--- title: "Guides · Tunr" description: "Practical guides and comparisons on mastering audio on a Mac or PC: offline, free, and without a subscription." canonical: https://tunr.studio/guide markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide.md last-updated: 2026-11-02 site: Tunr (https://tunr.studio) version: 0.5.0 --- # Guides Practical comparisons and how-tos on mastering audio locally: no subscription, no upload, no DAW required. Each guide opens with a short answer that stands on its own. ## [LANDR alternatives: free, offline mastering in 2026](https://tunr.studio/guide/landr-alternatives) The strongest LANDR alternative depends on what you want to drop: pay per-track or subscription. For free, fully-offline local mastering, Tunr (Mac & Windows) is the closest fit. BandLab is the best free option, iZotope Ozone the pro plugin, and Matchering the free open-source route. Markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide/landr-alternatives.md ## [How to master a track on Mac without a DAW](https://tunr.studio/guide/master-track-on-mac-without-daw) To master a track on a Mac without a DAW, use a standalone mastering app: export your mix as a WAV, drop it into a tool like Tunr, choose a loudness target, and render. You don't need Logic, Ableton, or plugins — a dedicated app handles EQ, compression, and loudness in one pass. Markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide/master-track-on-mac-without-daw.md ## [How to master Suno and Udio (AI-generated) tracks](https://tunr.studio/guide/master-suno-udio-ai-tracks) To master a Suno or Udio track, export the highest-quality WAV the generator allows, then run it through a mastering tool to set loudness, balance the tone, and tame harshness. Mastering makes an AI track louder and more consistent for streaming — but it can't remove the underlying 'AI sheen' or fix a muddy generation. That's a re-generation problem, not a mastering one. Markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide/master-suno-udio-ai-tracks.md ## [LUFS targets: how loud should your master be?](https://tunr.studio/guide/lufs-targets-how-loud-should-master-be) Master to about -14 LUFS integrated for streaming (Spotify, YouTube, Tidal, Amazon all normalise near there), or -16 LUFS for Apple Music, with a -1 dBTP true-peak ceiling. Go louder only for club/DJ use (-9 to -6 LUFS). On streaming, mastering louder than the target just gets turned down — it doesn't make you louder. Markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide/lufs-targets-how-loud-should-master-be.md ## [What is audio mastering, and how is it different from mixing?](https://tunr.studio/guide/what-is-audio-mastering) Audio mastering is the last stage of making a record. It takes a finished stereo mix and adjusts its tone, dynamics, stereo image and loudness so it holds up on any system and meets delivery specs. Mixing balances the individual tracks; mastering works on the whole song, usually from one stereo file. Markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide/what-is-audio-mastering.md ## [How to prepare a mix for mastering: a 7-point checklist](https://tunr.studio/guide/prepare-mix-for-mastering) To prepare a mix for mastering, export a clean stereo file that peaks around -6 to -3 dBFS, with any loudness limiter removed from the master bus. Use 24-bit WAV or AIFF at your session's sample rate, keep the fades natural, and fix clicks, hum and balance problems before you bounce. Markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide/prepare-mix-for-mastering.md ## [What a mastering limiter does, and what we got wrong in ours](https://tunr.studio/guide/what-does-a-mastering-limiter-do) A mastering limiter is the last stage in the chain. It stops peaks from rising above a set ceiling, which lets you raise the overall loudness without digital clipping. A good one turns the gain down smoothly just ahead of each peak and recovers without being heard. A careless one adds distortion you can measure. Markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide/what-does-a-mastering-limiter-do.md ## [AI mastering vs a mastering engineer: when each one makes sense](https://tunr.studio/guide/ai-mastering-vs-mastering-engineer) Choose a mastering engineer when a release matters and you want judgement and feedback on the mix. Choose automated mastering when you need speed, low cost or many versions. In published blind tests, human engineers tended to rank higher, but listeners couldn't reliably pick them out and results varied by genre. Markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide/ai-mastering-vs-mastering-engineer.md ## [How to master to a reference track without copying its flaws](https://tunr.studio/guide/reference-track-mastering) Reference track mastering means comparing your song with a finished release you admire and using it to guide tone, dynamics and loudness. Pick a song in the same genre with a similar arrangement, match the two in loudness before you compare, and copy the broad balance rather than every detail. Markdown: https://tunr.studio/guide/reference-track-mastering.md --- Source: https://tunr.studio/guide · Site index for agents: https://tunr.studio/llms.txt · Ask a question: POST https://tunr.studio/ask · MCP docs server: https://tunr.studio/mcp