Having quality plugins is a must when you’re mastering in the box. You’re going to need a good EQ, compressor, limiter, and a handful of other tools to get the best sound possible.

1. Must Have Vst Plugins From Waves Youtube

This plugin by Waves attempts to emulate the functionality, look, and feel of traditional mixing consoles. In recent years, there has been a trend of creating distortion and saturation plugins to give a track an “analog sound,” which is more pleasant to the ears. Waves plugins have been highly successful at achieving that sound. In our latest list, we have kindly collated the top nine must-have free plugins to add to your DAW armoury to make your tracks and mixes sound bigger, better and incredibly polished. Below find a variety of plugins to create nerve-shredding distortion, dreamy EQ’d vocals, slick dynamic compression, stylish effects and much, much more.

In some cases, companies have created plugins with a combination of functions allowing you to manipulate just about every part of your music in one interface. Others have compiled bundles of their “best” software to give you everything you need to complete a successful master.

If you’re new to mastering or a professional looking for new tools to up your game, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best mastering plugins out there.

Let’s check them out.

Top 9 VST Plugins for Mastering

1. FabFilter Mastering Bundle

As a company, FabFilter is still relatively young in the audio processing world. Even still, they happen to make some of the most forward-thinking VST plugins on the market. Grabbing the Mastering Bundle will equip you with FabFilter’s best tools all in one bundle.

The Mastering Bundle comes with the following plugins:

• Pro-C mastering compressor – Comes with a variety of compression modes allowing you to change the tone of your mix. You can also work in M/S or L/R mode which is a big deal in the mastering world.
• Pro-Q – By far this EQ is one of the most flexible on the market. The Pro Q comes equipped with a very precise frequency analyzer allowing you to make better mastering decisions all while use 24 bands simultaneously! Left/Right and Mid/Side processing are both available here as well.
• Pro-L Limiter – Want that brick wall sound? You go it here. You get 4 limiting modes to help shape and tone your track. The Pro-L also include some other parameters an adjustable Lookahead control and Channel Linking options for transient detection.

Overall, we like the FabFilter Mastering bundle for its flexibility. What makes these plugins much more powerful, however, is that they can also be used for in mixing sessions as well. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a competent mixing engineer that doesn’t have FabFilter products in their toolbox.

Pros

• Can apply to a wide variety of situations
• Amazing for detailed tasks
• L/R and M/S options

Cons

• Pro-C Output volume can get hot quickly

2. iZotope Ozone 9

Izotope is a well-established brand and has created some of the best mastering software. Ozone, Izotope’s flagship product, is an all-in-one solution for mastering in the box and has been favored by engineers for mastering solutions, since it’s first iteration.

Ozone 9 acts as a wonderful standalone solution for all your mastering needs. Probably the best feature is that you can use their plugin outside of your DAW, helping to create a much-needed alternative perspective.

While inside your DAW, you can easily bring up the Ozone’s wide selection of processors like their dynamics section, limiter, exciter, and more. Even though the plugin looks complicated at first glance, Izotope tries to make it as beginner-friendly as possible by including a ton of presets. Browse the preset library to find something that best matches your sound or better yet, use that as a starting point to “dial-in” your sound.

We couldn’t end our Izotope overview without mentioning their Master Assistant. This is by far the one feature that sets it apart from other mastering VSTs. Just click a button and the Master Assistant will analyze your song before deciding on the best combinations of settings. A truly customized “done for you” solution. Just be aware you will most likely still need to do some tweaking.

Pros

• A Vast catalog of processing modules
• The Master Assistant
• Beautiful and intuitive interface

Cons

• No zoom controls for trimming and fading
• Lacks song-spacing ability for Compact Discs

3. Eventide Elevate Mastering Bundle

It’s no secret that Eventide has high-quality reverb plugins, but many producers and engineers aren’t aware of their mastering bundles. In the Elevate bundle, you’ll get four quality plugins but the crown jewel lies in the Mastering/Limiting plugin, which will give you all the loudness you want all while maintaining as much dynamics where possible.

After journeying through a 26-band filter, the signal hits a limiter with dynamic transient emphasis and spectral clipper controls. A nice feature with the filter bank is that the built-in AI assists with setting the amount of gain, speed and transient variation into each band. The AI can also be applied to other limiting parameters, which can go a long way in helping to create a more natural end result. Obviously, tweaking is a must as that’s where all the fun is!

