Well I've been surfing for the past weeks on and off looking for mastering plugin suggestions and with my not so big budget, I've come across a number of products you guys might want to look into if you're into home studio mastering.
Now before I get flamed for not clarifying and suggesting beforehand... mastering is better left to mastering engineers or people who actually know what they're doing. This is not to say that you cannot learn it in time but if you're looking for a magic preset if you buy any plugin, then you might not get the most of your track.
With that out of the way, let's get to it!
Currently, there are 2 all in one solutions that are holding the throne: IK Multimedia T-Racks and Izotope Ozone. Now both have their strengths and weaknesses, which I'll leave up to you to google but if you're looking for a mastering solution that has all the modules you need for a mastering chain, then these 2 will deliver. From EQ's, Compressors, Limiters, and even a mastering reverb and spreaders, you can expect quality output from these products. Remember we're talking of within budget alternatives so definitely the higher end stuff won't be suggested anymore here like Waves.
Some people also like to mix up modules with various brands since others can be strong with EQ's but not for Compressors or some just excel at Limiters so take your pick from these plugin manufacturers.
Cytomic - The Glue : this particular developer only has The Glue compressor as their product but have been getting good reviews for it. I'm actually considering this myself given how many people in the dance music industry like it. I'm thinking the brand just made one processor but they did it very well :)
Voxengo - This name always comes up in various searches for mastering plugins and their products definitely have a cult following so it's worth looking into it. They also have some very useful free plugins on the site.
Fabfilter - I love the name of this company but they're not about filters alone. These guys have a suite of plugins needed for mastering as well as synths. They don't usually get mentioned in forums but this German engineer I work with for various projects raves about their limiter so I'm also looking at this for now as well as the rest of them.
Flux - This came up in a forum as a suggestion and though I haven't read much about them, you may also want to check them out.
PSP - Of course, we have PSP who have a great collection of awesome sounding plugins not just for mastering but also to warm up your digital recordings. They are worth checking out for sure. If I remember correctly, they also have some freebies.
Massey - They come up once in a while around forums and have a reasonably priced set of plugins.
Stillwell - Also a name that comes up from time to time and have some good reviews especially since theirs are affordable for the quality you get.
The rest - Well, there's also McDSP, Sonnox and UAD which is also a favorite of a lot of people and of course Waves but those are plugins that have a higher price tag on them. I'm sure they "may" sound or perform better but at the end of the day, your ears still hold the controls and these tools won't do anyone good in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to get the most out of these plugins. We'll just need to take the time to learn them inside out and familaiarize ourselves with their own distinct sounds. Just remember that these higher end plugins require a dongle for them to work so it's also one thing to consider. It's one that I do consider as well since I don't like it.
What you have - Don't forget that your DAW of choice also has very capable default plugins which you can use as you dive into and learn mastering so don't dismiss onboard plugins as inferior to what you can buy separately.
Why Buy - when there are free plugins. Yep. A search for "free" this and "free" that yields results as well so you may also want to take the no-spend route and check out your options for compressors, EQs, limiters, etc. There are also very capable FREE plugins so dismiss them just yet!
Don't forget, all these have trial versions so give em a shot and see which ones fit your need and your sound. You may want something really transparent or you may be looking for color, to take your pick!
Best of luck finding one that fits your sound!
Cy
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