
The New Mastering: Why AI Is Now the Rough Mix
Mastering isn't a gate—it's the baseline. Taste still wins.
AI mastering moved the floor up, not the ceiling.
For speed and demos it's unbeatable: consistent loudness, spectral balance, soft clipping.
But arrangement decisions are musical, not mathematical.
Best practice is hybrid: AI for instant refs, human for translation across systems and choices that make the track feel intentional..