Are you working in audio post-production, and are you a current Pro Tools subscriber or a perpetual license holder with a current upgrade and support plan? If the answer is yes, then check out this article in which Mike Thornton looks at the curated list of over 130 Plugin Alliance plugins to see which might be most helpful from a post-production perspective.

Recently Avid added to the Pro Tools Inner Circle rewards scheme. When this Inner Circle offer first came out, I scanned through the list of plugins; what struck me about the Plugin Alliance range is that there are a lot of EQ and dynamics emulation-type plugins. Plugins like the Brainworx bx2098EQ, and the bx_console range covering Neve, Focusrite and SSL console emulations, all of which are great if that lights your fire, but not me. That said, I momentarily hesitated over Lindell 254E and 354E emulations of the Neve 2254 compressor limiter as it reminded me of the good old days when I owned that hardware, but the moment quickly passed.

However, on a second, somewhat more careful pass did turn up some candidates from which to select to take advantage of Avid’s latest Inner Circle reward if you are working in audio post-production.

To start with, there are a couple of plugins that can help you manage stereo width and more…

Brainworx bx_control V2 - Value $99

bx_control V2 is a monitoring tool and an M/S matrix with built-in Mono Maker & Stereo Width control. bx_control V2 also features metering for Peak and RMS levels.

This handy little M/S tool can be used to control the stereo width of any stereo audio track by simply routing it to the Brainworx M/S matrix or to convert from L/R to MS or MS to L/R. It’s great if you need to decode MS recordings in stereo.

In this free video tutorial, Julian Rodgers looks at the Brainworx bx_control V2 plugin and shows how to use the bx_control V2 to take the hard work out of recording with a middle and sides mic array, highlighting one of the less talked about advantages of M/S - its inherent symmetry.

As a monitoring tool, the bx_control V2 offers solo monitoring to M (mono sum), phase-corrected S (stereo difference signal), and L or R (left or right) mono channels on both speakers, or " soloed in place" using the four dedicated solo buttons. You can also easily swap channels with the L/R flip button.

In this free video tutorial, Julian Rodgers shows how to use the Stereo Spread control in conjunction with the Mono-Maker to widen material whilst, at the same time, safeguarding the mono compatibility of bass and midrange content.

In this category, there are a couple of plugins that can create stereo from mono…

Brainworx bx_stereomaker - Value $99

The bx_stereomaker is a frequency-optimized M/S upmixing plugin that converts any mono signal to stereo whilst maintaining complete mono compatibility. It creates a virtual S signal with analog-style filters and Brainworx M/S stereo algorithms. This plugin can take any mono signal and make it stereo while allowing you to balance the centre position. You can even focus the process on specific frequency ranges in your signal. The Hi-Damp knob allows you to create a warm-sounding stereo expansion preventing things from getting too tinny.

Note that bx_stereomaker is not designed to be a stereo spreader plugin. It has been designed to create pseudo stereo from mono audio.

In this free video tutorial, Julian Rodgers demonstrates the settings used to dramatically enhance the stereo spread of mono-material while preserving mono compatibility, something which is usually compromised by pseudo-stereo processes.

Schoeps Mono Upmix - Value $99

The Schoeps Mono Upmix is designed to generate Stereo and even LCR channels from any mono signal and works great on speech in post-production as well as other music-oriented applications like synths, as well as bass, guitars, drum room mics, vocals, etc.

It uses the diffuse sound in the mono input signal to create an upmix signal. As the diffuse sound should always be reproduced decorrelated on different stereo channels, the up-mixed signal is designed to sound more natural than the original mono track.

Especially when working with dialog, the Mono Upmix plugin is often considered superior to using reverb, as the Schoeps plugin doesn’t add reverb but uses the present diffuse sound.

The Mono Upmix Plugins can improve flexibility when working with mono sources in a mix. For example, a more natural perception of the source can increase the maximum gain before the spot microphone gets audible.

• Manipulation of source direction, width and depth

• Manipulation of diffuse field level

• Improved sonic and spatial quality of a Mono signal

• Better embedding of a spot microphone signal into the mix

• The downmix of the upmixed signal is possible without artefacts and colouration

SPL De-Verb Plus - Value $49

Removing or reducing reverb from a recording has been one of those magic treatments ever since we started to record audio. The predecessor of the SPL De-Verb Plus, the SPL De-Verb, has been around for more than 10 years when it was the only game in town other than the very expensive NML RevCon–RR plug-in from tacsystem.com, that is still priced at 123,900 Yen, which currently translates to around $1,170, whereas the SPL plugin currently comes in at just $49. Back in 2012, I tried out the original version and this is what I found…

“I was able to get about 12 to 14 dB of reduction before it sounded odd. It came across as a multi-band expander and just as you can overdo it, when you use an expander, so you can overdo this little plug-in, but again as time is money. This plug-in got me out of another little corner quickly and effectively and so I had another happy customer. I shelled out 59 Euros and bought the plug-in before the trial ran out so I can make more happy customers.”

