Top 5 plugin list of the best (sounding) mastering plugins & bundles

[GJ999x]

sonnox limiter, logic's compressor with lagerfeldt's SSL presets - those are almost always on the twobuss at the end...

Beyond that it's a huge range... always have midside eq going but not with any specific plugin... often have waves pultec, kramer mastertape... if I'm reverbing then maybe a touch of valhalla room depends on the track....

My next aim is to get the waves SSL, or at least to get a better compressor (though I do recommend checking out the lagerfeldt presets for any logic users out there, google will take you straight there....)

[Mr. Bars]

- PSP Neon HR
- Voxengo CurveEQ
- Mathew Lane DR MS
- FabFilter Pro-L or Oxford Limiter
- Oxford SuprEsser

... that's all I need in addition to my hardware. Everything else apart from mentioned plugs is present in DP7 I use or any other DAW.

[chronmaster]

1. Waves stuff (LinMB, API-560, Pultec EQs, H-EQ, PAZ analyzer)
2. Soundtoys Decapitator
3. Soft Tube stuff (Pultec EQ, CL-1B comp, Passive EQ)
4. Flux stuff (BitterSweet, Alchemist)
5. FabFilter Stuff (Pro-L, Saturn)

[teknatronik]

Originally Posted by Tarekith

One of the best things about music is that it doesn't matter what other people think, if you like the way something sounds and it works for you, go for it!

hey tarikeith, We have spoke over at nsb if you recall? Do you think xenon hold weight to sonnox? with light limiting or squashing the nonsense outta it?

[Lights]

1. Ozone 5 (combines the best if pro-L and FG-X for the best limiter I've heard, but also includes probably my favorite surgical EQ and solid multiband compression and imaging if I need to tighten the bass. I like the exciter and reverb on tracks, but rarely use it on the mix.)
2. ARC2 (you have to hear your mix accurately and this really surprised me by fixing problems loads of knauff ecose and OC ecotouch couldn't)

I edited the list down because after reflection of how I actually work, if the mix needs anything more than what Ozone can do, I go back and fix the mix. I don't think mastering should be about adding color.

[reynaud]

These are the only 5 plugins left on my systems as these seem to consistently do what I need from a plugin:
(1) SonicStudio SonicEQ
(2) Wholegrain Digital Quartet / Trio DynPEQ
(3) Metric Halo Channel Strip 3 (EQ)
(4) Flux Solera
(5) Flux Elixir

Not really plugins:
(6) Nugen VisLM-H
(7) Metric Halo Spectrafoo Complete

[basmartin]

[nickelironsteel]

even though i tend to use hardware sometimes a plugin does the job

Algorithmix EQ
FLUX Limiter
Wholegrain DynEq

[fradoca]

I'm really really surprised and astonished that no one has mentioned in his own list Nebula3 Pro and its fantastic libraries that are so much better for mastering than many plugins out there.I know that it's not a friendly plugin(it took me one week to tweak it properly with all its own hidden parameters) but once you start to use it you just drop using a lot of stuff even marketed for mastering purposes.

[LostTribes]

Waves Linear Phase EQ
Waves SSL G-Series Comp
Brainworx Digital M/S EQ
Brainworx XL M/S / Multiband Limiter
Sonnox Limiter
Brainwork TT meter

Works for me.

[Wahnsinn]

Most people like to use Waves and Sonnox... interesting...

[Feedme]

Somebody mentioned Stillwell Event Horizon, that was a really good shout.

I've had it for years and never used it. I was just doing a comparsion between it, Sonnox Limiter, Slate Digital FG-X, Waves L2, Voxengo Elephant, Kuassa Maximiser and FabFilter Pro-L.
Its on a par with them all. Its limited in features compared to some but it does its job well, supporting the low end and keeps the transients intact and defined better than some and almost as punchy and tight as Sonnox.

[Wahnsinn]

Its not easy to say "this and that is better", because the audio engineering intentions are not always one and the same. So how could it still be possible to justify and say that some plugins are better and some are not "that extremly" important? If I study the plugins from Waves, there are to my point of view, a lot flexible creative audio engineering ideas possible, to create. The sound of plugins from Waves is itself again another section. Some EQs from Waves sound nice, but to intense, oily and dark.

