Compare and keep a stereo master with LANDR

Before mastering a song, write down what you want to preserve: perhaps the snap of the drum, the space around the vocal or the lift into the chorus. Those choices give you something more useful to judge than whether a preview sounds impressive.

LANDR uses an AI engine to choose a processing chain for a finished track. This documentation-based exercise takes one stereo mix through comparison and download; we did not upload or assess audio.[1]

Use the web service and a mix you own or have permission to upload. LANDR stores uploaded originals in its cloud, even before you master them.[4]

Previews are free. A full download requires an eligible subscription or a one-time purchase; LANDR’s page listed US$10 before tax for one track when checked. Confirm that the selected purchase includes the WAV format you need.[1][9]

Give the engine a usable mix

Export an uncompressed stereo WAV from your audio workstation. LANDR requires at least 44.1 kHz; web uploads must be under 4 GB. WAV files must last at least five seconds and no more than two hours. For HD WAV output, upload uncompressed audio at 24-bit or higher.[2]

Listen to the exported file before uploading: check its beginning, ending and duration. Avoid clipping and master-bus limiting added solely to maximise loudness. LANDR recommends leaving some peak headroom—around 6 dB is its conservative suggestion—while retaining the quiet-to-loud movement within the mix.[3]

Lowering an already heavily limited file does not restore those dynamics. If the track sounds crushed before upload, return to the mix and reconsider the processing that caused it.[3]

Log in to LANDR and drag the WAV into the Mastering section of your library. Once the preview is ready, adjust its style and intensity.[5]

Make a listening decision

The loudness options are Low, Medium and High. LANDR describes Low as the gentlest treatment and High as prioritising loudness at the expense of dynamic range. Start with Medium as a comparison point, then hear what each change does to your song.[6]

When the preview offers Volume Match, check its box. This plays the original and processed versions at matched volume, making tonal balance and stereo changes easier to compare.[7]

Choose the same short passage for every comparison. A useful suggested test contains a vocal phrase, a strong drum hit and a change in arrangement. Keep the style fixed while changing intensity, then hold intensity steady while comparing styles.

Ask three concrete questions. Are the words still clear when the arrangement fills up? Does the drum retain the shape you intended? Does the chorus still feel larger than the verse? Write a short reason for the version you prefer. If you cannot hear an improvement you value, there is no need to buy that result.

If the preview sounds harsh or flattened, revisit both the intensity choice and the mix. LANDR’s preparation guide warns that excessive compression and hot levels through processing plug-ins can limit what mastering can improve.[3]

Choose the file before spending the credit

WAV means 16-bit audio at 44.1 kHz. HD WAV means 24-bit audio retaining the input sample rate. Choose according to the destination’s requirements; a larger bit depth is a file specification, not proof that you prefer the sound.[8]

Click Master and select that format. Credits are specific to the format: a WAV credit does not cover HD WAV. If no suitable credit is available, LANDR prompts for a purchase or subscription change. After processing, download the full file from the library.[5]

Open the download in a separate player and listen from beginning to end. Check the song’s entrance, its busiest passage and the full decay after the last note. Keep the unprocessed mix beside the master, with filenames that identify the version and settings you chose. Your useful result is a file you have heard completely and can distinguish from its source.

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