In this video I list the 20 plugins I use on a regular basis in every mixing and mastering session. This is a question I have been asked a lot recently and I am more than happy to tell everyone what plugins are my go to plugins. I have gone into detail on each plugin, why I use it, how I use it and why it in my list of 20 out of 1000 plugins.
UAD Ampex ATR 102 – The UAD Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder plug-in and LUNA Extension provides the final “analog polish” to your music, turning your recordings into records. Fully authenticated by the Ampex Corporation and trusted by Platinum‑selling professionals the world over, the ATR‑102 plug‑in faithfully captures the unique dynamics, colorful frequency response, and tape saturation of this industry‑standard Ampex machine.
Kalifornia Dynamic Alkane – Alkane offers four individually modelled circuits (Tube, Tape, Transformer, and Synth) combined with unique nonlinear tone shaping controls (Thud and Shine) and a powerful EQ and filter stage. The result: an all-in-one sound sculpting tool for every project requirement, from subtle musical saturation to lush harmonics, aggressive distortion, or complete annihilation.
Softube Widener – Widener lets you create a stereo signal from a mono track or widen an existing stereo track with five unique widening algorithms. Widener is effective on both mono and stereo sources. Turn mono into stereo to make your sound cut through the mix. Or use it to expand your mix as an alternative to other effects that might clutter the sound, like reverb or delay. Do this with the certainty that your sound will stay mono-compatible when using the Frequency Spread or Classic algorithm. In stereo, you can carefully widen the sound to enhance the three-dimensional space of your mix and create a sense of depth or you can make it narrower to bring focus to the mix. Widener does not only widen a mix, its crossfeed algorithms can also be used to create a more natural and cohesive sound image during the mastering phase.
FabFilter Pro-Q3 – Pro-Q 3 offers everything that a demanding engineer could wish for: top-quality linear phase operation in addition to the zero latency and unique Natural Phase modes, smooth dynamic EQ, per-band mid/side processing, full surround support (up to Dolby Atmos 7.1.2), an intelligent solo feature, optional Auto Gain and a built-in, fully customizable spectrum analyzer.
FabFilter Pro-C2 – Pro-C 2 offers eight different, program-dependent compression styles with beautiful sound and character. But there’s more! Apart from the classic compressor controls, you also get smooth lookahead, up to 4x oversampling, intelligent auto-gain and auto-release, a variable knee, hold, range, external side-chain triggering, variable stereo linking and mid/side processing, all packed in a beautiful Retina user interface.
Black Salt Audio Silencer – Cymbal bleed is the enemy of great drum mixes. Traditional gates can only help so much before the gating itself becomes obvious. Silencer is the ultimate solution, eliminating cymbal bleed while preserving the integrity of your original sound. It’s not just a gate… it will forever change the way you mix drums.
Oeksound Spiff – Spiff is an adaptive transient processor that lets you cut or boost transients with great detail. Spiff analyzes the incoming signal and recognizes when and where transients appear adaptively. Its time- and frequency-specific controls let you take charge of your transients, no matter how big or small. Spiff’s unique approach to transients opens up possibilities not usually associated with transient control.
Oeksound Soothe 2 – Soothe2 is a dynamic resonance suppressor. It identifies problematic resonances on the fly and applies matching reduction automatically. This results in a smoother, more balanced sound and saves you from having to notch out frequencies by hand. The reduction only kicks in when and where needed, without affecting nearby frequency areas. This preserves the timbre of the original sound source resulting in a transparent treatment with minimal artefacts.
Oeksound Bloom – Bloom is an adaptive tone shaper. It analyzes the character of a signal and applies corrections to the perceived tonal balance for a more even and refined sound. It also lets you shape the tone and character of a track, for example, by adding warmth, brightness, or clarity. Tonal adjustments made with Bloom are dynamic and context-aware. This, together with its carefully designed user interface, makes the plug-in quick and intuitive to use and helps keep the material sounding natural, even when making radical changes.
LiquidSonics Cinematic Rooms – Cinematic Rooms is a reverb dedicated to the intense acoustic demands of surround room simulation. Deep yet accessible, advanced surround workflow tools allow you to design convincing rooms with incredible transparency up to 9.1.6 Atmos.
