Top 5 Mastering Plug-ins for Pro Tools

In the past few years, the music production world has become more and more software-driven.

This has left to-be-self-made music producers and recording artists with an overwhelming amount of options when it comes to choosing the best plug-ins that promise to make ‘self-mastering’ easier than ever before!

Music standards are rising and so should your mastering capabilities. And mastering plug-ins can help you do that!

If you want to master the new music standards while maintaining control over your work, check out this list of 5 best mastering plug-ins for pro tools.

Mastering Plug-in Bundles

Mastering is a complex process that typically requires you to use several processors to shape the tone of the mixes as well as to optimize the loudness and range to format your audio. This is the reason why buying mastering plug-in bundles instead of individual plug-ins is a cost-effective option.

Below are the most popular plug-in bundles that offer the best value for money.   

The Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain is a must-have in your virtual mastering studio.

This modular mastering plug-in is packed with five separate processes arranged in the form of modules, including TG12411 Input, TG12414 Compressor or limiter, TG12312 Tone, TG12414 Filter, and TG12416 V.A.L. or stereo spread.

The reason why this mastering plug-in is so beneficial for the mixing stage is that it allows rearrangement and independent use of its modules.

However, if you want to enjoy the classic hardware sound in your music recordings, you should consider using the modules together.

Furthermore, the Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain comes with some additional features to enhance functionality. The compressor module contains two modes. The original mode is designed to be a recreated version of the hardware that was used in the 1970s’ music recordings.

On the other hand, the modern mode offers more clear and crisp sound with elevated levels of perceived loudness while not compromising on the feel of the hardware.      

All in all, the quality of the plug-ins in the TG Mastering Chain collection is simply amazing. No matter which type of music you want to master yourself in, it’ll offer you the best of the best vintage quality.   

The Izotope Ozone 8 is the ultimate standalone mastering suite that allows you to view and listen to your music recordings from a different perspective.

It contains several processing modules that you can load on your audio. It also allows you to chain up different EQs, Limiter, Maximizer, Exciter, Dynamics, and Imager.

 

It is best to use only the modules that you deem are ideal for your audio. The Ozone 8 also gives you the flexibility of loading other VST plug-ins as well.

However, if you’re a beginner, you may consider looking for a preset that matches the style and genre of your audio. There are also a couple of tools that are designed to help you with this.

The first is the ‘Master Assistant’ that analyzes your audio to suggest the best settings for your preferred audio style. You may tweak the settings further to enhance the overall quality of your mix as per your liking.

The second tool is called the ‘Reference’. It allows you to use the sound of a music piece that you like for your own audio.

The advanced version of the Izotope Ozone bundle offers ‘tonal balance control’ with which you can visually analyze your audio to balance the sound with EQ.      

he Total Bundle is a great choice when it comes to mastering plug-ins, offering you all 14 FabFilter plug-ins in one!

 

You can enjoy professional EQ, compressor, limiter, de-esser, multi-band dynamics, multi-band distortion, filter, expander/gate, stereo delay, and synthesizer plug-ins.

The plug-ins in the bundle include:

  • Pro-Q 3

  • Pro-G

  • Pro-R

  • Pro-MB

  • Pro-L 2

  • Pro-DS

  • Pro-C 2

  • Saturn

  • Timeless 2

  • Twin 2

  • Volcano 2

  • Simplon

  • One

  • Micro

The best thing about this bundle is that all plug-ins come in full screen. Moreover, they all offer quality sound, awesome interfaces, and unbeatable features.

Featuring 21 classic synths and vintage keyboard instruments is a go-to mastering bundle for expert music producers and artists.

The plug-ins included in this bundle are all alleged reproductions of expensive, rare, or massive hardware with subtle modifications, feature additions, and necessary workflow improvements.

This is one of the best plug-in bundles that offer less warm tones and analog-like pitches. It is specially designed to retain the aesthetics of the original DX7 while offering an extension in the interface with the extra popup pane where you may format your audio easily.

The IK Multimedia T-Racks One is a one-stop mastering plug-in that gives you 9 knobs with interesting labels for maximum control over your audio formatting process. On the left side are user-friendly EQ knobs where ‘Air’ allows you to enjoy high frequencies and ‘Body’ tightens up the bass.

On the right side, ‘Bass Punch’ boosts tightness and low end and ‘Analog’ serves for harmonic enhancements.

Moreover, there are two big knobs in the center – ‘Push’ is responsible for compressing and ‘Volume’ increases the level.

To format your audio exactly as per your requirements, all you’ve to do is to play with the knobs until you hear something you like.

If you want to experience a hassle-free, smooth, and easy mastering process that doesn’t require you to think too much, the IK Multimedia T-Racks One is perfect for you.

With these mastering plug-in bundles, get ready to get the best overall sound, frequency, and level out of your audio. You don’t need the help of a professional when you have a plug-in collection that delivers promising results every time!      

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