9 Free Plugins Better Than Your DAW

[@masteringcom]

Check the video description for the plugin links. Happy mixing!

[@flipsergio2985]

Thank you great response 😁😁😁😁

[@coleeason6007]

i must be tripping because i cant get the slate is it something im missing

[@AVENUENIGHTS]

@@coleeason6007 Same. They are subscription service now. X A X

[@derekmidgley]

Why don't you get the Slate out of there. They are far from free. Just wasted hours of my life trying to figure it out. If they're still free, would be great if you could explain just how to make it work!

[@nenissaK]

*Slate Revival is not free!* It does not operate on the free iLok Cloud platform, only on iLok2 or iLok3 dongles, which are not free. Learned this the hard way!

[@DhruvKanojia]

If anyone's in a hurry, here's a summary: EQ: 1:10 : Slate - Revival (EQ) - Good For Adding Shimmer and Thickness 2:41 : Izotope - Vinyl - For Telephonic Sound. 4:34 : TDR Nova Dynamic Equalizer : EQ + Compressor. Saturation Plugins: 6:57 : KLANGHELM - IVGI2 Stereo Imaging: 7:53 : Izotope - Ozone Imager 2 9:48 : Izotope - Vocal Doubler Meters: 10:30 : Voxengo - Span 12:45 : MNotepad (Just a notepad, for writing down notes) [ Logic and FL Studio already have something like this in built) 14:43 : Hornet VU Meter (Not Free, ~ $4)

[@ExilicMusic]

Thank you so much. Appreciate the summary.

[@brentpaul]

thank you for that!!

[@MrCocoH1]

Love u

[@mrsuns10]

I tried the izotope plug ins but they crash Logic Pro every time

[@rockingricky58]

Hey, this summary is great, thanks!

[@iamsimonmorris]

Free Plugins Slate Digital - Revival 1:04 Izotope - Vinyl 2:40 TDR Nova Dynamic Equalizer 4:30 Klanghelm - IVGI 6:17 Izotope - Ozone Imager 2 7:50 Izotope - Vocal Doubler 9:49 Voxengo - Span 10:30 Meldaproduction - Mnotepad 12:44 Hornet - VU MeterMK4 14:48

[@JC3lli]

grow up child

[@DavidSJ_DAP]

So, you've got the "Before" and "After reversed on the Vinyl demo...

[@eraldlesi]

I think it's his editor's fault.

[@Greenmantislives]

Isn’t he his own editor?

[@masteringcom]

Ahhhhhh good catch. 😅

[@AmplifyChris]

I was wondering

[@arismakaronas7841]

Well duh! 1930 is the past ;P

[@lamar8264]

You should never underestimate the power of a free plugin. Thanks for this guys.

[@JC3lli]

your welcome

[@robots9146]

Some notes: - Ozone Imager's "secret sauce" is actually pretty simple, but also extremely clever: it creates a delayed copy of the signal, but inverts the polarity on one side. You can see this for yourself if you compare the left and right channels in an oscilloscope. This adds a whole bunch of stereo width, while also being completely mono compatible because, when summed to mono, the delayed copies will interfere destructively and cancel each other out. - Distortion does *not* take away frequency content; in fact, distortion is generally used to add a lot of new frequencies while saturation is generally just used to add loudness, with the extra frequencies as a byproduct. And while they are usually applied differently, saturation is still technically a type of distortion. It gets its name from a phenomenon that occurs in amplifier circuits when the output signal attempts to exceed the supply voltage. In electronics terms, saturation is synonymous with analog clipping. Soft clipping is at the core of every saturation plugin. - I am not sure who told you that distortion is generally digital, but that's not really accurate either. Plenty of distortion engines are based on analog equipment. Distortion has its roots in overdriven amplifiers and diode clipper circuits, which a lot of modern distortion plugins (even the more digital ones) tend to emulate to some extent. - The labels for "before" and "after" during the Vinyl demonstration are reversed. - Slate Revival is not free, it requires a paid subscription.

[@nenissaK]

Amen! Learned the last part (Slate Revival is not free) the hard way.

[@JamesAldenLawrence]

Just looked at the Revival page and it states - "Redeem this code in your iLok License Manager to get your free product: 3421-6517-6133-2258-4460-9236-2618-88" - all the other notes are great though!

