Anderton
Using Master Assistant is really no different than calling up a preset to get you started. It just creates a "custom" preset.

I think the difference is in the keyword "custom".  If you're like me, you often get overwhelmed at all the factory preset options.  The Master Assistant IS just another preset (to be tinkered with) but with the added help of AI to get the preset closer to the actual song you're working on.

JAOOMHO - Just another one of my humble opinions

jonboper
In regards to this kind of thing, 

I can appreciate your point of view, that going through the process is part of the fun and learning challenge, i.e. the chase is better than the catch, or its the journey not necessarily the destination that's the most fulfilling. And may also come down to if your doing this as a hobby (like me), career or trying just to get a viral YouTube video song out ASAP to set you up for life (AKA a one hit wonder as it were, perhaps a bit like me, LOL). I guess in any case these days if your not still doing this with analog hardware and tape then you're already somewhat being assisted and taking advantage of digital technology, so why not go all the way and make good use of the tools available? Even with the AI factor there's still a lot of the journey to enjoy getting to your destination, for me its in writing lyrics and music and recording process that cant really be replaced artificially.
Oh and thanks Craig for your assessment, hopefully Izotope appreciate your sway, perhaps they'll be hiring you soon, LOL.
 
Cheers
 
 
    
. 

jonboper
What does it mean to the artistic process that I can press a button and have AI do some of the most difficult and tedious work of finishing off a song? ... There is something truly distasteful about it. Thinking about the art ...

Two questions I get asked most often:
 
1. How much will it cost
2. How long will it take.
 

Leee
But a key point you did not emphasize is that  the "Craig Mastering" involved a fair amount of tweaking to get it the way you wanted to sound.   Was there any tweaking done with the Ozone mastering?
My point is that with the same amount of tweaking you did on your own mastering take, you could have gotten the same or better results with Ozone 8.  Most people know that the presets and AI results in Ozone, are just the starting point, you'll almost always need to tweak no matter what tools you are using.

The "Craig Mastered" take is clearly the best one of the three, not too soft, not too hot.  Like Goldilocks and The Three Bears.
But each of the Ozone mastering takes, could have easily matched your take, with just a little bit of adjusting.

Very true. In fact I do not think it is a fair comparison because Algorithms in general can't sense emotion, state of mind; or importantly, perception.

What I mean is, when mixing or mastering something as a human, there are many factors which will play into the "Why did i adjust this to here."

Craig knows this, you get goose bumps, you have a rush of excitement. But on the Machine side of things, and as you rightfully added, it's all about algorithms. Does the AI know you have hit a sweet spot?

I am not saying anything wrong is done here but I would rather not compare the two.

It's like this:

Hire two Chefs to cook you a meal. Provide all the ingredients, however, one is a robot who has no sense of tasting and simply goes based on calculation of measurements, this robot also has no sense of what makes people love food, like spices.

Who do you think will make a better meal or at least have the slightest advantage?

I still think it's extremely exciting but hands down, Craig will always be better because he understands the Human Musical Perceptions, unless the AI had Craig's state of mind. :)

Anderton

For anything else, a good human will beat it every time. That's not a slam on Ozone 8...that's recognition that humans can make artistic decisions as well as technical ones.

Brilliant! I've watched many videos on mastering but none was nearly as instrumental as this. It never crossed my mind that one can add instrument parts during mastering. This simple yet effective approach is mind-blowing.

Soundwise
 
Brilliant! I've watched many videos on mastering but none was nearly as instrumental as this. It never crossed my mind that one can add instrument parts during mastering. This simple yet effective approach is mind-blowing.

Glad you liked it! To be clear, this is not something most mastering engineers do, and if I change an arrangement or make other substantial changes, it's only after consulting with the client.
 
(BTW thanks for your offer to QC the 30 FX Chains for October, but Cakewalk said they would do them if I can retrieve them from my computer.)

Anderton
if I change an arrangement or make other substantial changes, it's only after consulting with the client.

 
Of course it's to client to decide which changes are appropriate. But that little organ trick opened a brave new world of possibilities for me.

(BTW thanks for your offer to QC the 30 FX Chains for October, but Cakewalk said they would do them if I can retrieve them from my computer.)

Great news! That way more people may benefit from your discoveries.

I’m in the process of convincing myself I don’t need O8N2:)

Cool tune!!! 
 
Thanks Craig.

kzmaier
Cool tune!!!

Thanks Ken! First time I've written a song with Spanish lyrics. I had to check with some native Spanish speakers to make sure I hadn't said "my toast is flying upside down" or something else by mistake.