A softer intensity of the EQ is probably of a higher importance. Of course you can modify a lot things, but the sound behaviour on core level always will be the one and only real trouble maker, even if it sounds good, because you maybe don´t want it to sound like this or that and thats the reason why people use different EQs and different plugins. If something sounds natural, its better. But if some plugins, no matter what company produced them, have the sound that everyone wants so much, these plugins will just create a objective and clean sound behaviour on core level. Thats just the one side. The other side of the idea is to get a colored sound. This could be distorted and old fashioned vintage like sound behaviour.

You also can combine these two sides of the sound possibility. So a real tragedy doesn´t need to destroy your musical art. Also its very important to learn from the big talented people that have a lot experiences with mixing, mastering, audio engineering and playing around with sounds, equipment, cables and stuff. Its also beautiful, to use a rich sound behaviour from all kind of different sources, instead of using just a plugin or a bundle, thats at the moment cool for most people. Best example is Ozone 4 and version 5.

Its nice for mixing and working on a good sounding level, but if you really want a audio engineering that stands with its sound above the stuff of other artists, you should combine all kind of plugins, equipment, different soundcards maybe even for one and the same track. Its difficult to modify higher sounds. Deeper sounds are more easy to modify. Middle sounds are a bit problematic, but if they have a sweet and softly intense, they can make your bass and beats sound extremly fresh, funky and creamy. At the end, the music should be more important, because its making you feel emotional, and if you have to much or to less of a certain sound behaviour in your musical expression, it just will not touch the heart and mind of the listeners.

[Wahnsinn]

Originally Posted by fradoca

I'm really really surprised and astonished that no one has mentioned in his own list Nebula3 Pro and its fantastic libraries that are so much better for mastering than many plugins out there.I know that it's not a friendly plugin(it took me one week to tweak it properly with all its own hidden parameters) but once you start to use it you just drop using a lot of stuff even marketed for mastering purposes.

Thanks for the message. Could you please explain why you think this plugin is so much better? It makes not much sense to read technical informations of it on sites because what counts is the experience and listening of a real person and what this person can say to others about the plugin or whatever it is. So does anyone here knows this Nebula 3 Pro and has experiences?

[engmix]

EQ / Dynamic EQ - Sonoris, Wholegrain, Sonic Studio, Hofa Iq
Compression - Sonoris
Limiting / Clipper - Sonnox, Elephant, Ozone 5
Dithering - Sonic Studio, Ozone 5

Minus dither, very often i can get the whole thing done from the Wholegrain plugin. If i could only keep one, it would be that.

[engmix]

Originally Posted by Wahnsinn

Thanks for the message. Could you please explain why you think this plugin is so much better? It makes not much sense to read technical informations of it on sites because what counts is the experience and listening of a real person and what this person can say to others about the plugin or whatever it is. So does anyone here knows this Nebula 3 Pro and has experiences?

To me Nebula is mostly about adding color. It is outstanding for mixing in my opinion. Speaking for myself, when i use plugins, i want transparent. When i want color, i run mixes through my hardware.

[huejahfink]

Originally Posted by engmix

Minus dither, very often i can get the whole thing done from the Wholegrain plugin. If i could only keep one, it would be that.

I'd never heard of Wholegrain before your post here.

That Quartet DynPEQ looks very interesting!

(edit : ahhh, it's Mac only. That's probably why I'd not come across it....)

[Jaynm26]

Originally Posted by Wahnsinn

i would like to create with your help a top 5 plugin list of the best (sounding) mastering plugins & bundles. so i make the start. i say the following:

1. Waves
2. T-Racks
3. Flux
4. Blue Cat
5. Sonnox

What do you guys say and think?

;o)

Sonnox and flux is the only 2 that's could be considered. More like
UAD
Sonoris
Fabfilter

But there are only 2 or 3 plugins per manufacturer

[engmix]

Originally Posted by huejahfink

I'd never heard of Wholegrain before your post here.

That Quartet DynPEQ looks very interesting!

(edit : ahhh, it's Mac only. That's probably why I'd not come across it....)

Ah sorry you can't try it. It's really setup well for mastering. It's a classy plugin. The developer kept certain elements to a minimum that would normally strain a CPU and prioritized the coding into the filters and under the hood processing. So it's still a bit CPU hungry but well worth it. Even the limiter is quite useful for certain records.

