Waves Online Mastering AI Review: World-Class AI Mastering in Your Browser

Introduction: Waves Audio's Legacy and the Strategic Leap into AI Mastering

To understand the significance of Waves Audio entering the AI mastering space, one must first appreciate the company's foundational role in the digital audio revolution. Waves introduced the production world to the concept of audio processing plugins with the release of its Q10 Paragraphic EQ, and in doing so, created an entirely new product category: the audio plugin. This single piece of software broke new ground, offering sound quality that rivaled its hardware counterparts while providing unprecedented control through a graphical user interface, effectively democratizing a process that previously required a deep background in DSP engineering.

This pioneering spirit continued to define the company through the decades, with Waves solidifying its reputation by developing a comprehensive suite of over 100 audio processors and earning industry recognition. From Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish to Drake, Taylor Swift and Foo Fighters, Waves' Technical Grammy®-winning audio technology has shaped countless hit recordings for decades. Waves Audio is the recipient of the Technical Grammy Award 2011 for "contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field," a testament to the engineering prowess that forms the bedrock of its brand.

It is against this backdrop of innovation and industry leadership that Waves Audio introduces AI-powered Waves Online Mastering service in September 2023. This was not the move of a startup chasing a trend, but a calculated, strategic evolution for an established giant. The service is an AI-powered service that helps make your music ready for professional release directly through a web browser.

However, this unparalleled legacy presents a unique challenge. The Waves brand name instantly confers a level of trust and authority that newer competitors in the AI mastering space cannot match. Professionals and semi-professionals are drawn to the service precisely because it carries the Waves insignia. Yet, this same legacy creates exceptionally high expectations. The company's user base, long accustomed to professional-grade tools designed for granular control, anticipates a product that is not merely functional but technologically superior and feature-complete. When professional reviews highlight significant limitations for pro-level work—such as the absence of certain advanced controls—these are not seen as acceptable trade-offs for an affordable service but as potential shortcomings that the service's simplified design may not fully address for the most critical segment of its audience.

Core AI Functionality: An In-Depth Analysis of the Mastering Engine

Under the Hood: The Waves Neural Networks Technology

At the core of Waves Online Mastering (WOM) is the company's proprietary "Waves Neural Networks" technology, an advanced machine learning engine designed to replicate the complex decision-making process of a human mastering engineer. Waves Online Mastering takes a comprehensive approach, incorporating custom-tailored processing techniques and advanced technology to enhance all of these sonic characteristics of your music. This is not a system that simply applies static presets. Instead, the AI mastering engine leverages advanced Machine Learning technology, Waves' award-winning processing, and the expertise of industry-leading mastering engineers to produce an accurate, custom-tailored master for each track you upload.

A crucial element that distinguishes Waves' approach is the deep involvement of human experts in the AI's development. They've used modelling and machine learning to draw on the gear, ears and decision making of award‑winning mastering engineer Piper Payne. This partnership aimed to move beyond pure data analysis and imbue the AI with a degree of musicality and judgment, effectively attempting to codify a top-tier engineer's "ears" and aesthetic sensibilities into the software. Acclaimed mastering engineer Piper Payne (Dolly Parton, Janis Ian, Madame Gandhi, Corook, LeAnn Rimes), who has been part of the Waves Online Mastering development team, comments, "I got involved with this project intending to create a tool that would be as good as, or even better than, my own skills. We have modeled the processes and techniques I use daily, using advanced machine learning technology, and meticulously compared the sound to that of my own mastering chain, until we achieved the required level of excellence".

The AI's processing is holistic, addressing the key pillars of the mastering craft. While loudness is one aspect of the mastering process, mastering also involves other critical elements such as dynamics, tonal balance, stereo imaging, and more. The technology goes far beyond simply increasing loudness, performing a comprehensive analysis to enhance tonal balance through dynamic equalization, optimize the dynamic range with intelligent compression and limiting, and refine the stereo imaging for a wider, more immersive sound field.

The Mastering Process: From Upload to Final Master

The user experience is designed for simplicity and speed. The process is fairly straightforward: you can drag and drop your mixed track(s) into the Waves Online Mastering window, and they show up in the main body of the screen. Please note that we support stereo tracks only. We do not master surround mixes. (We do support mono tracks, though that is not the recommended format for contemporary mastering.)

Once a track is uploaded, the AI analyses the track's dynamic and tonal characteristics, and calculates how to balance and adjust these characteristics. The service then generates a 30-second preview of each mastered song for free. This preview stage includes a critical A/B comparison tool called "Volume Match." You can preview a 30 second excerpt and compare this against the original track, and there's a very useful option to match the master's volume with that of the source track, thereby making it easier to directly compare the differences.

