In Summary

When it comes to mastering, self recording artists and producing creatives have a lot to navigate. For those who do choose to go it alone, Waves Online Mastering sets out to automate the process for pain-free deliverables. Here we try it for ourselves.

Going Deeper

What Mastering Isn’t For

The pro mastering engineer understands that they are the final arbiter of quality, and producer of deliverables for distribution and/or manufacture. Although many productions rely on their critical listening and technical skills, an increasing number of micro-productions must go it alone.

With all the hype around audio plugins and magic boxes increasingly aimed at artists themselves, it’s easy to see how self-producing creatives may struggle to pin down what the actual purpose of mastering is. With information overload, and following the loudness wars that lingered well into this century, any self-producing artist could be forgiven for thinking that mastering means “make it loud”.

Service Versus Tool

Most people understand that getting their hands on the right tools for the job is the often the smallest part of the challenge. In any industry there are those who not only have the tools, but also the skill to deploy them properly; understanding the need for both is key to getting things done properly and audio mastering is no different. Than rather giving them the tools to break it themselves, mastering services take the artist out of the equation completely.

Waves Online Mastering

Waves Online Mastering sets out to be a user-friendly online mastering service. In partnership with Mastering Engineer Piper Payne, Waves Online Mastering tailors its processing for each individual song using what it calls “cutting-edge Machine Learning Technology”. Users have the opportunity to influence the final outcome without abandoning the principles of a well-balanced master. The interface offers three Style options and two Tone adjustments, allowing users to achieve the desired result.

In the video we demonstrate how simple it is to upload a stereo audio, tweak the results if needed, and get deliverables back. Using its simple interface, the results can then be used in place of audio that might have otherwise ended up being clipped, uninspiring, or tonally un-balanced in some way.

The Finished Article?

The invaluable insight of the mastering engineer comes not only from their skill, but also from the perspective of one who has not had their head in the tracks for weeks, months, or longer. Ironically, the zero-budget production can afford endless studio time where this lack of objectivity can really show itself.

Some continue to have reservations surrounding any machine driven creative treatments. However few can deny that the advantages of some tools could outweigh the human alternative when it has lost all perspective.

Designed primarily for solo producers and musicians who recognize the importance of mastering for their songs, Waves Online Mastering might provide a viable solution for those who lack expertise or understanding of the mastering process. That means it could deliver a net improvement by default.

Waves Online Mastering pricing:

Credits can be purchased where 1 Credit = 1 mastered track.

1 Credit - $5.99

5 Credits – $24.99 ($4.99 for a track)

15 Credits – $59.99 ($3.99 for a track)

60 Credits - $179.99 ($2.99 for a track)

A Word About This Article

As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. In 2023 we are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.