Top 8 Mastering vst Plugins in 2021

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Mastering is a term used in music to describe the final process done after getting a good mix. It simply means as adding sparkle and shine to your music.

It refers to the process of optimizing each track by compressing, equalizing, making stereo enhancements or adjusting the reverb (echo) and so many other effects.

Mastering has been a topic that many musicians tend to ignore regarding it’s complexity. Many have left the art to the able hands of few certified mastering engineers in the music scene.
Compared to mixing which has become easier to study through constant practice and readily-available information online nowadays.

However, today i will guide you on ways you can get your music mastered easily without paying hundreds of dollars for studio sessions.  In this article included a Mixture of free and premium plugins.

We will look at top 8 Mastering vst Plugins in 2021 below.

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Top 8 Mastering Vst Plugins in 2021

1)Ozone 9 Elements by Izotope ($249)

Exposure Izotope company is well known for making high quality plugins for both mixing and mastering music .
From the ozone plugin series like 3,4,5 e.tc we have seen over the years. Got to show they are good at
what they do .
Ozone 9 plugin is quite user friendly due to its easy to understand user interface ,of which i believe was
one of the number one reasons for the simple and clean design. This will work for beginners ,intermediary
and professionals.

It’s cons is that it quite highly priced which could turn off many producers. However, time to time they do promotional offer and give their full version for free.

It comes with a strong built a mastering assistant ,that in analyses spectrum audio that does a quick
analysis to your audio.

Then it will give recommend areas of frequency that need to worked on to bring out the best. It also has
several components such as compressor, Imager ,Exciter and maximiser if you need to tweak the EQ
frequencies yourself.
It also has ready made mastering presets which cater for many genres of music such as General ,hip hop,Soul e.t.c

It is available for Download >>here<< in these formats Mac and windows systems.

2) FabFilter Pro-Q 3 ($179)

This is another widely known mastering vst plugin by audio engineers and producers .

The most notable feature is it’s in-built Dynamic EQ mode for all tasks with up to 24 bands.

That supports Surround up to 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos with intelligent speaker

Has adjustable per filter band for L / R or M / S mode
Low Pass / High Pass filter with brick wall characteristic
Visualize the spectrum of every other Pro-Q 3 instance, including coverage detection
Three working modes: latency-free, FIR with adjustable latency, Natural-Phase-Mode
Spectrum Grab function with indication of the most important peaks for fast EQ settings
EQ Match allows you to match the output of another Pro-Q-3 instance
Advanced settings per band with Make Dynamic, Invert Gain etc.

Slope for all available filter characteristics (bell, notch, high / low shelf, high / low cut, band pass, tilt shelf)
adjustable up to 96 dB / oct.
Solo function for individual bands

It is available in both Mac and Windows versions . Download  >>here<<

3) Span by (Voxengo)

Span is a free vst mastering plugin that was created by Voxengo company. It is a flexible and professional
plugin can be used for any music production.

The main features in Span are:
Has a spectrum analyzer that has ability to analize any audio references and display the information on
real-time screen.
Span has flexible mode system which can be used to set up your spectrum analyzer preferences .

Supports user interface window resizing which makes it easier to use it on limited screen that has many
other plugins open on any DAW.

best mastering plugins free

Moreover, it supports multi-channel spectrum analyzer which can display different audio spectrum from
two different channels or channel groups. You can also change the color of spectrum as desired.

Has output level metering system and adjustable ballistics and integration time. EBRU R128 k system metering that includes calibration K-system metering.

Span meter displays; headroom analysis ,peak clipping levels ,correlation and level metering systems.

It also supports all sample rates and 64-bit floating point processing

-Retina and High DPI support
-User interface color schemes

It is available for Download >>here<< in these formats AU, AAX for Mac Download VST, VST3 for Mac
Download VST, VST3, AAX for Windows

4) StereoTool v3 by (Flux)

This is a virtual effects plugin that can be used for mastering as well as mixing.
The plugin is made by Flux.

StereoTool v3 is mostly used for stereo imaging and spectral analysis in real- time. It has a dedicated visual
vectorscope that displays the audio stereo output on screen.

It also has PPT meters for inputs/output ,phase correlation which can also monitor signal and individual of
left and right polarity reversal .

