Why Unlimited Mastering Isn’t Just Mastering Anymore
- marshallsoundz
- Apr 5, 2017
- 3 min read
Unlimited mastering. Unlimited possibilities.
Limited Then… Unlimited Now.
Mastering has technically always been “unlimited.” Anyone with millions of dollars and tons of time could master the same track over and over at a traditional mastering studio.
For example: Dr. Dre…
Dre famously mastered and tweaked his classic album The Chronic 6 times before it was released. The result? The album is considered one of the best sounding hip-hop records of all time.
Sadly, artists on a budget didn’t have access to unlimited revisions of their masters. You needed a bazillion dollars and infinite time to wait around for each version.
Unlimited Tweakage
But that was 1992…
Jump forward to now. Mastering isn’t just fast with LANDR, it’s instant. That whole pesky time and money part has been taken out of the equation.
Since we launched LANDR we’ve seen the applications of unlimited mastering grow, expand and morph into incredible workflow options—way beyond just final masters.
All because of you smart cookies out there who’ve figured out all the possibilities that fast and unlimited mastering unlocks.
And there’s still tons of possibilities to discover… But for now, here’s all the glorious potential that unlimited mastering has unlocked so far…
Mix Referencing 2.0
Traditional mix referencing means taking someone else’s song that’s already mastered and referencing it against your mix session.
It works. But there’e one problem: Why are you referencing your track against a song that someone else made? You should be referencing your rough track against a mastered version of the SAME TRACK right?
Using your own rough master of a work in progress tells you WAY MORE about what needs fixing in the mix.
Try different levels for each part of your mix, change the settings on your effects, or test entirely different arrangements. Master each version and reference them with your mix in progress.
Your multiple mastered versions tell you everything you need to know about how your choices will sound in the final version. It’s a mixing cheat sheet for testing different options during your project.
If something needs a fix, go back and touch it up and re-master to see if you fixed the problem. All within minutes of bouncing your mix.
Seems obvious right? So why doesn’t everyone do it that way? Simple. Instant mastering didn’t exist! But with LANDR it does now…
Unlimited mastering has created a whole new way to mix reference that actually makes sense.
Not Just Albums: Mastering Everything
Instant mastering lets you master anything. Even all those recordings you never would have mastered in the past.
Like live recordings, jam sessions, demo recordings, radio shows, DJ mixes or anything else that couldn’t enjoy the luxury of mastering before it was unlimited.
Unless you were paying $100/track to get your Thursday night jam session mastered… But I’m guessing you weren’t, right?
Sharing music with your fans and collaborators doesn’t just mean finished albums and songs. Share your process by publishing other recordings you’ve made and give your fans more of what they love.
With unlimited mastering, everything you create is shareable, and keeping your audience engaged between releases is way easier.
Whether it’s a little 30 minute jam, or a 2 hour rock opera—with unlimited mastering it’s all masterable.
Your Back Catalogue Deserves Mastering Too…
Back catalogues are hard to manage. When you evolve and grow as an artist it can be hard to go back and listen to old recordings that might not sound “up to par” with what you’re making now.
Unlimited mastering gives you the tool you need to get the best sound out of those older tracks.
Now that mastering is no longer limited your back catalogue can get that mastered sound it probably needed in the first place.
Instant mastering let’s you polish older tracks on SoundCloud, Bandcamp or any other platform you distribute your music on. You can even re-release older recordings as re-mastered versions.
With unlimited mastering forgotten recordings and back catalogues makes your music releasable. Ahhhh the joys of unlimited!
No Limits, New Ways
Mastering isn’t just for final releases any more. With instant and unlimited mastering it’s so much more.
Through experimenting it becomes a creative tool, a back catalogue polisher and your own personal mix referencing assistant.
And that’s just what’s been discovered so far…
The best use of unlimited mastering whatever works best for you. It’s just waiting to be discovered.
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