Once you get what it does and how to implement it, the uses for compressors are pretty much endless. The list goes on but you get the picture.
Sidechain it to suck everything except your kick out of your mix every time your kick hits.Turn that listless rumbling cacophony of a drum track into a snappy, pumping, make-your-head-nod, ultra-funk rhythm machine.Make that floppy, fluctuating bassline be super-solid and sustained.Even out that vocal by the vocalist who is still in the process of learning good mic technique.Compressors have many uses for producers, beatmakers, sound designers and audio engineers : Yes, you can use it on pretty much anything. You can use it on vocals, drums, guitars, synths, bass. Compressors are also often used in parallel processing. Individual channels, group channels and even on your mix bus or master channel. When and where can compressor plugins be used?Ĭompressor plugins can be used in a variety of instances. This means that they allow you control the difference between the loudest and and the quietest parts of your audio signal. You can also check out the Big 3 post on EQ plugins here for 3 solid workhorse EQ plugins.Ĭompressor plugins control the dynamic range of any audio signal. Tube-Tech Equalizer Collection by Softube.I recommend you read the popular mammoth Audio Equalization Skill Stack post if you're new to music production and want the lowdown. EQ plugins also allow you to enhance certain frequencies by boosting the wanted ranges or by cutting the frequencies around the range you want to enhance.ĮQs also come in different varieties and each will affect your sound differently.An example of this would be using a low-cut filter in your EQ to remove low-end content below a certain cutoff point like when you remove sub-bass from a vocal to eliminate rumble. EQ plugins allow you to filter out unwanted frequency information.You can use equalizers on group channels and also on your entire mix bus. You can use equalizers on any instrument or vocal. When and where can equalizer plugins be used?Įqualizers can be used on any audio source. In practice this means that you can shape the tone of any sound or group of sounds with your equalizer plugins. This is done by using adjustable filters that can be set to affect parts of the audio spectrum allowing you to either cut or boost your selected ranges. You've got to start somewhere though, so let's get going.Įqualizers allow you to cut or boost ranges of audio frequencies from your audio signal. My hope is that this introduction to DAW plugins will give beginner producers a good overview of what's available so that you'll be able to get the big-picture overview of the plugin landscape. Many types of DAW plugins like utilities and other more specialized studio tools haven't been included. I've tried to keep the list to only plugins you're most likely to at some point use and maybe a few extra for the sake of comprehensiveness. Glitch, Stutter and Granular FX PluginsĪre there other types of audio DAW plugins available? You bet.Frequency-Shifter/Pitch-Shifter Plugins.On this page you'll discover a brief introduction to 26 of the main types of audio plugins you're most likely to come across and use as a music producer or beatmaker. The Main Types of Audio Plugins You'll Encounter as a Producer or Beatmaker: So, without further ado, let's get right to it. That sounds like a good excuse to buy a new plugin if ever I've heard one! -) That said, there are times when a 3rd-party plugin will make things easier and faster than your stock-plugins can and some plugins are known for a certain capability which can be very hard or near-impossible to reproduce in any other way. Newer producers will save a lot of money by first pushing the limits of what you can do with what comes included with your chosen DAW. So, while it's fun and inspiring to get a new 3rd-party plugin you're more than able to get good tracks done with stock-plugins. Nothing wrong with that!īefore you however go and splash your hard-earned cash on 3rd-party plugins you should be aware that most DAWs come with decent stock-plugins included. We music-makers love our toys, especially the new ones. The main idea behind the post below is to give newer producers a quick overview of the most popular plugins used by professionals to produce the music we love. You'll uncover what each type of plugin does, when and where you'll mostly use it in your tracks and also discover a few examples of each type of plugin.
The post below explores the main types of audio plugins used to produce music.