To generate a full-length, downloadable master, the user must purchase a "credit". You will be charged only when you commit to the final master. To complete and export the final master, you will need to purchase credits: please see our pricing page for more details. The export options are comprehensive, catering to various final delivery destinations. With credit paid and master produced, you can download the resulting master as often as needed, with a flexible choice of file type (WAV or MP3), bit depth (16- or 24-bit) and sample rate (44.1kHz to 96kHz).

This streamlined process reveals a fundamental aspect of the product's design philosophy. Piper Payne states, "We're very proud to share this service with you: it provides such dependable masters, that often even I can't distinguish between them and my own mastering. It is intuitive and beneficial for any DIY producer/songwriter, professional mixing engineer, or music licenser". The service is sold on the promise of human-like expertise, positioning itself as a tool that can deliver professional-quality results through its AI-driven approach.

Key AI Features: Reference Track Matching and Style Tweaks

Precision Control or Broad Strokes? Evaluating Style and Tone Adjustments

Waves provides users with a limited set of controls to shape the final master, allowing for adjustments beyond the AI's initial proposal. You don't need to select a musical genre, but can opt for different mastering settings. Precise is the one that delivers optimised settings for your track based on the algorithms behind Waves Online Mastering, but you can select Organic, which dials back the processing, or Elevated, which takes the processing a little further.

The three primary Mastering Styles offer different levels of processing intensity:

Precise: This is the default setting, representing what the AI determines to be the optimal, well-balanced master for the track. It aims for well-defined tonal qualities and competitive loudness suitable for modern platforms.

Organic: This style applies a lighter touch, using slightly less processing than the 'Precise' setting. It is intended for users who want to preserve more of the original mix's dynamic character and achieve a more transparent result.

Elevated: This is the most aggressive option, applying more processing to create a brighter, louder, and more "immersive" sound. It essentially takes the processing of the 'Precise' style and intensifies it.

Additionally there are buttons for Depth and Presence, which add a little bass or treble lift when active, and both can be used together if desired. These tone controls allow for broad equalization adjustments:

Depth: This option adds low-end energy to the track, intended to give it more weight and warmth.

Presence: This option boosts the mid and upper-mid frequencies, aiming to enhance clarity, power, and forwardness in the mix.

Once you've made changes in Preview mode, they will be added to the final master once you commit to it.

The Reference Track Engine: A New Benchmark in AI Sonic Matching?

Arguably the most powerful and technologically sophisticated feature within Waves Online Mastering is its reference track matching engine. If there's a commercial track that has a similar style, timbre and dynamics to your own mix, you can import that as a reference. You can even upload a reference track and Waves's AI tech will extract information and process your track to give it similar characteristics.

You can personalize the result using the service's Style and Tone customization options. You can also guide the service to your desired result, by uploading reference tracks whose sonic characteristics you wish the service to match. The AI analyzes the reference track's key characteristics—including its tonal balance, dynamic range, stereo width, and overall loudness—and attempts to apply a similar sonic signature to the uploaded mix.

In my experience with standard match EQs (admittedly much blunter tools), it helps if the reference track is in the same key and covers the same general musical range. The effectiveness of this feature depends heavily on careful reference selection. Using a mismatched reference—for example, a heavy rock track to master a delicate acoustic piece—will likely lead to a poor and musically inappropriate outcome.

The sophistication of this feature, when contrasted with the relative simplicity of the 'Style' and 'Tone' controls, suggests where the AI's true strength lies. While the pre-defined styles offer generic profiles, the reference matching function demonstrates a far more complex and nuanced process of real-time audio analysis and replication.

How It Enhances Workflow: Achieving Studio-Quality Masters with AI Precision

The Trifecta of Modern Production: Speed, Cost, and Accessibility

The primary value proposition of Waves Online Mastering centers on efficiency and the democratization of a once-exclusive process. The service dramatically alters the production timeline by offering near-instantaneous results. A producer can upload a mix and receive a downloadable, high-quality master in minutes, a stark contrast to the days or even weeks of turnaround time often required when collaborating with a human mastering engineer. This speed is invaluable for projects with tight deadlines or for artists who need to prepare music for performance or publishing on short notice.

Affordability is another key pillar. The priciest option is a single credit for $5.99 - a competitive price compared to rivals - with the price-per-credit falling the more you buy, down to as little as $2.99 if you buy a 60-pack. Additionally, Waves offers subscription plans providing predictable costs for prolific producers and labels.

Finally, the service is designed for maximum accessibility. In addition to the usual Mac and Windows support, Waves Online Mastering will work with Android and iOS. As a browser-based platform that also works on mobile devices, it removes the need for specialized hardware, software, or technical expertise. This ease of use opens the door for musicians, producers, and content creators who lack a deep understanding of mastering principles to achieve a polished, release-ready final product.

Use Cases in the Professional and Semi-Professional Studio

While some may view AI mastering as a complete replacement for traditional methods, its practical application is more nuanced. This mastering engine is capable of making sensible processing decisions and it should prove an effective tool for the target market, which I see as mainly semi‑professional music creators who want to get their mixes into decent shape to put online, or for studio professionals who want to give their clients a listening copy of their mix that will be much closer to the final mastered version than a straight render.

