Just getting started. Free plugs?

[Obitheincredible]

What are some good free plugs to practice with to start working through this. Already have my acoustics taken care of looking to upgrade my monitors to a pair of dynaaudios or so but looking at plugs right now. So I'm using reaper, have bootsy and the classic series. Beyond that whats good to learn with?

[vonrichter]

There have been a couple of long threads about free plugins that are worth searching. Not many label themselves "mastering specific" etc, but you can find some multi-band compressors, program EQ, limiters etc that will do the job.

[Obitheincredible]

Yeah I am not looking for these kind of plugs. I have a bunch of free plugs. But I'm looking for stuff for mastering. Like a stereo plugin where you can select the frequencies where it doesn't effect and stuff.

[Riccardo]

Originally Posted by Obitheincredible

stereo plugin where you can select the frequencies where it doesn't effect and stuff.

could you pls clarify? Whay do you exactly mean by selecting the frequencies where it doesn't "effect"?

Side note: for practicing I would recommend downloading working demos of actual plug ins that are/can be used for mastering. Most manufacturers have time limited working versions of their plug ins (Flux adn Massey to name just two) or you could ask for a tempoary demo licence to be downloaded to your i-lok (i.e. PSP and many others)

[Obitheincredible]

Sorry for instance, with a stereo widening tool you would want to keep the lower frequencies mono and widen the mid to high frequencies. A plug that lets you select up to what point you would be running through the effect part of the plug. Also good free limiters, comps and eq's. I mainly stay in the reaper stuff with the reaplugs, js effects and the bootsy/classic series's. Is that better?

[It'sJoeAgain]

Confucius, who lived 500 B.C., said “Don't do to others, what you don't want them to do to you”.

From your site:

This is for all of you producers on myspace or wherever else selling your beats for 25-50 bucks. What is wrong with you!? I mean really? You effing up the market man. Really you expecting your rates to climb and all but you starting at 25 dollars!? Is that what your art is worth? Why would you do that? Your messing this game up not only for yourself but for ME!!!!! Now I am sure your a nice guy but when your messing with the market I'm trying to establish myself in-well your pissing me off. You talentless hacks, And I say that with good reason. If this is really only worth a measly 50 bucks and you do not respect your own talent then you are talentless. Please also lets not forget these rappers STILL asking for free beats from these wack producers selling these beats for 25 bucks...Honestly, take this from Obi....
You get out of life what you put in it
So if you are not even worth investing a few bucks into yourself why should anybody else invest in you? Seriously, stop asking for free beats. Its not gonna happen unless your family or I really, really, really like you and respect what your doing. That is all

Now go buy some serious plug ins for your enterprise .....

[Obitheincredible]

Hmmm well done! But everybody starts somewhere. This isn't a endevor really, just me goofing off. I'll leave the real mastering to the pros but I am just wanting to dabble and get to a point where I would feel like it it something I can do. But nice. Thanks for your help. Now on to other suggestions please?

[It'sJoeAgain]

Riccardo's post is your best bet...remember, there is no such thing as free lunch..

[Obitheincredible]

Thanks.

[jamesp]

Originally Posted by Obitheincredible

So I'm using reaper, have bootsy and the classic series. Beyond that whats good to learn with?

You already have all you need for most jobs with Reaper's standard tools. Take a look at the contents of Reaper's JS folder for a few more unusual tools.

Cheers

James.

[gsuser]

**** DDMF-The home of Equalizers-DDMF ****

[Officer Dibble]

I've tested this free Limiter plug and got decent usage out of it.
yohng.com' :: W1 Limiter

OD

[philip]

what about those fishy pluggings everyone hyped some years ago? made by the same guy who makes plugins for samplitude if I remember correctly.
'
anyhow, for mastering you need high quality plugins that you trust and get a good workflow with. voxengo has a free M/S encoder/decoder Audio mid/side encoder/decoder plugin - MSED - Voxengo

the most important is acoustics, monitoring and DAC, if you get this right you can use your ears to find out if the free plugins are mastering grade or not.

[wado1942]

Sorry for instance, with a stereo widening tool you would want to keep the lower frequencies mono and widen the mid to high frequencies.

M-S matrix feeds EQ, EQ feeds L-R matrix. You can do worlds of wonder with M-S manipulation like toning down a squaking guitar without hollowing out the voice or make the piano sound wider during the chorus etc while leaving the bass & cymbals alone. Do a search on stereo enhancers or wideners and you'll see the general concensus is to avoid them. That said, M-S manipulation is equally dangerous, especially for an inexperienced home studio operator.

[masterizer]

Originally Posted by philip

what about those fishy pluggings everyone hyped some years ago? made by the same guy who makes plugins for samplitude if I remember correctly.
'
anyhow, for mastering you need high quality plugins that you trust and get a good workflow with. voxengo has a free M/S encoder/decoder Audio mid/side encoder/decoder plugin - MSED - Voxengo

the most important is acoustics, monitoring and DAC, if you get this right you can use your ears to find out if the free plugins are mastering grade or not.

The msed seems to work pretty well. There are many other just like it, also maybe try some demo's. I believe you can demo the waves plugins, there are some good mastering plugins. I agree that you still need to use your ears to decide if a plugin is mastering grade or not. Some of the "mastering" plugins aren't so nice. Usually the all-in-one plugins that think they are ME's are garbage.

[jamesp]

Originally Posted by philip

anyhow, for mastering you need high quality plugins that you trust and get a good workflow with. voxengo has a free M/S encoder/decoder Audio mid/side encoder/decoder plugin - MSED - Voxengo

the most important is acoustics, monitoring and DAC, if you get this right you can use your ears to find out if the free plugins are mastering grade or not.

The original poster is using Reaper which already has an M/S encoding/decoding plugin as well as a whole host of other useful plugins.

Cheers

James.

[donsolo]

IIRC Reaper has:
Multiband Compressor
M-S Encoder/Decoder
Brickwall Limiter
Clipper/Saturator? (not sure)
Equalizers and filters

You've already got the tools, just don't use them as aggressively, most of the free plugs you can't use too aggressively anyway (actually, I don't really get aggressive with anything in Mastering...)

Ozone 4 demo. Then Call Andrew at Sweetwater.

[Obitheincredible]

Good news, I went with T Racks 3 Deluxe.

[JPeters86]

Originally Posted by Obitheincredible

Good news, I went with T Racks 3 Deluxe.

You will not be disappointed! Crank the input on that Fairchild, compress a few db, clip some more, and limit about 2db. That should be a good start point

[Obitheincredible]

Thanks! And yeah the Fairchild and the pultec are sweet!