then try to see it asap lool
Inflator make your mix and mastering 1 level up (if you go right with it

Fairchild comp is fantastic

 

What missing Q??It has a "Q",it's called "BW" for "band width" instead of "Q",but it's the same thing.

 

Yep ! And about two limiters....one for shaping overall sound and another for catching ISPs with oversampling.

 

I have used Inflator in 2006 or so. Nowadays I just don't have use for it any more. I just saw that there is a sale at sonnox.

 

As far as Tape is concerned: it's interesting that it seemingly went from the end of the chain of the analog days to the front of the mixbus chain in the digital realm. From those posts I saw which mention Tape Emulations they are more often at the beginning to color the sound and then optimized by the following sound processors rather than at the end to mimic a tape recording. I've gotta test this. I have mine at the end usually to stick to the analog signal flow. But I am liking it less and less. Maybe I should test throwing it in the beginning since it no longer is a storage medium but just a means of coloring the sound. hmmm…

 

That is true. If it sounds good to you, sky is the limit.

 

I use Logic-only plugins after watching this video:

Compressor
Vintage EQ
Linear EQ
Spread
Compressor
Adaptive Limiter

 

My chain usually changes with each song so I'll mention the ones that are my favourites. Before I do though, I will say that I try to stay away from EQs because I use Sonarworks Reference so I try to address most tonal issues from either a bus or track perspective. If I really want to EQ, it'd have to be either linear phase or a vintage/characterful EQ or a combination of both.
API 2500
SSL Bus Compressor
Invisible Limiter
Fabfilter L2
Voxengo Elephant
Magnetite
Waves J37
DAW Cassette
Tubetech CLB1 (I usually try this once)
PSP Vintage Warmer (I know)
Standard Clip
McDSP Series Parallel Compressor (this could be my only bus comp for life)
McDSP Analogue Channel 101 and 202
VOS Tessla Pro
Redline Preamp (My least favourite out of these. Not bad, just superb on tracks though.)
Elysia Alpha (second only to McDSP SPC)
Elysia nVelope
Redline Monitor
Sonalksis Stereo Controller
Sonalksis Compressor

All that being said, I used to be a purist until I started mastering. My advice to everyone here is to get the mix to where it needs to be first. Get it most of the way at least. Heck, you could even start the mix with a chain from start to finish if it makes YOU (not engineer A+) mix better. Just try to to do two things.
1. Please remove all the effects before bouncing and if your mix is clipping, bring the tracks down, not the master bus as this changes the maths in the DAW. Some of you refuse to export your final mix without your chains, even some well established engineers will leave a chain or some compression on and will tell you the mastering engineer will thank you and I get it but I'll address that.
2. If you have a mix that's client approved with a pseudo mastering chain on or you've got some compression or whatever secret sauce going, please send a copy of that PLUS a copy of the mix without any processing. It'd also help if you took a screenshot of what you did. That way everyone's happy. The client can get a final product that works for them, the mastering engineer can ask to take a different sonic approach and the mixing engineer doesn't have to change his mixing style.
P.S. The exception to the rule is stem mastering. Send your buses distorted and clipped for all I care. Just send buses that make sense.

 

Last edited: Nov 29, 2019

Uhh, may I suppose you exchange the Adaptive Limiter to something else of better quality? Get Waves L2 or something when it's on Sale or the Limiter from Ozone Elements. That Limiter is probably one of the worst plugins in Logic, imo. The EQs and Compressors are fine, but that limiter... nope.

 

I love Vintage Warmer on Hip-Hop Drums. So old, still so good and too expansive for that it's almost 15 years old
Never used the McDSP SPC 2000. But I have the ML4000 and love it. Gotta check it out.
I don't like the J37. It does too much for me. I prefer the Kramer Tape with "Soft Clean Compression" Preset for starters.
Elysia Alpha is super cool. Just a bit overwhelming when you see it for the first time. Knobs, Knob, Knobs
Thanks for the Interesting insights and tipps for preparing a track for mastering.

 

Yh, I swear by McDSP SPC. Were we in face to face conversation and I didn't work for or with you I'd probably omit it depending on how much I like you. The thing literally can turn some mixes inside out if you set it up right.

I never used to be able to get the sound right with the 37 until I did some gain staging. Like aim for -18dB on a good VU meter plugin or any meter really. If you're already doing that then maybe it's not for you. I'd even stack it every once in a while. I do like Kramer Tape but I never use it because Magnetite has grown on me.

Agreed! Used presets at first to figure it out and even now I'll still use the presets because they are great presets.

Glad to help. I think I learned those from Glenn Fricker and Warren Huart and maybe some other amazing engineers. Sylvia Massy maybe.

Btw, aren't all DAWs limiters just awful? I use Studio One and Ableton primarily but I'ved used Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools and Reaper and I can vouch for all except Reaper's that they all sound terrible

 

Last edited: Nov 29, 2019

Quick shout to Steezo for having some McDSP magic on his buss. I always have Analog Channel and their 202 Tape Machine on my master buss, as well, even if they're both wicked subtle. I have been switching out between many plugins lately, testing them out, but my limiter is always Voxengo's Elephant or DMG Audio's Limitless.

 

Just checking out the SPC Demo. Not really getting my head around it yet, since it's 2 to 4 wideband compressors in series or parallel mode and variations thereof. It takes a different mindset/approach to get it to do it grat things I guess. Will play with it tommorrow.

 

when i use one on the masterbus its mainly this one

 

Thanks for the tips man, the parts where Tony talks about using it as an alternative to eq rather than a compressor makes things alot more easier to understand. Mixing is such a complexed subject with so many ways to work. It's no wonder it takes so long to get a grasp of.

 

oh mannn, aa Ivory4 is fantastic on master bus, my new love on high-end, and also mb-comp is awsome too, such a rich sound!

 

Mix bus:
1. iZotope Ozone 8 Imager (sum all below 140Hz)
2. Waves GW MixCentric
3. Waves RS56
4. Slate Digital VBC rack
5. Waves SSLChannel E
6. Cytomic The Glue
7. Kush Audio UBK-1
8. Waves PuigTec EQP1A
9. Softube Drawmer S73 Intelligent Master
10. Slate Digital VCC
11. U-He Satin

Master:
1. Soundtheory Gullfoss
2. iZotope Ozone 8 Maximizer

 

Last edited: Jan 12, 2020

ALL of them? or Variations thereof?