We decide to mix an entire track with some of the best free audio plugins around for your favourite DAW. Check out how we got on.

The modern engineer has access to countless numbers of advanced audio tools, and that’s just considering the ones that come with just about every DAW on the market. Most would agree that the single biggest factor in the quality of a mix is the person making the decisions. On the understanding that the tools themselves are up to scratch anyway, it goes that the process of listening is paramount when it comes to sculpting a mix. More recently, the emergence of AI tools promises to further democratize this process, but for the time being most would agree that the final arbiter of quality will be a human pair of ears for the foreseeable future.

Homogeny Vs Diversity

Despite the enormous palette of mix possibilities we have, the reality is that a lot of the content being created, be it music, film, or TV, is created using a comparatively small pool of products. The prize for being first to develop something is often the inherent head start ensuring a big share of the market, and audio technology is no different. When it comes to choosing the tools of the job, engineers and creators understandably gravitate towards a known quantity, but there is also the possibility that developers of excellent lesser known tools get overlooked.

A Different Way

The choices surrounding everything we use in our everyday lives extend beyond just the function of that thing or service. Most people recognise that the choices we make as consumers have knock on effects further down the line, and considering which product to invest in can make a positive difference on the fortunes of small innovators. Not only that, but there is a greater chance of making unique mixes using tools that help the mixer to think independently and to sound more like themself. Many smaller developers offer cut-down or even full versions of some excellent tools that bite at the heels of some well known older studio staples that may only assume a part in your mix by default. Listen for yourself in the video, where we fly a mix from the ground up using nothing but free audio plugins.

What We Used

Wavesfactory SnareBuzz snare wires accentuator. Shockingly convincing snare drum under mic simulator that goes beyond what you thought filtered fizz could do. For when your drum sounds like a paint can being flicked with sock, this is the rehab you’ll love forever.

TSE Audio BOD v3.0.0 bass overdrive pedal. Simulating the venerable SansAmp Bass Driver DI overdrive pedal, this hidden gem sounds every bit as good as the real thing and doesn’t eat 9V batteries for breakfast either…

Melda Production MCompressor channel compressor. Do-it-all workhorse gain reduction offering variable knee and peak/RMS detection modes that gives the big boys a run for their money.

Sonimus SonEQ channel EQ. Nice retro-flavoured tone shaping which sounds as good as it looks. Variable overdrive rounds off a nicely-judged feature set offering a different take on its passive progenitor.

MConvolutionEZ reverb Tonnes of impulse responses are included in this surprisingly comprehensive reverb that does what it says on the tin. Sounding good enough to add expensive-sounding tails to anything, it won’t set fire to your CPU or your credit card either…

Tokyo Dawn Labs TDR Kotelnikov bus compressor. Well-established sublime bus compression that does the invisible glue thing without feeling the need to shout about it. Try it against an expensive bus compressor and weep.

LVC Audio Limited-Z bus limiter. Keeping you safely away from the end-stops, this lesser-known limiter is as cheap as its GUI is enormous when you first load it up. Set your ceiling, hit Learn and relax.

Youlean Loudness Meter Loudness metering is a studio essential, and now there’s no reason to leave your audio at the mercy of your destination’s take on what loudness is. All the essential stats are there so the guesswork is gone.

What’s Not To Like?

Using fantastic free tools avoids sounding like everyone else, and supports some pretty clever people when you explore their other products on offer. The quality simply isn’t an issue, and free audio plugins will do your mix justice like any other when you know what to dial in. Why wouldn’t you use them?