

Part of the brilliance of the Soma is its “real Q adjustment” abilities. Brainworx has taken this sought after EQ and brought it into the digital realm. Taking inspiration from Passive tube EQs - while offering a cleaner tone and more flexible functionality - the hardware Knif Soma unit is a masterpiece, with pristine audio quality considered down to every last component. Be aware though, if you have a limiter inserted after bx_masterdesk, feeding more low end into that limiter might actually result in a smaller, thinner sounding master. For thicker, more bass heavy music, turn up the foundation control. The foundation control is how you set the general tonality of your master, allowing for emphasis on either high or low end. It has great sound and functionality, so it can also certainly appeal to more seasoned engineers.

Updated more recently with adjustments to the GUI, as well as the ability to detect and manage intersample peaks, bx_masterdesk is now an even more comprehensive all-in-one mastering solution, featuring a versatile compressor/limiter section, resonance filters, a 4-band tone control, a de-esser, THD for adding subtle saturation to program material, a mono maker and more.īx_masterdesk True Peak, which comes with plenty of custom crafted presets, is a valuable tool for anyone who has even minimal experience with mastering. It’s a quick and clean multi-function tool that can be used to sculpt the tone and dynamics of in-the-box masters. Originally released in 2018, bx_masterdesk went on to become Brainworx’s best-selling plugin of the year. Here are my favorite mastering plugins of all time, and how I’ve used them when finalizing mixes for distribution.

BRAINWORK STEREO MASTER PROFESSIONAL
These plugins can be used to sculpt the timbre and dynamics of your music to professional standards. That said, there are a plethora of tools currently available if your primary goal is to simply enhance the sonics of your recordings before uploading for streaming and/or distributing via compact disc, vinyl, etc. With Apple’s spatial audio option available as part of their music streaming service, MEs will continue to tweak their processes to create masters optimized for an ever-evolving and complex listening format. Throughout history, MEs have adapted to changes in technology, delivering music optimized for vinyl, 8-track, cassette, CD and now streaming. There are still many skills mastering engineers possess that go beyond processing a stereo mix to sound fuller, clearer and louder. This isn’t to say that one can claim to be a mastering engineer after simply purchasing a few plugin packs. Mastering completely in the box can still render professional results.
BRAINWORK STEREO MASTER SOFTWARE
While hardware equalizers, compressors, exciters, high end converters and even analog tape remain tools within the ME’s arsenal, software has improved greatly over the decades. Plugins have gradually found their way into the mastering engineer’s workflow.
