SoundCloud introduce AI mastering

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SoundCloud has introduced AI mastering to their music and sound sharing platform. The new mastering feature is powered by Dolby and features four different types of mastering options for different tonal results. Mastering costs $4.99 per track or you get three free tracks per month as part of a SoundCloud Pro Unlimited subscription, costing $3.99 per track after that. 

The four modes are called Thunder, for a sound that makes “car speakers rumble and club systems shake”, Sunroof, to “open your mid and high frequencies and bring some life to your transients”, Clear Sky to “brighten your mix, manage your dynamics and reign in your low-end” and Aurora “for something ethereal, light and wavy”. You can preview 30 seconds of your master before you commit to the type you want to use. You can trial these 30-second clips for free, even as a non-Pro user. Find out more about SoundCloud mastering here. 

There’s also a mastering intensity slider between zero and 100%. Once you commit to a type and master the track, SoundCloud will tell you what the algorithm did to the file, for example: “We added more life in the transients”, etc. 

Of the AI involved, SoundCloud said: “by partnering with Dolby, creators have access to advanced technology that’s been perfected through thousands of hours of music analysis and by working with professional engineers to replicate their process.” 

To celebrate the launch of SoundCloud Mastering, the company is launching a livestream series where artists master their “forgotten gems, b-sides and demos”. You can watch the streams on SoundCloud’s Twitch, with the first taking place with rapper Kota the Friend on July 14th.