A Machine Learning-Assisted Automation System for Optimizing Session Preparation Time in Digital Audio Workstations

Modern audio production workflows often require significant manual effort during the initial session preparation phase, including track labeling, format standardization, and gain staging. This paper presents a rule-based and Machine Learning-assisted automation system designed to minimize the time r...

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Main Authors: Bogdan Moroșanu, Marian Negru, Georgian Nicolae, Horia Sebastian Ioniță, Constantin Paleologu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Information
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/16/6/494
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author Bogdan Moroșanu
Marian Negru
Georgian Nicolae
Horia Sebastian Ioniță
Constantin Paleologu
author_facet Bogdan Moroșanu
Marian Negru
Georgian Nicolae
Horia Sebastian Ioniță
Constantin Paleologu
author_sort Bogdan Moroșanu
collection DOAJ
description Modern audio production workflows often require significant manual effort during the initial session preparation phase, including track labeling, format standardization, and gain staging. This paper presents a rule-based and Machine Learning-assisted automation system designed to minimize the time required for these tasks in Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). The system automatically detects and labels audio tracks, identifies and eliminates redundant fake stereo channels, merges double-tracked instruments into stereo pairs, standardizes sample rate and bit rate across all tracks, and applies initial gain staging using target loudness values derived from a Genetic Algorithm (GA)-based system, which optimizes gain levels for individual track types based on engineer preferences and instrument characteristics. By replacing manual setup processes with automated decision-making methods informed by Machine Learning (ML) and rule-based heuristics, the system reduces session preparation time by up to 70% in typical multitrack audio projects. The proposed approach highlights how practical automation, combined with lightweight Neural Network (NN) models, can optimize workflow efficiency in real-world music production environments.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2078-2489
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spelling doaj-art-5dbcdf0d156c419fbac7655ef152917c2025-08-20T03:27:33ZengMDPI AGInformation2078-24892025-06-0116649410.3390/info16060494A Machine Learning-Assisted Automation System for Optimizing Session Preparation Time in Digital Audio WorkstationsBogdan Moroșanu0Marian Negru1Georgian Nicolae2Horia Sebastian Ioniță3Constantin Paleologu4Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaFaculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaFaculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaFaculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaFaculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, RomaniaModern audio production workflows often require significant manual effort during the initial session preparation phase, including track labeling, format standardization, and gain staging. This paper presents a rule-based and Machine Learning-assisted automation system designed to minimize the time required for these tasks in Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). The system automatically detects and labels audio tracks, identifies and eliminates redundant fake stereo channels, merges double-tracked instruments into stereo pairs, standardizes sample rate and bit rate across all tracks, and applies initial gain staging using target loudness values derived from a Genetic Algorithm (GA)-based system, which optimizes gain levels for individual track types based on engineer preferences and instrument characteristics. By replacing manual setup processes with automated decision-making methods informed by Machine Learning (ML) and rule-based heuristics, the system reduces session preparation time by up to 70% in typical multitrack audio projects. The proposed approach highlights how practical automation, combined with lightweight Neural Network (NN) models, can optimize workflow efficiency in real-world music production environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/16/6/494audio engineeringdigital audio workstationsmachine learningaudio workflow optimizationgain stagingaudio classification
spellingShingle Bogdan Moroșanu
Marian Negru
Georgian Nicolae
Horia Sebastian Ioniță
Constantin Paleologu
A Machine Learning-Assisted Automation System for Optimizing Session Preparation Time in Digital Audio Workstations
Information
audio engineering
digital audio workstations
machine learning
audio workflow optimization
gain staging
audio classification
title A Machine Learning-Assisted Automation System for Optimizing Session Preparation Time in Digital Audio Workstations
title_full A Machine Learning-Assisted Automation System for Optimizing Session Preparation Time in Digital Audio Workstations
title_fullStr A Machine Learning-Assisted Automation System for Optimizing Session Preparation Time in Digital Audio Workstations
title_full_unstemmed A Machine Learning-Assisted Automation System for Optimizing Session Preparation Time in Digital Audio Workstations
title_short A Machine Learning-Assisted Automation System for Optimizing Session Preparation Time in Digital Audio Workstations
title_sort machine learning assisted automation system for optimizing session preparation time in digital audio workstations
topic audio engineering
digital audio workstations
machine learning
audio workflow optimization
gain staging
audio classification
url https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/16/6/494
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