Hello, I mentioned this in the LANDR thread.
 
All things being equal, you should really try the Mastering Templates that are included in the Hopkinton update, created by Dan Gonzales.
 
You can find info in the ezine, scroll to page 10.
 
http://static.cakewalk.co...R_Hokpinton_Update.pdf
 
There are some advantages to using them.
1.  Free (at least after the initial renewal price.)
2. You can actually turn some knobs and make some sonic decisions.
3.  There are 6 different choices as opposed to 3.
4.  They are good.
5.  I forgot number 5, but it was a good reason.
6. No need to waste bandwidth or time downloading and uploading.
 
Trust me, check them out.
 
Jesse Q. Screed
 

In all honesty (and no insult to Mr. Gonzales), there is nothing like paying $10 for a LANDR Insta-Master. There is a veil lifted from the music, a creamy top end that fully complements the hefty bottom end of the frequency spectrum. In fact, the best way to finalize a song is to pre-master every single track with Lander before gain-staging them prior to mixing. Yes, the cost quickly goes up, but even $200 per song is still much less than what a top mastering engineer would charge.

irvin???! i thougjt u quit! wtf!

I sense some sarcasm from monsieur irvin... I have to admit it's pretty funny... 

irvin
In all honesty (and no insult to Mr. Gonzales), there is nothing like paying $10 for a LANDR Insta-Master. There is a veil lifted from the music, a creamy top end that fully complements the hefty bottom end of the frequency spectrum. In fact, the best way to finalize a song is to pre-master every single track with Lander before gain-staging them prior to mixing. Yes, the cost quickly goes up, but even $200 per song is still much less than what a top mastering engineer would charge.

This is some of the worst advice I've ever seen posted anywhere. 
 
If it was meant in jest, the humor's too subtle. I'm afraid beginners might take it seriously.

There are many reports with music examples on the net.
The most say, LANDR can not distinguish between a ballad or a rock song.
Instead 12 x 200$ per song for an album, I would buy plugins from Universal Audio and master for myself.
It's always possible to compare a LANDR-Master with the own master within the LANDR Basic subscription.

I've been tinkering with Dan's presets and i got to say....quite good! 
 
It's almost embarrassing that he's using Sonitas plugins that in computer life should be old and out dated,  but I like the results.
 
Goes to show it is not always the tools,  but how to use them that counts the most.

Here's how I look at Mastering:
 
Great Master  < Great Mix < Great Sounds < Great Performances < Great Pre-Production < Great Song
 

Thanks for the kind words on the Mastering templates! It's pretty cool that you dudes have checked them out :)
 

Dan Gonzalez [Cakewalk]
Here's how I look at Mastering:
Great Master  < Great Mix < Great Sounds < Great Performances < Great Pre-Production < Great Song

Absolutely!
Dan, Thanks for the templates.  I use Ozone 7 (cause I have it and can be lazy, and also because of the various presents in there that get me pointed in the right direction), but no amount of Mastering effects can overcome a junky mix.  And really, from what I heard from the pros, a good mix may not even need to be touched! 
Cakewalk has done wonders in the DAW world.  Love my Sonar X3 and will upgrade to SPlate tonight (and check Dan's presents!). 
Regret missing that $99 deal.  Damn.