In my opinion and probably despite my own previous advice, EQ and spectrum analysis should go hand-in-hand - the latter can be used alongside careful listening to better and more quickly identify problem areas that need to be addressed with cutting or boosting.
You can turn a boring, dull sound into something lively and bright, or something harsh and thin into a more rounded, balanced affair. When it comes to mixing and mastering, arguably no tool is more important to the shaping of your sound than EQ. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t genuine diamonds in the rough however and we’ve taken it upon ourselves to point you in the direction of these gems of the cyber-desert - this article will focus on tools you can use for mixing and mastering purposes, with a follow-up piece covering modulation and processing coming shortly.Īll my picks are offered in both VST and AU format, so you don’t need to worry about compatibility with your Windows or Mac OS - check out the 6 free mixing and mastering plugins I think you’ll actually use below, download and get, er, painting with sound today! However, lots of said free plugins are not very good - to continue with our painting analogy, it’d be a bit like handing Picasso some crayons and a blackboard and asking him to produce the next Guernica! Nowhere is this more apparent than in the world of plugins, where free offerings seem to be around every digital corner. We live in exciting times as music producers, as the equipment required to make music has never been more accessible. Whilst I often discuss the virtues of a ‘less is more’ attitude and the philosophy of ‘it’s not what you have, it’s how you use it’ in this magazine, it’s worth stating that a painter can’t get very far without any paint or brushes! In order to create great music and art in general, you must first make sure you have the proper tools of the trade.
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