[@nenissaK]

​@@JamesAldenLawrence Yes, but no, *using Slate Revival is not free*. Been there, done that, using it is not free. It's free to download, but it doesn't work on iLok Cloud. Cloud is free, iLok 2 and iLok3 are not, and it only works on either iLok2 or iLok3. In English: using the "free" product is only possible on a buyable platform. Here's my other previous comment for reference: Note: there are no free products from Slate Digital. Revival reguires iLok2 or iLok3 USB dongle. As they say: "Requires An iLok 2 or iLok 3." "Note: iLok Cloud authorization is strictly available for the Slate Digital All Access Pass. Perpetual licenses require a physical iLok 2 or 3 dongle." This is very misleading because at their page it says "Redeem this code in your iLok License Manager to get your free product: 3421-6517-6133-2258-4460-9236-2618-88" So, yes, if you have the Dongle, Slate Revival is free. If you don't have the dongle, however, you can't activate it in iLok Cloud either. iLok Cloud is free, but not enough for Revival or other products without the all products pass. Learned this the hard way - of course I downloaded iLok cloud etc. because it said "get your free product". In other words: the product is free, technically speaking, but the only viable platform (iLok2 or iLok3 dongle) is not free.

[@quremusik9814]

@@JamesAldenLawrence How is the installation process working?

[@ancelrick5396]

iLok 2 or 3 license manger AND an iLok account AND a iLok USB dongle is required. Then you can redeem the code and activate

[@MCHiphopotamus]

Dude, you saved me $400. I've been looking for an alternative to the Strymon Mobius for years because I'm only in the Destroyer mode which replicates the sound of an old cracked vinyl. Thanks to you, I've got what I want ! You're the man ! Thanks a million !

[@masteringcom]

Glad to hear it!

[@lostrobotmusic]

6:22 Hi, full-time audio plugin developer here. I'm not sure where you got this information from. Saturation is simply a type of distortion (can honestly just be used to refer to most non-overwhelmingly-digital-and-aggressive distortions, or not). I also really don't know why you think distortion takes away frequencies, do you have a source? "Distortion" tends to be used to refer to any nonlinearities applied to the audio, and this will *always* introduce harmonics to the audio. Assuming this is what you mean by "adds frequencies", distortion definitely does this. Actually, it isn't even really possible to create a plugin that can just remove harmonics, without getting things like polyphonic keytracking involved in the simplest of cases and artificial intelligence involved in what is probably most cases.

[@kevinstargazer2790]

Use the plug-ins he suggested or don't but STFU!

[@SanctumOfTheDin]

It's fun to use stereoize on a stereo sound to make it really wide and phasey.

[@peterbondy]

Glad you included an VU metre. So important and I can’t believe they don’t come standard with DAW’s.

[@drinkinslim]

*an* VU metre?

[@mazely]

About TDR Nova, it's really an amazing plugin. Dynamic EQ is vital, and the payed versions, as you said, are usually expensive. Its graphics are great and make the task much easier.

[@Funkspace]

Even the paid version of this -‘TDR Nova GE (Gentleman’s Edition) isn’t expensive if you love the free version. The ‘GE’ Edition allows you to dynamically Expand too, plus I believe you get a couple of extra EQ bands.

[@pharris54]

TDR Nova is crapping out for me with the latest LPX upgrade (10.5).

[@JunkBondTrader]

I stopped using stereoizers. I realized they aren't needed. I prefer panning my guitar far L/R and then offsetting one track anywhere from 3-20 milliseconds (usually I find the spot that lets vocals cut through the most)

[@kirtichouksey8119]

TNice tutorials is absolutly the best video of the world you expaining skills are good and it was a honor to see tNice tutorials vid well done

[@clubbedtobreathe]

I recommend the ones I know: Izotope Vinyl, Izotope Ozone Imager, TDR Nova, Klanghelm IVGI, Voxengo SPAN but Melda MNotepad : 12:35 : it forces you to buy their products. 1: To get it you must download a bundle plataform, but after using it for a while you can't resize the window again giving you a message and redirecting you to the website. 2: If you want to buy a license only for the plugin you can't, you can only buy the whole bundle, for as much as I tried to find that option. 3: the default window size is not that comfort to the eyes I've been looking for a notepad to use in Ableton, I have been using the IL Notebook (Image Line FL Studio) inside Ableton. Maybe the best solution is to learn Max for Live and make my own FREE notepad.