Then in 2017, they released the Plus version, which came with these additional features…

• Same great reverb and sustain reduction taken from the Sustain knob of the SPL Transient Designer Plus

• Built-in peak limiter with Gain Reduction Indicator

• Dry/Met mix

• Plugin Toolbar with Undo / Redo, A/B/C/D banks and reset function

• New and improved user interface and core modelling algorithm

How Does It Work?

The SPL De-Verb Plus plugin uses part of the same envelope shaping provided by the original Transient Designer hardware, replicating the attenuation provided by the Sustain knob that shortens the decay of your sounds. It uses the same processing technique, known as Differential Envelope Technology, which revolutionized dynamic processing with its level-independent methodology, making it a dynamic process, unlike some de-reverb products.

For example, you can shorten the sustain period of a snare or reduce tom tom ring without having to damp them physically. You can adjust the apparent ‘distance’ of the microphone by simply varying the Reverb Reduction value.

In this free video tutorial, Julian Rodgers uses SPL De-Verb to reduce the ambience on an acoustic guitar and printed reverb from an electric guitar.

SPL Transient Designer Plus - Value $199

In the late '90s, SPL added a new concept in dynamics processing; the analog Transient Designer and its plugin counterpart both use SPL's Differential Envelope Technology to produce level-independent dynamics processing. Unlike compressors, transient designers shape the attack and sustain characteristics of sounds no matter their level and the SPL Transient Designer uses only two primary controls—Attack and Sustain—to process dynamics.

In the SPL Transient Designer Plus, the Output Gain control is placed before a soft-clip limiter in the audio path. The idea behind this change is that you will no longer need to lower the fader every time you boost the Attack or Sustain knob because the built-in limiter is designed to prevent digital clipping with all but the most extreme settings. But you can also push the limiter to get bigger, more colourful and aggressive-sounding tracks. Parallel processing has been added with Transient Designer Plus, with the routing set up behind the scenes and controlled by just one knob, the new Parallel Mix control. 

Transient Designer Plus also adds sidechain facilities, and a Sidechain Solo function lets you hear the filtered sidechain signal as you sweep the centre frequency to help you find your desired trigger. Alternatively, you use the new external sidechain input and trigger the process from other tracks in the mix.

SPL Transient Designer Plus Features

• Separate controls allow for ±15 dB adjustment to Attack and ±24 dB adjustment to Sustain

• Soft-clip limiter helps prevent digital clipping when generously boosting Attack and/or Sustain

• Internal sidechain filter sculpts the frequency response of the trigger signal to enable selective processing of audio elements embedded in subgroups, stems and mixes

• External sidechain input enables the processing of transients and sustain envelopes in the audio path to be triggered by other sources or tracks

• Sidechain Solo function monitors the sidechain signal, aiding adjustment of the internal sidechain's bandpass filter

• Parallel Mix control adjusts the balance of wet and dry signals for fast and hassle-free parallel processing

• Link switch links left and right channels in stereo configurations

• 32 steps of Undo and Redo

• Four global setups can be stored, recalled and automated for instant changes to parameter settings across the entire plugin

• 10-segment LED-style ladder meter shows the amount of gain reduction applied by the limiter

• Signal-present and overload indicators aid troubleshooting to get your session quickly back on track

• An essential mix tool endorsed by the world’s finest professional engineers

• Four Settings buttons allow you to quickly store and compare four different settings

• Mouse Wheel control of parameters

In this free video tutorial, Julian Rodgers demonstrates what can be achieved using the SPL TD Plus from Plugin Alliance.

The Transient Designer Plus introduces negative values for the Attack parameter, allowing transients to be reduced. It adds the Sustain control, which gives independent level control of the body of sounds, both up and down  - this is probably Julian’s favourite feature, giving quick access to huge drum sounds!

The addition of a side chain with a tuneable bandpass filter allows the effect to be precisely targeted towards specific parts of a drum loop or timbral element of a track.

Brainworx bx_limiter True Peak - Value $299

More and more mixing now requires you to work to loudness delivery specs. One of the two required specs is maximum true peak. To ensure you do not exceed the maximum true peak level, you will need a true peak limiter. If you are not sure if your preferred limiter is a true peak limiter, if it doesn’t shout it from the rooftops, then it is almost certainly not a true peak limiter.

