Mastering plugin chain tips

A mixing chain is a step-by-step set of audio tools, and the X posts laid out one common version: equalizer first, color and clipping next, space and width after that, and light bus compression at the end. (x.com) Equalizer is the tone-control stage, where engineers cut mud, tame harshness, or brighten dull sounds before they add louder or more dramatic processing. FabFilter says Pro-Q 3 introduced dynamic equalization, mid-side processing, and up to 24 bands, while its current product page says the line has now moved to Pro-Q 4. (fabfilter.com 1) (fabfilter.com 2) Saturation is controlled distortion, like adding a little heat so a sound feels denser without obviously breaking up. FabFilter says Saturn 2 covers subtle tube and tape saturation as well as heavier multiband distortion, and includes linear-phase processing aimed at mastering use. (fabfilter.com) Clipping is a peak-control stage that shaves off the tallest transients before a limiter has to work harder. GVST says GClip is a wave-shaping clipper with hard- or soft-knee behavior and optional oversampling to reduce aliasing, which is one reason it remains a common utility in producer chains. (gvst.uk 1) (gvst.uk 2) Sidechain ducking is the pumping effect that makes bass or pads dip when the kick hits, and the posts included Kickstart for that job. Cableguys describes Kickstart as a fast, focused sidechain plug-in, while its broader product page says the tool is built to lock kick and bass together quickly. (cableguys.com 1) (cableguys.com 2) Reverb is the artificial room around a sound, and the thread pointed to ValhallaRoom and Valhalla VintageVerb as go-to choices. Valhalla says Room is a true stereo algorithmic reverb built for natural spaces, while VintageVerb offers 22 digital reverb models and three color modes modeled on older hardware from the 1970s and 1980s. (valhalladsp.com) (valhalladsp.com) Stereo imaging is the width stage, where a mixer decides what stays centered and what spreads left and right. iZotope says Ozone Imager is a free stereo imaging plug-in with a Stereoize mode, and Ozone’s wider mastering line is built around final-stage processing for release-ready masters. (izotope.com) (izotope.com) Meters and analyzers are the dashboard, not the engine, and the chain named SPAN and Soothe2 for problem-spotting and cleanup. Voxengo says SPAN is a real-time fast Fourier transform spectrum analyzer with true-peak and clipping detection, while oeksound says Soothe2 is a dynamic resonance suppressor that reduces harsh frequencies only when they appear. (voxengo.com) (oeksound.com) The final bus-compression step is meant to make separate tracks move together, which is why engineers call it “glue.” Ableton says Glue Compressor is an analog-modeled compressor based on a classic 1980s console bus compressor, and the X posts recommended a 2:1 ratio with about a 30 millisecond attack for gentle master-bus cohesion rather than obvious pumping. (ableton.com) (x.com) The point of a chain like this is not that every song needs every plug-in in the same order. The point is that each stage solves a different problem — tone, density, peaks, movement, space, width, harshness, and final glue — and the X thread turned that workflow into a short checklist producers can copy, trim, or skip. (x.com) (fabfilter.com) (oeksound.com)