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[Viitalahde]

There are times when the good old tricks just won't do and you need to start playing around. You may find yourself using something cheapish or otherwise unexpected equipment.

Here's mine: http://hem.bredband.net/tbtaudio

TLs Audio Pocket Limiter (VST).

It hell for sure is NOT a "transparent brickwall limiter". I have no idea what it does, but when it does it, it saves the day. I recently had it chopping off on a death metal single, and it added an incredible rhythm to the sound and made things more alive.

Secret settings? Link off, knee to 25% to 35% and push it up 'till the meter bangs steadily.

[compasspnt]

Windows only.

Will have to remain a secret.

[tom eaton]

You could have just stopped at "Windows"

t

[Garrett H]

I actually used a BBE Sonic Maximizer Model 822 on a national release.  The producer asked me to try it.  I resisted, but he insisted and it stayed.

I think when they came out people slapped them on everything, but these days it's not exactly in most mastering chains.

[Bill_Urick]

Windows only welcomed here.
Thanks for the tip!

[TotalSonic]

It's rare that I use plugins but got to say once in a blue moon using them can help to rescue a mix.  And I've found that very often ones that are incredibly cheap can offer quite a bit of quality especially in comparison to better known and more expesive options as long as you search hard and wide enough.  I find often with plugins the independent developer with no marketing dollars but plenty of coding smarts easily beats out the results given by the offerings of bigger corporate companies.

As far as specific ones that fall in this category:

Digital Fishphones Spitfish - excellent freeware de-esser

Stillwell Audio Transient Monster - similar to the SPL Transient Designer - very simple controls - but works surprisingly well across the 2-bus for adding missing transients.   This one got used extensively on a recent archival reissue for a hip-hop release that had originally been recorded on 8-track cassette - putting this on really helped to tighten up some softish kicks.

Stillwell Audio Event Horizon+ - a fairly dirty sounding peak limiter/soft clipper that for some tracks can retain some nice midrange snap, and not change the bass end as much as some other limiters do, and can get tracks that already distorted into the "loud" range with less artifacts than some other choces.  Not a go-to but a decent option to have that works as the best option among my other tools on say about 3% of the tracks I get here.

Acon Digital Declicker - excellent for removing clicks, ticks, and pops - works better than some more expensive plugs I've tried in fact

JMS Audioware SAWStudio Freeverb - once in a blue moon this freeware reverb plug works great for quickly automating a repair to a noisy fade or a cutoff tail.

Izotope Vinyl - once in a blue moon I get requests to make things sound "lo-fi" (usually just for an intro section) and this handy dandy piece of freeware actually can do the trick really well and very quickly.

a few freeware utilities I really like also:
Exact Audio Copy - simply one of the best freeware tools around for secure CD digital audio extraction and full featured burning from cue sheets.
Rail Rogut sdTwoWav - freeware sd2 to wav converter
Rail Rogut Interleaver - freeware dual mono to stereo interleaved batch converter

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[Jerry Tubb]

Viitalahde wrote on Thu, 12 June 2008 06:32

What's your most embarrasing secret weapon?

I've got an ancient Urei 530 graphic EQ that I love.

Has a lot of musical color that can't be found elsewhere.

Haven't used it in years, but in the '90's found its' way on lots of records from Austin : - )

BTW none of the other Urei EQs have the same quality.

JT

[Adam Dempsey]

My first years professionally.. it was a modified (balanced I/O) Sansui stereo graphic EQ, an SE-7. Very broad band, 2dB stepped. Quite  musical sounding, for shaping.
Had also tried the TC "softsat" on one of their Direct X EQ plugs and found the stock SADiE channel limiter (one parameter, threshold only) in parallel could work well, barely in there.

[mcsnare]

Wavelab "Puncher", I feel dirty when I use that one.
Dave

[Peter Beckmann]

mcsnare wrote on Fri, 13 June 2008 05:30

Wavelab "Puncher", I feel dirty when I use that one.

Ughhh I feel dirty just reading it!  



Peter

[Glenn Bucci]

Well I am a poor man and do this more as a side thing, so I don't have the Pendulum OCL-2 or Cranesong compressors, though I would love to have them. I have tried all the plug in compressors and none can give me that vibe feel as my Focusrite Mixmaster optic multiband compressor. It's just does it for me. I do prefer my Mini Massive EQ over the Mixmaster EQ (though it's still acceptable to use) since it is more open and musical. Still trying to move from Wavelab to Samplitude as well. Version 10 makes it a little easier to switch

[Masterer]

I have 3 "producer" buttons on my console labelled "beer" "tits" and "ass". When necessary i'll hit one of those and watch as everyone feels the love.

Works every time.

[David Glasser]

"Recording the Beatles" book sitting on the coffee table.

"Hey, have you seen this book..." usually keeps the client busy and relatively quiet for at least an hour.

[Phil Demetro]

Masterer wrote on Fri, 13 June 2008 13:46

I have 3 "producer" buttons on my console labelled "beer" "tits" and "ass". When necessary i'll hit one of those and watch as everyone feels the love. Works every time.

Which button do your female clients like best?

(try an get out of this one!)

[joeaudio]

Masterer wrote on Fri, 13 June 2008 18:46

I have 3 "producer" buttons on my console labelled "beer" "tits" and "ass". When necessary i'll hit one of those and watch as everyone feels the love. Works every time.

INSERT 5

Joe