With the bx_limiter True Peak, Brainworx has taken a new approach, designing the plugin from scratch to perform as well or better than any conventional digital limiter while also eliminating troublesome intersample peaks for even cleaner results.

Also included is a suite of metering and monitoring options to help you better understand what’s going on with your audio. In addition to the traditional level and gain reduction meters, the bx_limiter True Peak includes a customizable loudness meter for hitting specific loudness targets, a correlation meter for checking phase coherence, and the ability to monitor the centre, sides, and L/R channels separately or solo’d in place.

In this video from Brainworx, you get an overview of the bx_limiter True Peak and its basic plugin controls. Justin Colletti walks you through the whole plugin and explains how it works and why it’s crucial for your workflow.

Brainworx bx_subsynth - Value $149

In developing bx_subsynth, Brainworx initially made a meticulous model of the legendary dbx 120XP Subharmonic Synthesizer’s Waveform Modeling™ engine, which generates discrete bass frequencies one octave below what you feed into it. They then added to the 120XP’s feature set to create tighter, clearer, bigger and more resonant bass.

So how, exactly, does bx_subsynth do what it does? Brainworx designed bx_subsynth to generate subharmonics in up to three discrete frequency bands versus the original hardware’s two by adding a higher (56-80 Hz) Synthesised Frequency bass band for resynthesis — searching for the dominant frequency in the range of approximately 112-160Hz to synthesise a sub-octave from it enabling it to be used on a much wider variety of instruments, including snare drum and acoustic guitar.

The Tight Punch control, which is a 6th-order resonant Butterworth high-pass filter at the input that can be used with or without the subharmonics summed in.

Edge processing permits selecting from two modes of operation — Smooth and Harsh — that compress and saturate tracks.

Moving onto stereo imaging, you can choose to process only the mid channel or both left and right channels, collapse the processed bass to super-tight mono, and stretch the stereo image for mile-wide mixing.

Brainworx tell us that bass EQ cannot do what bx_subsynth does. Discrete frequencies generated by bx_subsynth are designed to create more space across the bass frequency band for other instruments. Moreover, they say that EQs cannot boost bass in a thin track that is lacking in bottom end to start with, whereas bx_subsynth does not just boost bass, but also adds new bottom end!.

Unlike psychoacoustic bass processors that are designed to trick the human brain into hearing ‘phantom’ subharmonics, bx_subsynth is designed to add real sub-bass. This is great for enhancing sounds that are going to end up in the LFE channel.

In this free video tutorial, Julian Rodgers looks at the bx_subsynth. Learn as Julian uses the bx_subsynth to add weight to snares and acoustic guitars.

You can check out the examples from Brainworx. Although many are music-focused, check out the Explosion and Thunder examples to get a sense of how we can use this plugin in most applications. Also, take a listen to the male vocal example. In the wet version, you get a second voice that tracks the tune but is much lower in pitch. This has great potential for voice of God or villain vocal effects.

ADPTR Audio Streamliner - Value $199

If you are producing content destined for streaming services, then you might want to check out Streamliner from ADPTR Audio. With Streamliner, you can remove the guesswork and find out how your masters will sound on all the major streaming services.

Streamliner’s Codec Auditioning feature allows you to preview your audio through the very same algorithms used by Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and so many other streaming platforms.

But Streamliner does more than just let you quickly hear how your audio will sound through streaming and download codecs. It also provides an intuitive and powerful metering suite, combining state-of-the-art meters for Loudness, Dynamics, and True Peak levels.

Additional features include Automatic Loudness Matching, Target Levels, and Reference Track Comparison to help make sure your releases stand up to your favourites without second-guessing over levels.

Streamliner codecs include Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, Pandora, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Napster, Beatport Pro, Primephonic, Mixcloud, Facebook Video, Instagram, Twitch, Gaana, and more.

With Streamliner, you can hear exactly how your mixes will sound to end listeners and discover how much loudness normalization will affect your master when featured in playlists alongside other tracks.

Not Sure Which Plugin Alliance To Choose?

Because Plugin Alliance allows you to download only one of their plugins and try it out for free for 14 days if you are now sure which plugin to choose, then take advantage of the free 14-day trial to try out any of these plugins before you choose which one to get to take advantage of the Avid Inner Circle reward offer.

How To Get My Free Plugin Alliance Plugin

Once you have chosen which Plugin Alliance plugin you want to get for free as part of Avid’s Inner Circle reward scheme, then check out our article, Pro Tools Customers - Get Any Plugin Alliance Plugin For Free With Inner Circle, which shows how to take advantage of the offer from Avid to get one free Plugin Alliance plugin.