the best option for music artists is to look for a professional human mastering engineer.
If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to contact us.