[@hewhocries3910]

Do you have to own FL in order to use the notebook?

[@clubbedtobreathe]

@@hewhocries3910 I guess not, but I took the plugin .dll archive from the FL Studio data folder and put into my plugins folders to work at Ableton

[@Fyuesiy]

see I love that you put klanghelm cuz everyone hypes softube but klanghelm is sooooooo much more organic to my ears

[@PeterJohnsonWales]

I use span a lot ... It's on my monitor bus all the time. The mid side displays are great for tracking down stereo issues.

[@APaclin]

There are plugins that are better than my entire DAW? 😢

[@puvididdle]

ded

[@saxyrep1]

Simply put : No. Appealing title but no...

[@mrdajve]

I think the intention was better than the default "plugins" within your DAW.

[@HardKillaz]

Don't forget, free Plug-ins better than your DAW

[@blesscoleman2007]

Lies

[@NebMotion]

great video but distortion definitely does not take away frequencies

[@Aharshreality9281]

I never thought the span was that useful . Thanks for showing me this

[@georgeshields9672]

Valhalla SuperMassive and FreqEcho are also free

[@theartist124]

OMG that MNotepad is genius, so many times I've wanted to make a note about something and course, no way that I could find to do that, fantastic!

[@JussBRAVOofficial]

@Anand Shah Yeah - what I need too is FL Studio 20

[@anshdeo]

@Anand Shah switch to fl just to make notes? bruh.

[@trmbtrmb]

slate plugin is so hard to install i just gave up.

[@ancelrick5396]

iLok 2 or 3 license manger AND an iLok account AND an iLok USB dongle is required.

[@FatalBlow113]

That's like a jewelry store having everything locked away in a vault, and YOU, the customer has to call in advance, be put on hold before talking to someone who tells you the stores location, you come and talk to a security guard who confirms your call, to talk to a manager who gives your message to the CEO, who sends a representative who *THEN* tells you the process to begin looking at the jewelry... because they want to "protect" their jewelry, even though they are a STORE.

[@ancelrick5396]

@Hugh Jones That was never in dispute. 😉 Just providing info for clarity.

[@4678Gabriel]

Someone knows how to install that?

[@jannatinkarlen8702]

@@ancelrick5396 what, dongle required?

[@kirstyharris4257]

Thank you. I appreciate your content so much. I can imagine these videos take so much time to prep and edit. 🤍

[@RTCLR123]

Nothing is hard if you have the passion

[@seanbierman1212]

Wow, that last hornet plugin sounds awesome! Definitely one to think about getting

[@czdot]

Melda Notepad... you might as well use the whole free bundle. It's pretty good.

[@ainokesonen8573]

It’s my duty now to send greetings from the hospital. When I get my feels/hears/strength back, I’m going back to Reaperland with some of the tips here. Thanks x 1000 from Sweden!

[@jetlag1488]

6:29 Distortion doesn't take away frequencies. It literally does the complete opposite.

[@kevinstargazer2790]

Use the plug-ins he suggested or don't but STFU

[@MixChecks]

Woah. I had Vinyl years ago too, but somewhere down the line it stopped working and I never bothered to replaced it. Looks like I need to go grab it again.

[@MixChecks]

@Tha_Blk_Bih_Destroyah_2020 Yeah. I probably got it about 9 or 10 years ago. It got lost in translation somewhere between Logic 8 and Logic X lol

[@johnisrael5183]

Analog Obession with the basic, analog rack, headphones and interface and mic will give your a better start than the plugins "above" they are OK, but you want radio ready capibility in your Home Studio if you every Hope to release your OWN ALBLUM with out having an additional $3000 to go to someone elses studio

[@travisvick792]

stereo imaging though literally changes the game when mixing any sort of reverb, delay or background vocals

[@Mooli]

Lots of great plug ins I wasn't previously aware of. Brilliant video.. hope to use some of these on future releases.

