The five different themes allow the user to change the look to various classic VU and PPM Meters, which is a nice touch. Additionally, it has multi-channel metering so you can see what’s happening on the stereo, left, right, mid, or side channels. It allows you to measure PEAK, RMS, EBU R128, VU and PPM. It looks great, it’s easy to use, and it’s deeper than some metering tools that cost hundreds of dollars more. I’m still pretty shocked that this plugin is free. The fact that these features come included with Limiter №6 makes it even more special.

There are some expensive and well-known limiter plugins that don’t come with features like mid-side processing, oversampling and true peak detection. It offers more control than LoudMax, which can be helpful if your program material requires detailed tweaking.Įach of these modules have extremely flexible controls. This is a more complex and versatile take on limiting. If you’re interested in learning how a limiter works and affects your material, LoudMax boils the concept down to its most basic elements, all while providing a mostly transparent sound. It has two sliders: threshold and output - and that’s all it needs. LoudMax by Thomas Mundtĭescribed as “a look-ahead brickwall loudness maximizer plugin with a clean transparent sound, designed to retain the original character of the music as much as possible even at high compression levels,” LoudMax is a wonderfully simply tool. It’s also compatible with virtually every DAW. It’s a truly deep, accurate and useful metering plugin, which is refreshing considering that it’s free. The interface is simple, clear, and even somewhat customizable.

It provides spectral analysis, correlation metering and clipping detection, as well as displaying RMS and max crest factor.

Voxengo SPANĪs I cover in the course, Metering is absolutely essential to mastering, and SPAN is a versatile and free utility plugin. Here are some completely free plugins that you can work into your in the box mastering workflow … 1. Although nothing can replace an experienced engineer, working in an expertly designed room, on high-end equipment, there are some fantastic free tools available online that will aid engineers working on projects with limited budgets. As I cover in my new course Mastering in the Box, there are some incredible plugins available for anyone interested in computer-based mastering.

Best free mastering plugins 2020