Beyond the limiter, you get another 3 high-quality plugins.

1. Equivocate – An EQ with 26 bands based on the human ear, giving you natural sounds for your mix.
2. Saturate – is a spectral clipper, to help with the peaks.
3. Punctuate – A transient shaper that lets you breath some life back after limiting.

Elevate is basically a complex processing plugin which can automatically raise the loudness of your tracks without sacrificing the original tone or character. Whether you want to use the vast amounts of presets or experiment your heart out, it’s totally up to you.

Pros

• Auditory filter bank concept is unique
• Offers a transparent and natural sound
• Intuitive interface

Cons

• filters on Equivocate are not very flexible

4. Audified MixChecker

The Audified MixCheker isn’t a set of mastering tools like you’d normally think. It’s a software bundle comprised of multiple speaker simulations for mix reference. You can toggle through 12 different buttons allowing you to hear how the mix would sound in different environments such as inEar, radio, PA, etc. The plugin comes with a total of 62 models giving you a variety of reference points.

Because the plugin is set up to “monitor” and not “tweak”, there aren’t any modifications built-in. What you can do is rename buttons, check distortion and noise levels as well as change speaker models. In terms of presets, you can save 5 at time, allowing you to bundle together your favorite hi-fi models into a single button.

A limiting factor that we see for this VST is that you need to be listening on a set of really good monitors to begin with. If you want to replicate a pair of Ns-10’s for example, you won’t be doing yourself any favors listening on cheap speakers.

With that said, it doesn’t mean the plugin won’t replicate a reliable impression of the different speaker models. It shines in the fact that it can give you different mixing perspectives, allowing you to make broad-stroke decisions you may not have thought of without it. For improving the overall sound of your record, we’re happy to report that MixChecker Pro is a great tool.

Pros

• detailed response provided by the simulations
• Mono mode
• A plethora of models to choose from

Cons

• Play back system could affect the accuracy
• Uninspiring interface

5. Mastering the Mix EXPOSE

Think of Expose like a second set of ears on your mix – a set that has the knowledge to tell you exactly where your record needs improvement and what you can do to make the necessary changes to come out with a professional sound. It only takes but a few seconds to load and could potentially be the audio lifeline you have been looking for.

Just load the program and drag your song into the dashboard. From there, you can choose between a number of different presets for your track like Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, CD, Broadcast, etc. Surprisingly, the software provides a vast amount of information on the peaks, dynamic range, overall loudness, phase, stereo information, etc. If any audio issues arise, they are highlighted in red so you can visualize exactly where the problem(s) exist.

An interesting feature is that you can highlight your mouse over the problem area and the software will give detailed information about the problem as well as some suggestions on how to fix it.

Basically, Expose is a data-driven plugin helping to get your mixes to the level of some of the top masters in the business. This mastering VST plugin certainly isn’t the flashiest on our list, but it is high-quality and one that will help you craft flawless mixes every time.

Pros

• Details the technical issues in your records
• Offers helpful tips and solutions
• Budget-friendly

Cons

• Some users have seen errors when uploading professional masters

6. Softube Weiss MM-1

Weiss first made a name for themselves with the DS1-MK3, a master processing unit that became a centerpiece for a number of mastering studios worldwide.

The Softube Weiss MM-1 mastering VST replicates the best components of the DS1 hardware and transfers them into a digital format for the modern ages. The unit comes with 5 different limiting options: Loud, Transparent, Wide, Punch, and De-ess.

For a more natural and precise sound, the MM-1 comes with a Mix knob (should be standard in all plugins), as well as an Amount knob.

Even though the MM1 doesn’t have as many features as some of the other plugins on our list, it does have a top notch mastering algorithm, allowing you to easily compete with any song on the radio today.

Pros

• Straightforward interface with professional results
• Very Transparent
• Includes 5 different modes

Cons

• For the price, it’s not as flexible but the few things it does, it does well!