[@danaelston9848]

THANK YOU! I've spent hours trying to improve an instrumental that had a particular part that made it nasty! This solved the problem in 2 minutes!

[@ytnsanw]

4:30 The TDR Nova is not 'kind of a multiband compressor'. Dynamic equalization and compression are entirely different mechanisms, both in theory, in practice - and in audible terms.

[@LogansLessons]

Hey just wanted to drop a quick note and for one thing say thank you. Secondly, I wanted to point out that in logic, you have a notepad that can be either for the whole project or even track specific! Cheers

[@UPROAR24]

I like the old Elektro Studio Synths and the old creative developers for effect plugins like instant jungle and darkware plugins. if you can find the download.

[@jeffmarc1846]

What a well thought out collection!

[@myamindin]

Thanks for taking the pain to test out all these plugins and eventually sharing with us.

[@masteringcom]

No worries!

[@SanctumOfTheDin]

You have the before and after flipped on Izotope Vinyl

[@urskn.7985]

that slate plugin sounded great, what a bummer that you need a loki stick to use it, would have been good to mention that in the video..

[@kobalt77]

Really helpful presentation my friend, some great free plug ins I never knew about, so thank you very much indeed. Span is essential, I have been using it for years. It is great for balancing incoming stereo signals from outboard gear, in case one channel is louder than the other.

[@maqimusic]

Yeah right ... or you could just bring your stereo signal in on two mono channels (L & R) and then pan them. Complete control. Of all aspects ...

[@fictions2135]

2021: everything form Analog Obsession covers so much ground.

[@inputshow]

i'cant download slate revival... i don´t found the link to download in his page... can you help me? please!

[@taewankim6283]

I think you got before and after mixed up with iZotope Vinyl.

[@DJmfTREY]

Hugh Jones the point of the plugin is to make it like vinyl. To purposely disrupt some signal lol

[@bille77]

That's what I thought!

[@grinderthashiner8265]

@Hugh Jones That's pretty much the purpose. That just means he did it backwards. It's supposed to lower the sound quality and make it "vinyl" like with added pops and grittiness. Also a little telephonic. Like a 60s record.

[@reneliebregt6319]

Slate Revival is not free only if you have Ilok 2 or 3 (50$) . On top of that you need to download the whole Virtual Mix bundle ca 600MB to install 1 plugin !!

[@1973surfer]

Unfortunately, the Slate Revival EQ requires an ILok USB and dongle, a $50 purchase. It took me an hour of trying to download the plug-in before I figured this out....

[@vladrad4008]

Have tried to get the Slate Revival through the link given - didn't manage as therein no Download Button/ Link for on the corresponding Slate's Page. !!! PLEASE ADVISE !!!

[@Fyuesiy]

why not just use the analyzer on the stock eq? logic also has a note pad top right

[@andrecortadamusic]

Great Vídeo. Thank you! I have hundreds of plugins. But a couple of plugins I'm looking forward to test I didn't know!

[@Sonicsmith]

Great collection of plugins sir! Interesting you mentioned the auto-gain plugin cause auto-gain is going to be a part of our hardware preamp in our upcoming ConVertor E1 synth :)

[@vojtechkratochvil157]

I can get that slate revival but i cant use it because i dont have their virtual mix rack. What can I do?

[@tanukusiddharth9675]

when I go to slate digital.com I am not able to see download button on revival plugin page...please help

[@nenissaK]

Vinyl, heck yes. Gotta try Klanghelm IVGI out too. And seriously, Tdr nova is so damn good - only downside is that it takes quite some cpu and ram if you start slapping it everywhere

[@kadiummusic]

The problem with the Slate Revival is you have to download the whole rack system just to get the free plugins and even if you don't buy all the other modules they are still loaded on your PC. Anyone know a way around this? 😎

[@MatthewCharlesHeulitt]

What version of Logic are you running? Izotope Vinyl will not install...looks like they've not upgraded the plugin in a LONG time.

[@aw7223]

Around the time you did this Izoptope Ozone 9 Elements was free. No longer have to worry about how low Logic bounces a track 😛

[@drrobotnikmeanbeanma]

Can you put daw on a usb FlashDrive. That way i can plug the FlashDrive in another Pc that doesnt have daw so i can still record to make songs on either Pc.If i can download the daw on a usb flashdrive what kinds of daw i can use without being connected to the internet ?

