How to Use LANDR Automatic Mastering: A 2016 Guide

Using LANDR for Different Purposes

LANDR offers an unusual service: automatic mastering.
If you are familiar with mastering, you may wonder whether an automatic service can really do the job.

In our experience, it appeared to understand the genre and mood better than expected and apply surprisingly effective treatment.
As a web service, it also continues to evolve.

Automatic processing cannot necessarily complete every mastering job, but we see several ways to use it:

• 1. Save time when preparing demos for submission.
• 2. Help beginners achieve a basic level of mastering quality.
• 3. Use LANDR as one stage in a mastering process and build on the result.

We particularly recommend the third approach, which can make use of automation’s strengths while addressing its limitations.
Here we cover registration, basic use and practical ways to incorporate the service.

LANDR Tutorial Video

Sign Up for LANDR

Registering for LANDR

When this article was written, LANDR offered a free plan with two mastered MP3 exports per month. Current plans and limits may differ.

The link above led to a simple registration form.
Fill it in and click the free registration button. The current sign-up flow may look different.

Using LANDR

After signing in with your registered email address and password, your account page appears.
Drag the stereo mix file you want to master onto the “+” area to begin uploading and mastering.

A pop-up appears and, after a short wait, a preview starts.
You can compare the original and mastered versions.

If you are happy with the loudness, click Save; to change it, click the highlighted Change control.
After processing, compare the available levels, listening to both loudness and subtle dynamics, and choose the one you prefer.

For a demo submission you might choose High or Medium. To use LANDR as a stage in the mastering process, try exporting at Low instead.
This leaves headroom for further processing to taste.

Click Save to choose a file format.

At the time of this guide, the regular free plan offered MP3 only, while registering through the banner link offered up to two free WAV exports. This was a historical promotion; availability and terms may have changed.
The article also described a monthly upgrade allowing other formats without an additional per-export charge. Check current pricing and plan details with LANDR.

Select a format and click Create Mastering to begin rendering.
When it is complete, click the track to open the listening screen.

Click Download: WAV to save it to your computer when that format is available under your plan.

Using LANDR as Part of a Mastering Process

LANDR does more than simply raise loudness: it applies various treatments before that stage.

According to the service’s description at the time, its AI made track-specific adjustments and selectively used tools such as multiband compression, EQ, stereo enhancement, limiting and aural excitation.

Whatever the underlying technology, in our test the exported result tightened the low end while adding impact, and brought the vocal forward naturally in a vocal track.

We thought that adding our own processing to a low-loudness export might also yield good results when finishing a master.

Listen to the results in the video above.

For this electropop track with a Vocaloid vocal, the kick and vocal remained well defined even after we raised the level with our own plug-ins. We also made some EQ adjustments.

Trying it across different genres suggested it could be useful on tracks that suit the processing.
It may not work as desired for every song, but we look forward to seeing how LANDR evolves.

Give it a try for yourself.

LANDR Automatic Mastering Gets an Upgrade

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What were the limits of LANDR’s free plan?

The plan described in this 2016 article allowed two MP3 exports per month. The article also described a time-specific WAV promotion and paid upgrades. Current limits and pricing may differ; check LANDR’s current terms.

Q2. Can automatic mastering deliver professional results?

LANDR automatically applies processing informed by its analysis of the track. Results depend on the material and the desired sound; listening critically and using the result as one stage in a broader workflow can help.

Q3. When is LANDR useful?

It can help prepare demos, offer a starting point for beginners, or serve as one stage before further processing. Try it with different genres and judge the results by ear.