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!).