Soundcloud’s newest feature is Dolby-powered automated mastering for $4.99/track.
The German company has launched Mastering on Soundcloud with the goal of simplifying the final obstacle producers face before release, informing us that “one of the top reasons creators on SoundCloud hesitate to upload a track is because they need it to be mastered before they share it publicly.”
Soundcloud Pro Unlimited subscribers will get three free masters every month, with additional masters within the same month costing $3.99. The service costs $4.99 for non-Pro users and the price is the same for all file types.
Soundcloud had experienced a wave of financial losses throughout 2017 and 2018 but since reducing costs, switching to a subscriber-based business model and focusing on providing creator-focused resources like their Repost marketing service, they have recovered swiftly. A mastering feature is an extension of this new model, providing yet another tool for creators.
Instant mastering has been a controversial topic in the audio community for many years but there is no debating that companies like LANDR and plug-ins like Izotope Ozone have made automated mastering popular. The quality of these types of masters, however, is under constant discussion.
Soundcloud is the latest to offer artificial mastering software and they have collaborated with audio technology giants Dolby to do so. The Mastering on Soundcloud page states that the process of designing the algorithm involved thousands of hours of music analysis as well as a study of the processes of numerous mastering engineers. The Dolby technology is also designed to “identify the details, the unique sections, and musical transitions that give your song its unique story arc.”
As part of the launch, Soundcloud will stream a new Mastering Sessions series from their Twitch Channel, in which creators go through their old tracks and master them with the new software. Seth Troxler is set to feature on July 28th.
The company will also be curating a playlist on its homepage, featuring tracks mastered with Mastering on Soundcloud. Users can upload and hashtag a master track with the hashtag #masteredonsoundcloud for the chance to be featured.
Head to Soundcloud for more information.