Top 10 Essential Plugins for Mixing & Mastering!

EQs
Compressors
Waves removed...
Reverbs
Saturation
Limters
waves removed
Bonus!

I have removed links to waves plugins

Are you ready to take your music mixing and mastering skills to the next level? Well, you're in luck because we've got the top 10 essential plugins you need to have in your toolkit!
In this video, we're going to talk about the plugins that can take your tracks from sounding amateur to sounding like a pro. So, let's dive in!

First up, we've got EQ plugins, and let me tell you, they're critical to the mixing process. You need to shape the frequency balance of your tracks, and to do that, you need to check out the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 and Plugin Alliance AMEK EQ 200. They're versatile, powerful, and easy to use.

Now, let's talk about compressors. You need to control the dynamic range of your tracks, FabFilter Pro-C 2 are two must-haves in your toolkit. These three comps get used probably the most of any compressor that I own.

Moving on to reverb plugins, they add depth and space to your mix, and you won't believe how amazing the Valhalla VintageVerb and FabFilter Pro-R sound! They're high-quality and perfect for adding that vibe and space to your tracks.

But wait, there's more! Saturation plugins can add warmth, character, and subtle harmonics to your mix, and we've got powerful ones you need to check out - the Crane Song Phoenix and Sound Toys Decapitator, and the FabFilter Saturn 2. They're fantastic tools to add a little spice to your tracks.

And of course, we can't forget about limiter plugins! They're essential for mastering and controlling peak levels, and you'll want to have the FabFilter Pro-L 2 and iZotope Ozone Maximizer in your toolkit. They're transparent and have advanced features that'll make mastering a breeze.

As a bonus, we've got two delay plugins - Acustica Lemon Delay and Native Instruments Replika XT - and STL TONES Control Hub. Insanely useful.

In conclusion, these are the top 10 essential plugins that I use in my everyday mixes and masters Remember, the key to great mixes is understanding how to use these plugins effectively. So, like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for more content like this. Thanks for watching, and happy mixing, my friends!

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[lloydbrownmusic]

Firstly, LOVIN' the evolution of your channel, very inspiring, educational and funny.
In regards to EQs....Three Body Technology Kirchhoff EQ is insane. It's giving Pro Q 3 a run for its money for sure [I never thought I'd ever say that].

Reverb/Delay wise..Valhalla is a standard go to but there are a couple that I really like such as 'Audio Damage's Other Desert Cities' 'Baby Audio's Crystalline'..really versatile, and some real new kids on the block are 'KSHMR 's Reverb' 'Aqusmatic Audio's Dedalus Delay', MV2, RVox as you mention, never leaves my vocal chain.

Dang!! I've just managed to crawl out of the plugin rabbit hole, but thanks to you Jeremy, you've just pushed me back in. Are you pleased with yourself...huh...huh???? : - )

[drindy]

Love your vids brother! Keep up the stellar work! 🔥👊🧡👍🔥

[ixibucketixi]

I am a huge fan of Strymon's Big Sky plugin not necessarily for a transparent reverb because there are so many options for that but for artistic atmosphere of anything from guitars and drums to vocals and pretty much anything. I had the pedal version 10 years ago and love it but having this in a plug-in was amazing.

[kam]

My go to compressors are the UAD EL distressor, and the waves cla76. My bonus plugins are fresh air, and the god particle

[mullethillsound]

The NI plugins are criminally overlooked. Love replika, and that supercharger gt whatever it’s called is very cool sometimes in parallel on kick, snare, and bass

[elizabethsteele]

Interesting, thanks . I, m a retired film rerecording mixer, mostly Neve DFC, but when I move to PT my all time favorite is the Waves R Compressor . Transparent, just a great plugin .

[Mmoody]

Nice list - definitely will check a few of these out.

I jumped into the softube console one strips. . . I rarely add much else for compression and eq.. .still using a native limiter in cubase 12. As a whole - it's hard for me to even try anything else I like softube so much.

[timbushong]

++++Vintage Verb. Totally spot-on - great verb plug.
I've been using the BX Focusrite channel strip - ooh, hoo is that a sweet one. Got it free last year, and my jaw's still dropped...

[AJOrpheo]

My go to reverb nowadays is the UAD hitsville chambers. So freaking good. If I need a more digital EQ I have the TC electronics 8210 DT, having physical control over that with its controller makes it feel like a great experience and it sounds good too!

[DaveJLamar]

Liquid Sonics Seventh Heaven is my go to now. Such a beautiful reverb, and I only have the simple version of it.

[pascalmerschaudio]

I love your funny videos in between 😅👌

[jamesstone]

This was very cool, I'm still learning what works best with plugins. Question for you about saturation. What do you use it on most? Individual instruments or master tracks? Or....I dunno.

[cookie_mix]

RenAxx on drums for inconsistent drummers…and live.

[CreativeMindsAudio]

Great list, though I may have changed up the L1 in the limiter section to something else.

Considering I really don't like waves plugins anymore and i still find myself sometimes using the R-axx and R-vox really says a LOT about them. fabfilter is my go to for digital/clean/surgical things. Decapitator is my go to saturation plugin. The crane song phoenix is the go to tape sim for the last 10+ years or so. and the version 1 of it was HUGE in the late 90s/early 2000s. Such a go to of pro studios. I never invested into it because it is so expensive and I have things that get similar results. Definitely a secret plugin among the pros though.

reverb wise i'd probably add seventh heaven to it. that thing is a beast!

[DeejayLucianBoy]

Thank you for this information I will definitely dabble into these plugins. However what’s the name of the beat you used in the beginning?

[csabahajdu]

The Tokyo Dawn Labs bundle is crazy value, EQs and compressors for mixing and mastering. Amazing feature set, sound and interface for all plugs.

Talking about value for money: fircomp 2 by jonvaudio. The cleanest-meanest compressor ever made. Your favourite compressor's favourite compressor ;)

[eshortsax]

I like these plugins and use a lot of plugin alliance plugins...oddly enough I've never used any of Fabfilter plugins and haven't had a need to yet (although I have been eyeing Saturn 2 for awhile now lol--instead I use Studio One splitter tool for multiband saturation lol) I love the Kirchoff Eq from plugin alliance too 😊

[phillippowers]

Great video!!! Definitely about to grab Ozone or upgrade of possible. I have 4...but w Pro Tools n Mac messing me over, I dont know if I still have it or how to make it work on my new PC. If it is upgradable...that would be sweet!

[ethanhicks]

I’ve seen the Metric Halo things in your plugin list a few times, any love for them? I’m more in the live classical and jazz world so MH’s clean and clear approach to their hardware makes me think the plugins would be a good fit. Just curious about your experience.

[romodrummer]

Try out "Seventh Heaven" for a reverb. It's incredible!!