A tool inside your music software
A plugin is a small program that runs inside your music software, called a DAW or host. You load it onto a track, and the audio passes through it.
What plugins are, where they go, and what each kind of tool does. No experience needed.
Formats
Plugins come in formats such as VST3, AU and AAX. Which one you need depends on your DAW and your computer.
Inserts
An insert processes everything on a track. Inserts run in order from top to bottom, so changing the order can change the sound.
Sends
A send copies some of a track to a separate one. Reverb and delay often go there, so several tracks can share the same space.
- Clean-up first: DC removal and polarity fixes.
- Set the level with gain.
- Shape the tone with EQ.
- Control the dynamics with a compressor.
- Add colour with saturation.
- Add space last with delay and reverb.
This is a starting point, not a rule. Move things around and trust what you hear.
What it does
An EQ turns chosen frequency ranges up or down. It is usually the first place to go when something sounds muddy, harsh or thin.
How it works
A parametric EQ gives each band three controls. Frequency picks where it acts, gain sets how much it boosts or cuts, and Q sets how wide the band is.
Try this
Boost a narrow band and sweep it slowly until you find the harsh spot. Then turn that band down instead of up.
What it does
Gain changes how loud a signal is and nothing else. It sounds simple, but getting levels right early makes everything after it behave better.
How it works
Digital gain multiplies every sample by a number. A change of +6 dB roughly doubles the amplitude, and -6 dB roughly halves it.
Try this
Set your track levels before adding anything else, so compressors and saturators receive the level they expect.
What it does
A polarity flip turns the waveform upside down. On its own it sounds the same, but it matters as soon as two signals of the same source are combined.
How it works
Every positive value becomes negative, and every negative value becomes positive. Nothing moves in time, which is what separates a polarity flip from a phase shift. When two similar signals oppose each other, they partly subtract and the low end thins out.
Try this
Play two microphones of the same drum together, flip one, and keep whichever setting sounds fuller.
What it does
DC offset means a waveform sits above or below the centre line. You can't hear it directly, but it still costs you headroom and can cause clicks at edits.
How it works
DC offset is a constant value added to the signal, at a frequency of 0 Hz. A high-pass filter set far below the audible range removes it and leaves what you can hear alone.
Try this
Zoom in on a recording in your DAW. If the waveform doesn't sit evenly around the centre line, it has an offset.
What it does
Saturation rounds off the peaks of a sound as it is driven harder. That adds harmonics, which can make a sound feel fuller, warmer or more present.
How it works
Harmonics are new frequencies related to the original pitch. The harder the input drives the curve, the more the peaks flatten and the more harmonics appear.
Try this
Drive a bass until it is clearly too much, then back the amount off until you only just miss it when it is bypassed.
What it does
A delay stores audio and plays it back later. It can be a single slap, a rhythmic part of the track, or a sense of width and space.
How it works
Time sets how long the audio waits. Feedback sends each repeat back into the delay, so more feedback means more repeats. Tempo sync sets the time as a note value instead of in milliseconds.
Try this
Put a quarter-note delay on a vocal with low feedback, and keep it just quiet enough that you only notice when it stops.
What it does
Reverb recreates the many reflections a sound makes in a space. It places a sound somewhere, from a small room to something far larger than any real one.
How it works
Pre-delay is the gap before the reflections begin, and decay is how long they take to fade. An algorithmic reverb calculates its reflections, instead of using a recording of a real space.
Try this
Raise the pre-delay on a vocal reverb. The voice stays clear up front, and the space opens up behind it.
What it does
Dynamics tools control the difference between the loud and quiet parts of a sound. Compressors reduce that difference, and expanders increase it.
How it works
A compressor turns the signal down once it passes the threshold, and the ratio sets by how much. Attack and release set how quickly it reacts and recovers. An expander does the reverse, turning quiet parts down further.
Try this
Slow the attack on a drum compressor. The first hit gets through untouched, and the drum gains punch.
Hear from us when the first plugins are ready.