What Mastering The Mix does

Mastering The Mix Ltd. is a London-based, bootstrapped software company founded in 2016 that develops audio mixing and mastering plugins for music producers. Its product suite spans 11 plugins — STEREOVAULT, REFERENCE 3, FASTER MASTER, FUSER, RESO, BASSROOM, MIXROOM, EXPOSE 2, LEVELS, LIMITER, and ANIMATE — each built around audio signal analysis that analyzes the user's audio and surfaces visual feedback plus concrete adjustment suggestions. Proprietary techniques include level-matched processing, mono-aware stereo width control, dynamic resonance suppression, and dynamic frequency-masking resolution, with the EQ plugins (BASSROOM, MIXROOM) drawing on target curves derived from professional reference material.

The company operates a product-led growth model: 15-day free trials, 30-day money-back guarantees, and a direct-to-consumer Shopify storefront selling perpetual licenses at $79 per plugin, with bundle pricing (All Plugins Bundle at $346, Bestseller Bundle at $126, EQ Excellence Bundle at $63). It also runs a 200+ country global e-commerce operation with marketplace distribution through Plugin Boutique, an affiliate program, and a top-of-funnel free product (EQ Academy). A secondary revenue stream is professional stereo and stem mastering services delivered by founder Tom Frampton at $134 and $334 per track respectively. The company serves primarily independent and professional music producers, with high-profile endorsement adoption by artists including Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Nicky Romero, MEDUZA, and Grammy-winning engineers working with Frank Ocean, Doja Cat, and Paul McCartney; it claims 300,000+ producers use its REFERENCE plugin and 3,136 verified 5-star reviews across sales channels.

Internally the company is small (1-10 employees, founder-owned, no external funding) and operates as Mastering The Mix Ltd. from a single registered office in London. Distribution leans entirely on PLG and content marketing (56+ blog tutorials, free guides, YouTube presence), with no enterprise sales motion and no disclosed M&A, partnerships beyond artist co-creation, or external capital events.

Name

Mastering The Mix

Legal name

Mastering The Mix Ltd.

Website

https://masteringthemix.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mastering The Mix is a London-based, bootstrapped software company that develops audio analysis plugins (11 SKUs) and mastering services for independent and professional music producers worldwide, sold via direct e-commerce and Plugin Boutique.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Production Software

NAICS

Other Sound Recording Industries (512290), Sound Recording Studios (512240)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX) (MPAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audio Editing, Restoration & Mastering Software (MPAIAIAH), AI Music Creation & Assistive Tools (Generation, Separation, Mastering) (MPAIAIAG)

Keywords

• Audio mixing plugins
• Mastering software
• Music production tools
• Audio analysis plugins
• EQ processing software

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Plugin Sales: One-time perpetual license sales for individual plugins and bundles. Individual plugins priced at $79, with bundle discounts up to 60% off. All Plugins Bundle at $346 (regular $867), Bestseller Bundle at $126 (regular $315), EQ Excellence Bundle at $63 (regular $158).
2. Mastering Services: Professional mastering services offered by Tom Frampton: Stereo mastering at $134, Stem mastering at $334, both with revision rounds included.
3. Affiliate Referrals: Affiliate program allowing partners to earn commissions for referring customers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mastering The Mix develops and sells audio mixing and mastering plugins (VST/AU/AAX) for music producers that analyze audio signals and provide visual feedback plus intelligent, level-matched guidance for mixing decisions. The company offers 11 individual plugins (including LEVELS, REFERENCE 3, BASSROOM, MIXROOM, RESO, FUSER, LIMITER, ANIMATE, FASTER MASTER, EXPOSE 2, and STEREOVAULT) sold via perpetual licenses and bundles, plus professional stereo and stem mastering services delivered by founder Tom Frampton.

