This guest post was written by the team at RoEx.
For a long time, professional grade audio has only been available to those who can afford it, or those who can master the tools and skills required to achieve it for themselves.
Nowadays, this is not the case.
Recent developments in the music production sector are seeing the barrier to better sound being lowered - it’s now easier than ever for independent artists to self-produce music and achieve the sound they deserve.
The (very) short answer to this question is; AI. But beyond the buzzword there are new technological capabilities that are generating incredible results for artists. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Most of the discussion around AI in music centres around generative tools - type a prompt, click a button, and the finished track is delivered back to you. These tools are very popular, but can also be controversial, and pose questions about the philosophy of music creation itself.
That’s a conversation happening elsewhere. Instead, we want to highlight the benefits of new tools that incorporate AI but in an assistive manner.
Assistive AI supports, it does not replace.
The creation process still exists, and the different stages of the creation process still exist, but they are supported, amplified or sped-up by incorporating AI-powered technologies. These tools are creating real benefits for music artists, and can be game changers for independent artists trying to compete with the big names, but on realistic production budgets.
Properly mixed and mastered music not only means that people will be listening to a better sounding end product, it can actually be the difference to people hearing it in the first place. In 2025, an average of 106,000 tracks were uploaded to streaming services each day, meaning it’s getting increasingly competitive to get your music heard. If your audio doesn’t sound polished then your chances of being listened to, shared, and algorithmically boosted by the streaming services are slim. This is where assistive AI production tools can shine.
Research carried out by UnitedMasters on 500,000 tracks found that “mastered tracks are streamed 34% more during their first three months of release than non-mastered ones” - a stark indicator that audio quality matters. AI has made audio mastering available to artists that were previously going without mastering when distributing their tracks.
Assistive AI tools are also having impact earlier on in the production process, giving music makers control at stem level. It is now possible to create a balanced mix from your multitrack project using the automation that assistive AI provides.
Automix by RoEx applies mixing expertise to multitrack mixes, allowing artists to create a balanced mix in just a matter of minutes. Export your stems, upload them, make some basic mix choices, and you get a balanced mix.
Automix also features a built-in mastering suite, allowing artists to ready their music for release. Another feature lets artists download their mix as a project file for their DAW - once opened, the settings that Automix has applied are all set up on the stock plugins within that DAW. This gives artists the ability to add further creative flair to their track with the legwork already out of the way.
Unlike the blackbox nature of the generative tools - where you have no idea what’s happened between the input and output stages of creation - Automix educates artists that are using it. You can download a Mix Insight report for each mix that outlines how the following effects and tools have been used to craft the production:
EQ (Equalisation) - a tool used to balance the frequencies of a track, typically by cutting problematic frequencies so instruments don't clash, and boosting others to bring out their natural character.
Compression - a process that narrows the dynamic range of a recording, bringing the loudest and quietest parts closer together to create consistency and energy throughout a track.
Panning - the placement of a sound within the left-right stereo field, giving each element its own space in the mix and creating width, depth, and separation between instruments.
Reverb - an effect that simulates the sound of a physical space, creating the impression a track was recorded in a specific environment, from a small chamber to a large concert hall.
Mix Check Studio, RoEx’s quality control and quality assurance tool, gives actionable feedback to artists based around their in-progress mixed or mastered track.
Powered by assistive AI, it breaks down a stereo file of a track into its constituent parts, and flags if there are any concerns with loudness, clipping, phase, mono-compatibility or more. The platform also outlines the ways in which issues with the track can be fixed within a DAW, or with the in-built Mastering+ tool - which enhances and reinvigorates tracks that it works with.
Since 2023 RoEx’s tools have enhanced over 5 million tracks, showing that many artists are already benefitting from assistive AI within their music production workflows. A recent survey by Moises also found that 32% of artists that are using AI, are using it to mix or master their work, so there is definitely room for these tools to become a go to part of an artist’s production workflow.
AI in music production is moving fast, and greater attention is being given to these tools by all leading creator tools. This can only bring positives to independent artists who are looking for ways to level the playing fields with signed artists with teams and bigger budgets.
If you are just getting started with AI tools, then try not to feel overwhelmed with everything that’s on offer. Try to find tools that offer solutions to production practices that you usually find challenging, or wish to experiment in.
More about RoEx
You can get exclusive access to RoEx’s products through Songtrust Amplified.
Automix takes you from stems through to a finished, mixed and mastered track.
Mix Check Studio gives you immediate feedback on your current mix, highlights issues and gives you the chance to fix those issues with Mastering+.