Five 3rd Party Plugins That Will Improve Your Mix

Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor

Photo: Waves

The Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor is a fantastic tool that can really glue a mix together and give you a bit more headroom before limiting. It was modeled after Solid State Logic’s iconic 4000 Series analog mixing consoles, which are known worldwide for their punchy signature. Whether you use it on your mix as a whole or just individual busses, the SSL can shave a couple DBs off here and there and give your track a much more cohesive, analog sound. Fortunately, Waves frequently offers special deals and discounts, so keep an eye on their website if you are thinking about grabbing this one.

Sonarworks Reference 4 Headphone Edition

Photo: Magnetic Magazine

Mixing should ideally be done on studio monitors, but there are certain scenarios where this isn’t possible. Maybe you only have time to work on music at night but don’t want to disturb your roommates or neighbors. Maybe you do a lot of traveling and need to mix reliably on the go. Whatever the case – Sonarworks Reference 4 is the perfect plugin to pair with a nice set of headphones. It works by flattening out the frequency response of any of their 107 different headphone calibration profiles.

This ensures that your mix decisions will sound good across a range of listening environments, not just your own gear. On top of that, Reference 4 can also be used to emulate different systems like the Yamaha HS series and Beats by Dre. Even if you are utilizing studio monitors, it’s always good to check your mix on different sound systems and Reference 4 works wonders for removing coloration from your headphones.