Product overview

Mastering The Mix offers a suite of 11 audio mixing and mastering plugins plus professional mastering services. The plugin ecosystem centers on audio analysis and intelligent guidance: STEREOVAULT handles stereo width, REFERENCE 3 enables reference track comparison, FASTER MASTER provides one-click mastering, FUSER resolves frequency masking, RESO suppresses resonances, BASSROOM and MIXROOM offer target-based EQ for low-end and mids/highs respectively, LIMITER controls loudness, EXPOSE 2 performs quality control, LEVELS provides metering, and ANIMATE adds dynamics/transient control. The products are sold individually at $79 each, or in bundles (All Plugins Bundle at $346, Bestseller Bundle at $126, EQ Excellence Bundle at $63). The company also offers professional mastering services (Stereo Mastering at $134, Stem Mastering at $334) and a free EQ Academy ear-training app.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEVELS All-in-one audio metering plugin for real-time monitoring of LUFS loudness, true-peak levels, dynamic range, stereo balance and width, bass space, and phase correlation, built for music producers checking mix technical compliance.
• ANIMATE Multi-purpose mixing plugin with four modes — EXPAND (upward expansion), PUNCH (transient enhancement), IGNITE (harmonic distortion), and GROW (stereo widening) — for adding movement, dynamics, and harmonic character to individual instruments or buses.
• BASSROOM Low-end mastering EQ plugin with visual target curves built from professional reference data, showing EQ suggestions across five bands to help producers achieve bass that hits hard and translates across playback systems.
• MIXROOM Intelligent mixing EQ plugin tuned for mids and highs that analyzes audio against target curves from professional reference data and shows exactly which frequencies to tweak for clarity, richness, and tonal balance.
• EXPOSE 2 Standalone audio quality control application that scans tracks for loudness, true-peak, dynamics, EQ balance, stereo width, and phase issues before release, providing visual feedback and actionable guidance for music producers.
• RESO Dynamic resonance suppressor plugin that finds and dynamically tames harsh, ringing resonances in audio with per-frequency targeting, behaving surgically when needed and transparently when not.
• LIMITER Intelligent mastering limiter plugin that analyzes audio and suggests optimal settings for gain, attack, link, ceiling, and true peak control, with NRG and PCH controls for harmonic energy and punch.
• FUSER Smart unmasking plugin that resolves conflicting frequencies between tracks using dynamic EQ, phase analysis, and volume control to fix masking issues dynamically while keeping mixes musical.
• FASTER MASTER One-click intelligent audio mastering plugin co-created with David Guetta and Nicky Romero that analyzes songs and generates 10 custom presets with optimized EQ, transients, compression, stereo width, and limiting controls for fast, release-ready mastering.
• STEREOVAULT Stereo width and imaging plugin that analyzes audio to help producers find the right stereo width and shape it with clean, level-matched tools, including Transparent Mode for mastering and Flexible Mode for mixing with mono-aware widening.
• REFERENCE 3 Reference track matching plugin that helps producers compare mixes to professional releases with instant level-matched switching, showing tonal balance, loudness, stereo width, and dynamics analysis with Mix Instructor guidance and smart reference suggestions.
• Stereo Mastering Service Professional stereo mastering service delivered by Tom Frampton at $134 per track, enhancing songs with optimum balance and loudness, with 3 rounds of revisions and 48-hour turnaround for artists and labels.
• Stem Mastering Service Professional stem mastering service for separate audio stems at $334 per track, allowing more precise control over individual element balance during mastering for artists and labels needing deeper mix intervention.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300,000+ producers use REFERENCE plugin
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• David GuettacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Co-created FASTER MASTER with David Guetta. The plugin was developed with direct input from the Grammy-winning producer to ensure it meets professional standards for quick, release-ready mastering.
• Nicky RomerocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Co-created FASTER MASTER alongside Nicky Romero, contributing to the development of 10 smart mastering presets and reference matching features.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• iZotope: Developer of Ozone (mastering), Neutron (mixing), and RX (audio repair) — the most direct competitor in audio analysis-driven mastering and mixing. Targets the same professional and bedroom producer segments and competes head-to-head on AI-assisted mastering features.
• Boz Digital Labs: Small independent plugin developer producing specialist mixing and mastering tools (Transgressor, Panagement, Mongoose). Closely comparable boutique profile with similarly sized team and direct-to-consumer marketing to producers.
• Slate Digital: Plugin and virtual instrument company offering mixing/mastering bundles (Virtual Mix Rack, FG-X) to producers and engineers. Direct peer in the bundle-led, mid-priced plugin space with comparable gtm through plugin marketplaces.
• DMG Audio: UK-based boutique developer of professional mixing plugins (TrackPlug, Equlick) used by mixing and mastering engineers. Same small-team, independent, analysis-driven philosophy with focus on premium mixing/mastering tools.
• Soundtoys: Boutique US plugin developer (Decapitator, EchoBoy, EffectRack) serving producers and mix engineers with creative effects. Similar independent, boutique profile to Mastering The Mix and operates in the same plugin marketplace (Plugin Boutique) with overlapping customer segments.
• FabFilter: Independent Dutch developer of professional mixing and mastering plugins (Pro-Q, Pro-L, Pro-C) sold directly to music producers. Highly comparable to Mastering The Mix in product category, customer base (mix/master engineers and producers), and pricing band ($79-$169/plugin range).

Others

• Plugin Boutique: Online marketplace where Mastering The Mix distributes alongside 200+ plugin vendors. Important sales channel and ecosystem reference point, but not a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Native Instruments: Large music technology company producing Komplete, Massive, and a broad plugin/instrument catalog serving producers. Operates in the same DAW-ecosystem space but at significantly greater scale and across a wider product portfolio.
• Waves Audio: Large, established plugin company with a broad catalog spanning mixing, mastering, and creative effects. Operates in the same producer/engineer market but at greater scale and with subscription and bundle pricing that overlaps with Mastering The Mix offerings.

Emerging players

• Sonible: Austrian AI-driven audio plugin developer (smart:EQ, entropy:EQ+) using machine learning for mixing and mastering assistance. Comparable technology direction (AI-assisted analysis and recommendations) overlapping with Mastering The Mix's smart analysis features.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mastering The Mix