Some people think that plugins are magic and can fix any mix. We beg to differ, here are five plugins that have the potential to do more harm than good.

Stereo Wideners

The idea of creating huge synth pads, massive stereo guitars or huge vocal stacks is attractive in the right context.

However, there are several plugins and ‘tricks’ some people employ to create faux stereo width. Some are good, others not so. If you don’t take time to check the mono compatibility then you can be creating a bag of audio hurt. This is even more essential in a world where people are listening on Smart speakers and phones.

As we’ve already alluded to in this section, if you are going to try and make huge wide mixes then check them for mono compatibility, otherwise you might find the very thing you want to make an impact disappears into an audio black hole.

The real way to create a big stereo sound is to play several passes of the instruments or vocals in real time and let the timing of the performances create real width.

Loudness Maximisers

Loudness maximising of mixes is not a new trend, that said, it is still a greatly misused tool.

Loudness maximising is done by many music producers to try and make the music sound better by being louder. To be fair, there is some science around this theory so it’s not entirely junk science.

However, there are two problems with the misuse of loudness maximisers. The first is a musical one and that is if you smash one too hard then the song had almost zero dynamic range and very little light and shade - it effectively flatlines throughout the entire song. For some genres this is desirable (apparently) but for many other genres having very little dynamic range removes all life from the track.

The second issue with the misuse of maximisers is, that in an effort to make a track as loud as possible, you might find your track suffers from loudness penalties on popular streaming services. Online streaming services turn down loud music to ensure a more consistent listening experience.

If you want to know more about Loudness and how you can ensure you are not falling foul of these things then read AES Update Loudness Recommendations For Audio Only Streaming

Multiband Compressors

Multiband compressors are extremely useful, but not as often as you might think. By that what we mean is that if, to get the necessary amount of gain reduction a full band compressor is introducing too many artefacts or if for whatever reason you want to target a very specific area of the frequency spectrum, then a multiband compressor might be the best choice.

However, although a multiband compressor avoids undesirable gain reduction in areas of the spectrum other than the one you are seeking to control, that isn’t without other consequences. In a classic case of the cure sometimes being worse than the disease, if you are affecting the internal balance of sounds by processing different parts of the spectrum differently then this might cause more significant issues than the one you are trying to fix in the first place.

It’s probably worth keeping in mind that multiband compressors are intended to be transparent. A little can go a long way. Of course multiband compressors can be complex beasts and if you don’t yet know how to operate a single band compressor, you really should steer clear of multiband compressors until you do.

Exciters

Originally released by Aphex in 1975 and hugely popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, exciters were once the magic way to get a sheen on vocals and other instruments. Exciters work by generating harmonics derived from the original signal, which means that the additional sounds are entirely musical.

However, as was the case with the original Aphex Aural Exciter hardware unit, there’s a fine line between adding some extra shine and making the audio sound like a hail storm of broken glass. In other words, harsh and unpleasant.

In the right hands exciters can do magic not possible with conventional equalisers, in the wrong hands they can make things sound over-processed. It’s definitely a case of less is more. If you are going to use one then add the exciter to the audio and then when you think you have it just right then pull it back around 3db. One good way to use an exciter is to use it in parallel with the track so the exciter portion can be blended back into the original.

Tuning Products

Since Cher decided to abuse AutoTune on the mega hit ‘Believe’ there are several genres of music that use vocal tuners to create obvious AutoTune effects. It might not be your cup-of-tea, but that’s perfectly acceptable as an effect.

However, in other genres of music many music producers seem to think tuning vocals is compulsory. Then they simply add it as a track insert, turn it up and let the tuner do its worst.

In some cases tuning is useful, but simply reaching for it on every vocal is a bad habit to get into. We’ve become so attuned (no pun intended) to the sound of perfect vocals, we often take all the beautiful imperfections out of great performances.

What we do is art not maths, so snapping everything to a grid and thinking we’ve made something good is bad thinking. Some of the greatest vocalists in the world are all over the place with their timing and tuning, but try and go back and tune those incredible performances and you are likely to ruin them.

Make a note to yourself TUNING VOCALS IS NOT MANDATORY.

Of course any process used badly can be harmful but these are the ones we think need to be used with more care than most. Would you add any others to our list?