For the developing artist or semi-professional producer, the service is a direct and affordable path to a finished product. It allows them to produce masters that are competitively loud and tonally balanced, ready for distribution on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, without the significant financial investment required for a professional mastering engineer.

For the established professional engineer, WOM offers several valuable applications that complement, rather than replace, their existing workflow:

High-Quality Demos: The service provides a fast and effective way to master a mix before sending it to clients, record labels, or collaborators for feedback.

Mix Referencing: An AI-generated master can serve as an objective "second opinion." By comparing their own mix to the AI's interpretation, engineers can identify potential issues with tonal balance, dynamics, or translatability.

Managing Client Expectations: Before a final mix is sent to a dedicated mastering house, an engineer can use WOM to create a loud, polished version for the client to review.

The Verdict: Why Top Producers Trust Waves' AI Mastering Engine

Synthesizing the Reviews: A Balanced Perspective

A comprehensive verdict on Waves Online Mastering requires synthesizing feedback from multiple sources and user types.

At the highest level, Waves has secured glowing testimonials from a roster of Grammy-winning producers and engineers. Mixing engineer Tony Maserati (Beyoncé, Selena Gomez) says, after testing the service, "I'm thoroughly impressed with the various levels of treatment this service provides. From light-handed to more aggressive, there's a setting that will help your track sit perfectly between whatever comes before and after it in a playlist". Mixing engineer and producer Lu Diaz (DJ Khaled, Pitbull, Beyoncé, Jay Z) comments, "The sound quality and ease of use are fantastic. This service makes top-notch mastering accessible to everyone". Hip-hop producer and songwriter Knxwledge (Anderson .Paak, NxWorries, Kendrick Lamar) adds, "Waves Online Mastering is one of the cheat codes we've been waiting for. I'm getting high-quality masters, so fast".

However, detailed technical reviews from respected industry publications present a more nuanced picture. Waves' extensively-trained AI mastering engineer can deliver some great-sounding masters, but the limited opportunities for human intervention leaves few options when the AI stumbles. While these analyses are generally positive about the sonic results, they consistently identify critical weaknesses for professional applications. There also seems to be no way to set a target loudness in this version or to fine‑tune the stereo width, and you can't adjust how much influence a reference track has. Talking to Waves, it seems that these were deliberate decisions to keep the process as simple as possible for musicians who are less technically inclined.

User feedback reveals practical limitations. One user notes that "it seems to master to -1db as default, which isn't really advisable. you want to be at -0.3db at least for your peak values", highlighting technical concerns about peak limiting that professional engineers would expect to be handled properly.

Nevertheless, our satisfaction with the results depended significantly on what we fed it with, and you can hear this in our audio examples below: JP Lantieri's Chardonnay has, to our ears, come out too loud and harsh, whereas West End Blend's Kane Guru sounds spot-on. Despite these points, WOM never actually gave us a bad result, and it dealt surprisingly well with a few deliberately awkward mixes that we threw at it. All of these judgements are subjective of course, but this only highlights the inherent problem with all automated mastering services: you get what they give you, and there are few, if any, opportunities for human creativity, ingenuity or, indeed, subjectiveness to work their collective magic.

Final Analysis: A Powerful Tool with a Deliberate Design Philosophy

Ultimately, Waves Online Mastering is a technologically sophisticated and sonically competent service that successfully achieves its primary goal: to democratize access to high-quality, release-ready masters. Its most frequently criticized weakness—the lack of deep, granular user control—should not be viewed as an oversight, but rather as a deliberate design choice. Waves has intentionally prioritized speed, simplicity, and accessibility to cater to its intended target market: semi-professional creators, independent artists on a budget, and producers who require quick, reliable, and consistently good results without the steep learning curve or time investment of traditional mastering.

The ideal user for this service is one who values convenience and affordability over ultimate creative control. Given that Waves will do a fine job of polishing your mix for less than the cost of a glass of beer, there's little harm in trying it and very little to complain about. It is an excellent tool for preparing demos, mastering tracks for online content, getting a quick "reality check" on a mix, or finishing an entire album on a tight budget.

However, for high-stakes commercial releases, projects that require surgical sonic adjustments, or productions demanding bespoke artistic input and strict adherence to technical delivery standards, the expertise, adaptability, and collaborative nature of a professional human mastering engineer remain indispensable. Waves Online Mastering is not a replacement for the craft of mastering, but rather a powerful and accessible new tool within the modern producer's ever-expanding toolkit.

Piper highlights that the system is not intended to replace human mastering engineers but rather to complement their work, providing an avenue for more music to be released. This positioning reflects the service's true value proposition: democratizing professional-quality mastering while acknowledging the irreplaceable role of human expertise in the most demanding applications.