Nugen Audio has released the latest evolution of its MasterCheck optimisation plug-in for cross-platform mastering and loudness verification.
Designed to ensure mixes and masters translate consistently across physical, digital and streaming platforms, MasterCheck 2 expands the plug-in’s capabilities to meet the demands of modern production workflows, from stereo streaming to immersive audio delivery. By allowing users to reference industry-standard loudness measurements such as Integrated Loudness, True Peak, PLR and PSR, the plug-in helps identify the optimal balance between perceived loudness and musical dynamics, avoiding unwanted surprises caused by platform encoding or normalisation.
The latest release broadens MasterCheck’s scope with support for up to 7.1.4 channels, making it suitable for immersive and surround workflows including Dolby Atmos beds and other 3D audio formats. This enhancement ensures that engineers can apply the same level of confidence and consistency to immersive content as they have come to expect for stereo masters.
Reflecting the expanding streaming ecosystem, MasterCheck now includes additional presets covering a wider range of platforms, enabling users to audition how loudness normalisation and codec processing will impact their material across services such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Tidal, Bandcamp and SoundCloud. Using Codec mode and Offset matching, engineers can pre-empt encoding artifacts and make informed creative decisions earlier in the production process.
The plug-in also features a newly redesigned, resizable interface, offering both portrait and landscape views to fit into any screen configuration or workflow. Under the hood, MasterCheck has been rewritten from the ground up, optimizing performance, stability and compatibility with the latest DAWs and operating systems, ensuring the tool remains future-proof as production environments continue to evolve.
‘MasterCheck has always been about giving engineers clarity and confidence before their music reaches the outside world,’ says Product Specialist, Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe. ‘This new version expands that philosophy to immersive formats and modern streaming realities, while maintaining the precision and transparency users rely on every day.’
More: www.nugenaudio.com