StereoTool has “Global Preset” that contains both the A and B settings, and the position of the “Morphing
Slider”, can be saved.
Also offers a parameter morphing slider with automation capability to change audio image.

The plugin is free ware does not require any licence activation.

It is available for Download in these formats 64 bit Windows ,64 bit Mac ,AU, AAX native

5) LoudMax by – (Thomas Mundt)

This is a dynamic Loudness brick wall maximizer plugin that aims to give a clean transparent sound.

Most used to compress sounds at higher levels while still maintaining the character of the original sound.

Contains an in-built output limiter that has a true peaking level control. Has got output /input and gain
reduction meters for desired threshold.

The plugin supports sample rates ranging from: 2kHz – 384kHz.
Also supports Latency: 1.25ms (+ 6 samples with ISP).

Loudmax is available for Download in these formats 64 bit Windows ,64 bit Mac ,AU ,Vst3 and Ladspa

6) Frontier –by (D16)

Frontier one of the best adaptive free Limiter plugins on the market is mad by D16 group. Limiting is one of the components during mastering stage that helps boost the output peak levels.

Frontier plugin will help you achieve optimum loudness om any track to meet industry standards.

It’s main features is its adaptive control input ,automatic output gain makeup, controllable release functions and optional soft clip . Has a MIDI leaning capability as well robust 64-bit processing unit.

Frontier is very versatile to any genre mastering since it has an adaptive learning algorithm  that has automatic gain-makeup. Basically this means It levels down  the signal output volume after  reaches a specific limiter level. This ensures you achieve desired loudness without clipping sound.

Download Frontier >>here<<

Frontier is available for Download in these formats 32/ 64 bit Windows , Mac versions

7) iZotope Insight 2 ($199) – (IZotope )

This is vst plugin by iZotope company. It offers professional multichannel support , from stereo to 7.1.2
Atmos, It is also is equipped to handle pro music or post production sessions.

Offers crisp and responsive metering in user friendly customizable interface. 

Has state of the art 3D representations of sound signal through a responsive spectrogram to monitor the
spectral content of the mix.

Insight 2 comes with industry standard loudness profiles to make your mixes are to the optimum.
Features a customizable user interface sizes to visualize your project to your personal preference.

Moreover it has an intelligent relay utility that communicates with compatible iZotope plug-ins across your
session to accomplish a variety of useful tasks.

Place Relay on your track and get access to precision channel-strip functions such as high pass filtering,
phase and mono controls, pan and width sliders, and delay time.

‍8. Sonnox Oxford Inflator (£115)

This is a versatile plugin by Sonnox Oxford . It is a very unique vst plugin since it promises to add loudness
to any track without compressing the original sound input.

Inflator also adds tube-like warmth presence and sonic glue to gel all your complete mix for optimal results.

It provides virtual headroom above digital maximum which ensures your track does not reach clipping
levels adding more room for more mixing.
Offers direct and band-split modes to reference different parts of your signal such as Low, Mid and High
end of the spectrum.

Inflator can be added on individual tracks. Comes in handy especially on vocals since it helps to cut through
the mix as well as adding weigh to them.

You can buy Insight 2 >>here<<

Inflator is available for Download in these formats 64 bit Windows , Mac versions ,AU , VST2 and Window Pro Tools 10.3.8 – 12 (AAX Native & AAX DSP)  Pro Tools 7 – 10 (TDM & RTAS)

Conclusion

With 70-80% of mastering being done on DAWS, virtual mastering software vsts will continue being popular.It is my hope today you got a idea of ways you can get your music mastered easily without paying hundreds of dollars for studio sessions.  In this article Top 8 Mastering vst Plugins in 2021 kindly comment share your thoughts with others below.

Best free mastering plugins 2021

“Mastering is a term used in music to describe the final process done after getting a good mix. It simply means as adding sparkle and shine to your music.

It refers to the process of optimizing each track by compressing, equalizing, making stereo enhancements or adjusting the reverb (echo) and so many other effects…”

 

 

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Sources

1.https://www.izotope.com/en/shop/ozone-9-advanced.html
2.https://www.voxengo.com/product/span/
3.https://www.thomann.de/gb/fabfilter_pro_q_3.html
4.https://www.kvraudio.com/product/loudmax-by-thomas-mundt
5.https://www.flux.audio/project/stereo-tool-v3/