7. Leapwing Audio DynOne 3

Oh no, not ANOTHER multiband compressor. We get it! But the Dynone 3 is definitely worth taking a look at. The Dynone really stands out in its ease of use. While other multiband compressors feel like they need a lot of tweaking to “get it right”, the Dynone has a very intuitive workflow and makes it easy to dial in the right tone.

A unique feature of the Dynone is that it automatically applies variable timing values in a transient dependent manner, assisting you in achieving the most natural sound possible. You can also blend in the processed signal with the original to give your sound a bit more impact.

The controls on the unit are enhanced specifically for mastering and they include stereo linking percentages, variable RMS vs. peak detection, smart variable controls, and an adjustable retina interface with a smooth and ultramodern design.

In our opinion, there is no digital multi-band compressor available right now, better for mastering, than the Leapwing Audio Dynone 3.

Pros

• Interface is very intuitive and simple to operate
• Non-intrusive compression design
• Helps to achieve loudness while still sounding natural

Cons

• fixed crossover points

8. Softube Weiss DS1-MK3

Ask any engineer and they’ll tell you that the Weiss DS1-MK3 is the gold standard for mastering applications. The reason is because the MK3 provides compression, limiting and de-essing all while retaining the original sound. If you’re after the “perfect” master, you can certainly achieve it with the DS1-MK3.

Though the DS1 plugin is based on the hardware unit from the 1990’s, the plugin actually offers much more versatility. It can perform the same tasks as the original unit and then additional tasks that the DS1 never could while giving you a number of settings to play around with.

The DS1 allows you to de-ess mid-side separately and compress with variable soft-knee settings, while also having one of the most transparent brick wall limiters of any mastering plugin.

If you’re looking for a plugin that allows you to maintain dynamics all while creating a mix that feels punchy, natural and loud, then the DS1 algorithm is unparalleled.

Pros

• Can be transparent or add character
• Waveform view is very informative
• RMS and True Peak limiters are helpful

Cons

• Lacking presets. I guess if you’re a pro, you don’t need them
• A bit pricey

9. Sonnox Mastering Collection

At first glance, the Sonnox Mastering Collection might not look like much, but included in the bundle are some of the most dynamic and transparent plugins on the market. To make things easier for beginner and intermediate mastering engineers, Sonnox hand-picked these plugins specifically from their extensive collection.

Included in the bundle are the following five plugins:

• Oxford Dynamic V3 compressor
• Oxford EQ V3
• Oxford Inflator V3
• Oxford Limiter V3
• Fraunhofer Pro-Codec

The V3 compressor offers musical-sounding compression while retaining sonic clarity throughout. Besides that, the compressor ships with six independent parameters allowing for more control.

The EQ V3 is transparent and flexible allowing you to boost or cut with confidence. Want to achieve overall loudness without adding any pumping compression? That’s where the Inflator shines as it adds both power and presence, without the dreaded “pump”, perfect for helping the focus points stick out.

The true-peak limiter, which lies at the end of the chain, offers enhanced accuracy and maximum loudness. This plugin Collection bundle is all you need for mastering, making it easy to create a reliable chain every time you sit down to master a song.

Pros

• High-quality and transparent
• The Transient Modulator is a unique take on dynamic processing
• Available in multiple formats

Cons

• Can be costly for non-professionals

Nailing the Master

Before purchasing any mastering plugins, be aware that the ones you choose will ultimately shape the entire mix. It’s impossible to polish a turd (excuse my French), but you can certainly make a really good mix sound even better with the right tools. Whether you are shaping the EQ curve of an entire album or adding in some power and emotion to a hit single, having quality plugins can make all the difference.

We all love free stuff, especially when it can enhance and refine our music production skills. Most of you will likely be very aware of the big hitters like Serum, Massive and others which are renowned for their sound design elements but there are some very useful, free options. In our latest list, we have kindly collated the top nine must-have free plugins to add to your DAW armoury to make your tracks and mixes sound bigger, better and incredibly polished. Below find a variety of plugins to create nerve-shredding distortion, dreamy EQ’d vocals, slick dynamic compression, stylish effects and much, much more.

If you’re interested in learning more about how VST instruments work, as well as the likes of Ableton, Logic Pro and more, you can register to study with us at Point Blank both online and at one of our global locations. we also offer a number of our own freebies here at Point Blank which can be found here.