[@zainpunka1703]

Great review thank you, these will be very useful

[@olymoon2008]

Slate revival requieres to install iLock

[@Avatar7x7]

@Musician on a Mission Was looking for the Slate Revival plugin and couldn't find a download

[@michelraffin7006]

Hello just don t know How to do to get the slate didital plug in for free they say imust take a pass and pay?can you help? Thanks

[@GeminisArising888]

Thank you,I will try it. Im a noob when it comes to DAW....i use my bass processor (ZOOMB3) as an interface into the pc and it works beautifully but my problem is that I am using BANDLAB free software and its awesome BUT after recording, theres mute patches for a few seconds....where lies the problem? Thanx in advance. I just need the one output,bass to pc.....

[@myxz8565]

That izotope looks interesting, Thanks for the chance

[@Jacob-iv7qg]

why is my Hornet VU Meter looking different than yours? with the bottom part missing

[@MaxNMyles]

I think I need to read up on gain staging (or if someone can help me understand). So you use the Hornet to set it at just under clipping, but then you end up compressing and limiting the signal after that and using the fader to mix it where it needs to be in the mix? Wouldn't the Hornet kill some natural-sounding dynamics, sort of like "nomalizing" everything? At any rate, they're having a sale and it's $2.45 lol. Gonna try it out.

[@diaparcastingswaddle.5929]

I went to slate I need to pay license that the message said wen I open my Daw.

[@darknessinc.Inc830]

It is free, but you have to pay for the Ilok useless Crappy Usb

[@jamesteilawea5953]

Please help me how to download these plugin please

[@hars1ad]

Superb, btw, i am trying to join webinar you were talking about , that page is not available .

[@instrumentalist28]

nova is one of the greatest free plugins ever!

[@danielbrown7115]

yep

[@patrickskyrie]

Helpful video thank you. Definitely going to have to check out Nova.

[@arron3882]

You for got to mention that your volume reference for the VU meter is set at - 18.

[@beatweezl]

DUDE WTH!!! I've had TDR Nova for years and it is my GO TO EQ AND I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS DYNAMIC OMG!!!!

[@TheRealpl0x]

Slate Revival doesn't seem to be free anymore :(

[@ahall3823]

Can you post links to where to find these?

[@milocero]

how do you get slate's revival?

[@OnGoBo]

Can I use These for my UAD Apollo’ twin x

[@playerabeats1248]

Awesome video this was very helpful and an eye opener, thank you 🙏🏻

[@microcolossal2295]

Cool vid, would be nice to get the links in the description.

[@just_drums_please]

Agreed

[@flipsergio2985]

Yes that’s what I thought the purpose was

[@Arjeebee]

Most of the videos like this do have the links so it was disappointing not to have them.

[@mexstrat96]

He gave you all the names and where theyre from, don’t be lazy fellas.

[@masteringcom]

Good call. Just added them. 👍

[@lostsouthernboys4440]

Hornet VU meter is no longer free and lots of the latest comments on it say they can't install it on windows.

[@spookendeklopgeesten]

Nice video, but a VU meter that doesn't do anything with audio and isn't even free is in this list? Is this the way you make money?

[@timbeaton5045]

Whilst i agree that these plugins seem to do a good job, and certainly one can't quibble with the price(!) i do wonder whether these all contribute to the "My music/mix.etc. is lacking something... I need a new plugin!" mentality. I'm a long time Logic user, and I certainly can't quibble about the number and quality of "inbuilt" effects etc. that come with Logic...(remember, a long time ago, many of these were paid for additions, back in the E-Magic days), and I'm sure the same goes for Cubase/Ableton/Reaper etc. these days, too. What is slightly sad, is that I really wonder how many people never really try to explore what their DAW plugins actually do, and how best to use them. I suspect that most, and I have been guilty of this myself, is to load an effect, try a few presets, and not find what i wanted, and then looked around for some (often expensive!) 3rd party plug in that promises to make my mixes SOOOO much better. When the truth is to get the best out of ANY plugin is to experiment with what you have, learn how they work, and then how to get the best out of them. I have sometimes set myself the goal of limiting myself to nothing more than native plugins, and as a consequence, my knowledge of what EQ's/compressors/etc. work, and why and how, has definitely improved. I only mention this in the light of an extreme case i encountered on a YT channel, talking about "cracked" plugins. It was full of comments like "I'm just starting out in Music Production, and i can't afford ALL THE PLUGINS, so i need to find cracked (i.e. pirated) versions..." which quite apart from the legal and ethical dimension, all too often typifies the MORE plugins mentality, i alluded to earlier. My take, is learn what all the stuff does that you get in your DAW first, their good points, their bad points, if any, and THEN then go look for better ones elsewhere. Hope you don't take this as criticism of this video, per se. Been subbed for a while, and i like the style and contents of your videos.

