Best of 2014: Mixing Plug-Ins & Tools

Rounik Sethi on Dec 31, 2014 in Review 0 comments

Whether you are after analog emulation or cutting edge music mixing tools 2014 had something for everyone. Here's a run down of 7 of our favorites (in alphabetical order) which we reviewed this year.  
Processing and mixing plug-ins are getting more sophisticated and more adventurous which is great news for all us producers. Here's 7 of our favorite plug-ins and tools which you'll find add something a bit special when processing your audio.

1. FabFilter Timeless 2

A "hot dub time machine"?? What on earth does that even mean when describing an audio processing plug-in from FabFilter? Find out in this cool review from Noah Pred.

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Price: $144 USD

Pros: Looks good, sounds fantastic, integrated help menu, insane modulation routing options, fantastic filters.

Cons: Surprisingly CPU-intensive for a delay plug-in.

Web: http://www.fabfilter.com/products/timeless-2-stereo-tape-delay-plug-in

2. Eventide UltraReverb

If you get excited by the arrival of new reverb plug-ins then you've come to the right place! Matt Vanacoro explores what Eventide's UltraReverb has to offer that sets it out from the crowd.

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Price: $79 USD

Pros: Lush sounding reverb. Included effect modules like EQ, delay, compression. Efficient and quick-loading.

Cons: None

Web: https://www.eventide.com/AudioDivision/Products/PlugIns/UltraReverb.aspx

3. iZotope Ozone 6

Ozone has long been a favorite of mastering engineers both novice and professional. iZotope's Ozone 6 is as compelling as its predecessors and a suite of tools every serious producer and mix engineer should check out.

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Price: Ozone 6, $249.00, Ozone 6 Advanced, $999.00

Pros: Excellent sound quality, stand-alone operation, easy to use, and the EQ Matching and Dynamic EQ are to die for.

Cons: Only exports in WAV format, no DDP support.

Web: https://www.izotope.com/en/products/mixing-mastering/ozone/

Video Tutorials: https://www.askvideo.com/course/izotope-ozone-6-mastering-toolbox

4. iZotope RX 4 & RX 4 Advanced

The good folks at iZotope have updated their flagship audio repair program, but will the new features entice current users to upgrade? Matt Hepworth repairs to the review to find out. (Spoiler alert: RX4 is exceptionally good).

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Price: RX 4: $349 / RX 4 Advanced: $1,199 (Upgrade pricing is available via your account at www.izotope.com.)

Pros: The best audio repair program money can buy, round-trip processing, innovative new repair modules, and broadened file format support.

Cons: No AAC support, and Advanced is a serious investment for new users.

Web: www.izotope.com / (UK users can go to Time&Space here)


Video course on RX4 and RX4 Advanced available at AskVideo.com here.

5. & 6. UAD / Softube Tonelux Tilt EQ & Valley People Dyna-mite Dynamics Processor

Tonelux Tilt EQ & Valley People Dyna-mite from Softube and Universal Audio have been in the testing labs here at AskAudio. Matt Vanacoro's verdict of these plug-ins for the UAD platform confirms neither are for the faint of heart... but that's actually a very good thing indeed.

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Price: $99 (Tonelux Tilt) and $199 (Valley People Dyna-mite)

Pros: Drastic and powerful. Quickly sculpt sonic and dynamic changes. A different take on EQ and dynamics processing. Both were affordably priced and are easy on the plug-in count meter.

Cons: None.

Web: http://www.uaudio.com

7. Waves Vitamin

Ever been confused what harmonic exciters and enhancers can do to your mix? Waves have made it clear with their new quick fix plug-in. Matt Vanacoro shows why taking your "vitamin" can help your mix stay healthy.

Read More here

Price: $99 for Native / $149 for Soundgrid-enabled

Pros: Low price point, simple interface, a harmonic exciter with a TON of control.

Cons: Soundgrid-enabled price is a bit more

Web: http://www.waves.com/plugins/vitamin

Rounik Sethi

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Rounik is the Executive Editor for Ask.Audio & macProVideo. He's built a crack team of professional musicians and writers to create one of the most visited online resources for news, review, tutorials and interviews for modern musician and producer. As an Apple Certified Trainer for Logic Pro Rounik has taught teachers, professional... Read More

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