[bendermastering]

Originally Posted by engmix

To me Nebula is mostly about adding color. It is outstanding for mixing in my opinion. Speaking for myself, when i use plugins, i want transparent. When i want color, i run mixes through my hardware.

I have Nebula and even though it sounds better than any other plugin I have, it is so clumsy and the workflow is so bad that it's completely unusable in a professional mastering studio. For me, it is a proof of concept, maybe in the future it will have a good workflow and stability and maybe then it will be mentioned a lot more.

[steffenb]

nebula is super dope! wish they would just update the gui to something bigger/better readable .

the whole thing about the clumsy usability is in the gui to me ... and the
documentation/manual wich is also realy hard to get thru.

i realy dont get why they didnt got an ultimate guide for all the parameters as a pdf or something, since
information is just spread all over their webpage.

[huejahfink]

I mirror these sentiments about Nebula. For colouration I have heard nothing better in the box for coming close to that 'physical' movement of the sound.
I think if they were to get the whole GUI and environment working better, hopefully to the point where you can actually have access to 'all' of the EQ bands on a unit working in a realistic and ergonomic manner - then they'd have a much more accessible product.

[iMacCartney]

Originally Posted by huejahfink

I'd never heard of Wholegrain before your post here.

That Quartet DynPEQ looks very interesting!

WOW. $995 !

[Jaynm26]

Originally Posted by Lights

1. Ozone 5 (combines the best if pro-L and FG-X for the best limiter I've heard, but also includes probably my favorite surgical EQ and solid multiband compression and imaging if I need to tighten the bass. I like the exciter and reverb on tracks, but rarely use it on the mix.)

Im sorry there is no way the Ozone Limiter touches the Pro-L the oversampling of the L is what makes it great, can you even do that with Ozone? Plus the different limiting styles of the L. FGX is good quality but the Pro-L is still a lot smoother. The inter peak sample is pretty cool as well. Ozone 5 when pushed hard creates artifacts in the audio its not as transparent when pushed real hard. The L is very transparent.

[Jaynm26]

Originally Posted by reynaud

These are the only 5 plugins left on my systems as these seem to consistently do what I need from a plugin:
(1) SonicStudio SonicEQ
(2) Wholegrain Digital Quartet / Trio DynPEQ
(3) Metric Halo Channel Strip 3 (EQ)
(4) Flux Solera
(5) Flux Elixir

Not really plugins:
(6) Nugen VisLM-H
(7) Metric Halo Spectrafoo Complete

How do you leave out the #1 or #2 top EQ in the Digital Mastering the Flux Epure II??? lol

[Jaynm26]

I know for a fact the 2 top mastering EQs to date hands down is the

Flux Epure II - its noise to signal ratio design is bar non one of the best digital Mastering EQ's

Sonoris - if not the best sounding and most transparent Mastering EQ on the market

Between these two I say the share the #1 spot equally.

and 2nd would go to Fab-Q or UAD's Precision Mastering EQ.

[stinkyfingers]

Originally Posted by Jaynm26

...Flux Epure II - its noise to signal ratio design is bar non one of the best digital Mastering EQ's...

since when do digital EQs have a problem with 'noise'...?

[joeaudio]

Originally Posted by Tarekith

One of the best things about music is that it doesn't matter what other people think, if you like the way something sounds and it works for you, go for it!

One of the best things about music is that it doesn't matter what other people think, if your clients like the way something sounds and it works for you, go for it!

[Ben F]

Originally Posted by Jaynm26

Im sorry there is no way the Ozone Limiter touches the Pro-L the oversampling of the L is what makes it great, can you even do that with Ozone? Plus the different limiting styles of the L. FGX is good quality but the Pro-L is still a lot smoother. The inter peak sample is pretty cool as well. Ozone 5 when pushed hard creates artifacts in the audio its not as transparent when pushed real hard. The L is very transparent.

They are actually quite similar in many ways. I still think Ozone 5 is a formidable limiter in the right hands.

[psyOPs]

Originally Posted by Albertagada

Ozone 5 !!!

Agreed!

Surprised it took so long for this one to be mentioned.

I personally find it's all my tracks need as the finishing touch to tighten up the stereo image, balance the eq, and get a good balanced limited mixdown happening.

Of course i don't come at mastering from a single finished track angle - i'm mastering each sound in the mix as i write.