[@kevinstargazer2790]

Wow dude. Use the plug-ins he suggested or don't. Stfu

[@ronroy5474]

Does anyone have a link to the free version of Hornet VU Meter MK3 ? Thx

[@MuzikJunky]

Since Apple Loops Utility no longer works beyond Sierra, and Loop Editor can no longer be bought since the company that made it went out of business, do you know of any programs that will make custom-made loops work properly with GarageBand? Peace

[@MyLostToys]

What is Logic Pro X? Is it software needed to run vsts?

[@AlexGomez-xt5mf]

Creo que el revival ya no es gratis alguien sabe??

[@Jay-ox3oy]

Ia the slate plug in really free if you have to pay for ilok?

[@larryleger1658]

Dude, I can NOT find the the Download link on the Slate site for Revival!! Strange! I activated it on iLok but that doesn't matter if I don't have the plugin on my computer. Any advice?

[@jjseluk]

Ah man that hornet has saved me soooooo much time on prep so I can get on with actual mixing!

[@chasingnonstopent4977]

how do you download the first plugin

[@TheAarrttaann]

who is the license????? if I open the pro tools this plug ins need a license who can I find it???

[@hinavy1352]

What if I don’t have slate plugins , can I still get it?

[@vigneshanil9103]

So I think you need an actual physical iLok to be able to authorize Slate's Revival so I never could really use it. Would help a ton if anyone can clarify this for me??

[@rafi_992]

Same here!

[@timhewitt32]

Yep.

[@timhewitt32]

From the Slate Digital website: REVIVAL The result of years of research into what makes things sound ‘better’, Slate Digital’s Revival is a new type of Sonic Enhancer. Borrowing aspects of tubes, tape, transformers and world-class analog filters, it can be used on individual tracks - for adding air to pop vocals or fatness to drums, for instance - but it is also amazing during the mastering stage to bring out details in full mixes. *Requires An iLok 2 or iLok 3.

[@vigneshanil9103]

@@timhewitt32 Yea so technically not a "free" plugin... I made the mistake before from another MoaM video where they mentioned in passing that Revival was a free plugin. I love the content but this is a bit misleading especially when the video is meant for freeware. Still not complaining cuz it didn't really cause me any damage to try and install it, only just a slight bummer.

[@OdysseyBeats]

You can register it with ILoks cloud feature for free according to their website. They have a video on there on how to do it, but it doesn't work for me. Maybe it's an issue with my computer so it might be worth looking into.

[@dollarsaurus01]

Just went to Slate's website to download Revival- is it actually free? All I see are subscription bundle options

[@Dapercentege]

I cant seem to download some plugs there not coming in zipfiles can you help please

[@Blakwall]

I love this channel. Great stuff.

[@masteringcom]

Much appreciated!

[@toiatikhawla9278]

thank you man,you are a legend

[@yael3seven]

I want that izotope plugin so much, but it doesn't work on Catalina

[@fedup3449]

Just downloaded Vcl Dblr and it's a demo version. The audio signal keeps cutting out. It sounds good when it's working but it's unusable. What's the point?

[@artissonbeats3057]

do u have video on the last plugin ?why do u want to set at plush 2 vu for ?

[@oNTiger]

I thought the title was kinda odd but then there were a couple plugins like the doubler and mnotepad that made me go ohhh alright I get it

[@drrobotnikmeanbeanma]

What's the best daw or software to install on a Tablet or android ?