The SonEQ is a three-band equalizer which draws the best parts from vintage gear and combines them into one excellent interface. The plugin encompasses the standard bass, middle and treble dials in addition to it two musical high-pass/low-pass filters, preamp stage with bass booster and more. SonEQ is available for Mac and Windows with the pro version offering all of the above and more. SonEQ is up for grabs here.

If you’re looking for something to beef up your bass, drums and, well, pretty much everything else, Camelaudio’s Camelcrusher is the tool for the job. Camelcrusher comes equipped with two different distortions which can be combined to create much wider tones. As well as being easy to use to fatten up your sounds it comes with a randomize feature for inspiration and a number of handy presets which are great to get started with. Download this one here.

You may recognise the name Uhe as the developers behind the popular Diva synth plugin. In addition to their paid products they also offer a number of freebies including their “compact, sporty synth” TyrellN6 and their Zebralette.

The TyrellN6 was based on concept ideas for a hardware synth and includes noise and ring modulator oscillators, an audio source mixer with authentic overdrive and filter feedback, over 580 factory presets and more. Grab your free download of this cool Juno-style synth via Amazona.

The Zebralette is a version of Hans Zimmer’s self-confessed favourite synth, Zebra, and features 16 voice polyphonic, monophonic and legato modes and 3 built-in effects including chorus/phaser, EQ and delay. As well as the ability to create your own sounds on this excellent synth it also comes loaded with 300 presets to play around with. Download Zebralette and see its full list of specs here.

808 and 909 kick drums have been a staple in electronic music since the creation of the popular, and highly sought after, Roland drum machines. This freeware from Synsonic is available for both Mac and Windows users and will emulate those classic sounds which still remain relevant today. Throw some distortion on these and you’ll have a beefy kick to lay the foundations of your next track. Download now for free here.

For those authentic, organic sounds, Ample Sound’s Cloudrum can emulate a steel tongue drum to a remarkable level. The interface is clean, simple and easy to use and features an open, Mute, Opened Release and Muted Release articulations. This one’s great for those tropical sounding cuts. Get it free here.

The kind people over at Blue Cat Audio have not offered up just one free plugin but an entire pack of them. Their Freeware Plugins Pack II is crammed with useful effect tools to tighten up your mixes including a wide range of premium modulation effects, a single and dual-channel equalizer, a unique midi-controllable gain suite, as well as a professional spectrum analyzer. Grab the full bundle here.

Despite its playfully cheesy looking exterior, this powerful effect from ohmforce is most certainly not a toy. The aptly named Frohmage will become a staple in your rack thanks to its excellent delivery of warmth, dirt and much more at a professional audio quality. Download the Frohmage for free here.

Helmed at the “compressor with character” vladg/sound‘s Molot is perfect for colouring sound. It has the ability to use minimal CPU power and boasts a multitude of modes and configurations. Get your copy of the Molot here and for more info on the VST, check out our DIY Mastering tutorial video (the Molot comes in around the 28:10 mark). Molot is available here.

All of the above are just a fraction of freebies the web has to offer. To see our full list of top freeware, keep scrolling.

EQ

Luftikus EQ
Sonimus SonEQ

Distortion

Klanghelm IVGI
LePou Amp SIms Pack
Camelaudio Camelcrusher
VoxengoTubeamp

Mix Tools

Voxengo MSED
Voxengo Stereo Touch
Voxengo Span

Synths

Uhe Tyrell 60
Uhe Zebralette
BD 808 & BD 909
Cloudrum
TAL Noisemaker

Effects

Blue Cats Collection
Ambience
OhmForce Fromage

Dynamics

Klanghelm DC1A
Molot compressor and Limiter No6 Limiter
TDR Feedback Compressor
Flux BitterSweet

Learning to use these bits of software can sometimes be tricky to do alone. That’s why we offer a range of different courses which can teach you the ins and outs of Music Production and Sound Design.

Register to Access Free Courses, Plugins, Projects, Samples & More

When you register with Point Blank, you access an array of free sounds, plugins, online course samples, access to our social network Plugged In and much more! Simply register below and visit our Free Stuff page to get your hands on a range of exclusive music-making tools and tutorials provided by the team. Fill your boots!

Must Have Vst Plugins From Waves Youtube