Nugen Audio Halo Upmix – From naturally extracted and expanded soundscapes to full cinematic big-stage enhancement, Halo upmix delivers with intuitive ease, all the control you need to fine-tune your surround mix to perfection. With unique centre channel management, including switchable dialog extraction, Halo is perfect for all types of production from archive restoration and TV through to the full 7.1 Feature Film experience.
UAD Sound City Studios – Produce music in one of the most famous recording studios in history including the room, mics, iconic console, and outboard gear — as heard on classic records from Nirvana, Metallica, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Rage Against the Machine, and more. Add the vibe and character of this legendary space to your drums, guitars, vocals, synths and more right in your own bedroom or home studio.
Kiive Audio NFuse – NFuse merges the best of both worlds, featuring classic analog character with modern precision from two of the most renowned bus processors on the market. With each module being interchangeable, you have complete control over the Saturation, EQ, Compression, and Stereo Width of your mix. With a wide range of tonal options between the units, you aren’t just getting two flavours of the same thing, but two powerhouse units in one.
Izotope Ozone 11 – Craft the perfect listening experience with Ozone 11 Standard, the easy-to-use mastering suite. Whether you’re putting the finishing touches on the next chart-topping hit or producing your first song, Ozone 11 Standard delivers cutting-edge processing and AI-powered workflows. Effortlessly make your tracks release-ready and unlock the full potential of your productions.
Kazrog True Iron – Add analog warmth, heft, and vibe from some of audio’s most sought-after hardware transformers (gel your mixes organically, enhance depth + stereo width for more impactful releases). Get 6 industry-acclaimed transformer models in one plugin – the UTC 108 X, Malotki E4M – 4001B, Western Electric 111C, Haufe V178, Marinair LO1166/A, and the UTC O-12.
Izotope RX-10 – Used on countless albums, movies, and TV shows to restore audio from problematic to pristine condition, RX 10 Standard is a complete toolkit for audio cleanup. Find and repair issues with the new Repair Assistant plugin, instantly remove hum and interference with dynamic De-hum, rebalance your mix and create stems with Music Rebalance, and clean up unwanted sounds directly in Logic using the Spectral Editor built on ARA. Use the Standalone audio editor or as plugins inside your favourite DAW or NLE to surgically improve any recording.
Tone Projects Michelangelo – Michelangelo is an all-tube stereo EQ and harmonics generator designed and handbuilt by Chris Henderson from Hendyamps. Admired for its raw sonic beauty and inspiring ease of use, it ranks among the most remarkable EQ’s available today. Built in close collaboration with Hendyamps, the officially endorsed Michelangelo plugin carries the same signature sound and intuitive “right-brained” workflow, but goes far beyond the capabilities of the hardware. You get instant tube vibe and effortless tone sculpting combined with precise band control, musical dynamic EQ with transient/body separation, sound stage enhancements, and deep customization of the tube circuitry – all with the Michelangelo sound.
FabFilter Pro-L2 – A true peak limiter is an essential tool for every mastering or mixing engineer. Are you looking for a professional, feature-packed limiter that is loud and transparent at the same time, equipped with extensive loudness metering? Then FabFilter Pro-L 2 is your weapon of choice!
Izotope Insight 2 – Insight 2 is a comprehensive metering and audio analysis plug-in that is a core component of award-winning post production studios, music studios, and broadcast facilities. It is perfect for visualizing changes made during mixing and mastering, troubleshooting problematic mixes, monitoring the intelligibility of your dialogue, and ensuring compliance with broadcast loudness standards.
Kazrog KClip 3 – Transparent competitive loudness (easily gain an extra 2-3 dBs of headroom on your final mix or master). Total transient control = more mix glue (tame harsh digital peaks so your tracks can sit better in the mix with less processing). 8 uniquely powerful clipping modes in 1 plugin – smooth, crisp, tube, tape, germanium, silicon, broken speaker, and guitar amp.
In this series of videos, I aim to answer clients and subscribers questions in as much detail as possible. If you have a question you want answered, please fill out the form below stating your name and question. As you can imagine I receive a lot of questions on a daily basis. I will not be able to answer all of them but I will hand select the most interesting questions and answer those.
