In this article we explore several innovative monitoring plug-ins with technologies that claim to help us mix more confidently with headphones by providing a more natural listening environment similar to that of mixing with monitors in a room, but which is best?
In this article we explore a number of popular transient shaper plug-ins available today that you can try out in your next mix. We give you an idea of some general mix applications that suit transient shapers as well as describe a number of controls that you typically find in most plug-ins of this type.
In this article we feature a selection of the most popular tape emulation plug-ins you can buy today to mix and master with. We also talk about tape in the analogue days to help those who have not had the opportunity to experience reel to reel recording understand the history behind it and to learn how the sound of analogue tape has evolved in modern plug-in emulations.
Plug-ins that promise to speed up mixing workflows and sound good in the process generally catch our attention at Production Expert. We’ve tested a number of intelligent plug-ins, many of which work quite well though some AI compressor plug-ins can struggle to perform well across a wide range of different mix applications. Sonible, the makers of smartEQ and other intelligent EQ plug-ins has just released their latest plug-in smartComp which promises to dial in automatic compression with results that sound transparent.
It’s official! The Everything Bundle is dead, long live the new Slate Digital All Access Pass. Steven and the team at Slate Digital are very pleased to announce the all new All Access Pass.
The team at Antelope Audio has introduced two updated audio interfaces with some very exciting new DSP technology inside. The new Discrete 4 and Discrete 8 Synergy Core Edition audio interfaces introduce the company’s new Synergy Core DSP technology. This is a pairing of Antelope’s already established FPGA effects processing with a pair of powerful new ARM digital signal processing chips. It looks like these audio interfaces could be the most powerful all-in-one units we’ve ever seen.
The two most common ways of using pitch correction plug-ins are to either produce the over processed T-Pain/Cher effect or to sculpt melodies in extremely transparent ways that sound almost inaudible. In this article, we highlight a number of powerful tuning and pitch correction plug-ins that you should consider trying in your next mix.
The team at Universal Audio are very pleased to announce their latest UAD-2 software 9.9 update. Once again they have collaborated with Softube to bring us an updated version of the Tube-Tech CL-1B MKII Compressor but the big news for this release is the new Capitol Chambers plug-in. An exact software recreation of 4 of the legendary Capitol Studios echo chambers. If you like real reverb. This one is a must.
In this free video tutorial Eli groups the backup vocals to a stereo bus, but also sets up a parallel mono bus for them. Using a slow compressor on the stereo bus to get an excellent thick, lush sustain to them. On the mono bus a faster compressor is used to bring out the attack of the consonants at the beginning of each word.
Apogee’s FX plugins are a small but growing range of plug-ins offering dynamics and EQ in both modern and vintage forms and until now have been available as FX Rack plugins running as DSP accelerated plugins in Apogee interfaces like the highly rated Ensemble. Apogee have announced native versions of these plug-ins in AAX, VST and AU formats for macOS only. This combination of DSP and native versions of these plug-ins means that Apogee dual path monitoring is now a reality.
Our friends at Waves just released a new plug-in called Submarine that Waves claims will enable you to easily add bigger, deeper sub bass to your tracks than ever before with unprecedented clarity and low-end accuracy.
In this week's delayed Friday Free Plug-in, we are featuring Convology XT from Wave Arts, a free convolution reverb which features some impulses from classic hardware.
Air is the term often used by mix engineers when they want to add some sparkle, scheen, clarity, shimmer, shine or focus to their tracks, mixes or masters. Applying a just smidgen of top end brilliance often goes quite a long way in realising the full tonal potential of a mix.
Sometimes simple left/right panning isn’t enough. The Dytronics Cyclosonic Panner from Universal Audio goes a step further with front to back motion that, combined with traditional panning, creates stunning 3D panning and modulation effects.
Do you feel it is cheating if we use simple and focused “one knob” style plug-ins or plug-ins with limited controls in our mixes. Are these necessary for making our mixing workflows lean and mean creative machines? In this article, we discuss the issues…
Essential plug-ins are tools that give you confidence in your abilities and the music you and produce. It’s so important to use plug-ins that you know inside out, regardless of whether they are stock DAW plug-ins or third-party. In this article I look at the plug-ins that I consider to be more than just my go-to tools, these are my plug-in essentials.
The team at Slate Digital are very pleased to announce the amazing sounding TH-U Slate Edition guitar amp, cabinet and effects emulations is now available as part of the Slate Everything bundle as well as a stand-alone purchase. I love a good amp-sim so check out the video where I dig in and create 3 very different, yet classic guitar tones.
We take a look at the new Gates Bundle for Virtual Mix Rack from Slate Digital. In the video we first test the Drums gate on Kick drum, Snare and Toms, before trying the Classic gate on a Vocal track.
Eventide has released Instant Flanger Mk ll, a free update to registered owners of Eventide’s Anthology X or Anthology Xl software bundles. Instant Flanger Mk ll emulates to iconic sounds of the original 1975 Eventide Clockworks Instant Flanger hardware unit. We try it on an electric guitar part to see how well it stands up to the original hardware it is based on.
We predicted this would be the year of more smart plugins and now ReConnect promises to fix bad cable choices made in the recording process after the event using machine learning.
