Learn about the five most popular plugins from Plugin Alliance in 2024.
Plugin Alliance is your go-to online marketplace for analog-modeled audio plugins, essential for music production, mixing, and mastering. In this blog, we’ll introduce you to our five top-selling plugins.
All the plugins we'll cover are included in the Plugin Alliance MEGA Plan. This plan gives you instant access to over 180 audio plugins and allows you to keep your favorites. Start a free MEGA Plan trial to demo all Plugin Alliance's products for 30 days.
Brainworx bx_console AMEK 9099
The Brainworx bx_console Amek 9099 plugin makes the legendary sound of a Rupert Neve console available inside your DAW. Building on the legacy of the iconic Amek 9098i Master Console, this console plugin provides an expander/gate, a compressor, a limiter, a four-band EQ, a Mono Maker knob, and a Stereo Width knob. It also includes gain reduction meters alongside input and output meters (VU and dBu).
The built-in EQ includes unique “Sheen,” “Notch,” and “Glow” modes that allow you to shape the character of sounds with enhanced detail. There’s an “Ambience” switch that you can use to solo the portion of the signal affected by compression. Brainworx engineers have also added a soft "Clip" function that you can use to sculpt dynamics and add subtle distortion to your mixes.
Powered by Tolerance Modeling Technology (TMT), the bx_console Amek 9099 meticulously emulates the subtle channel-to-channel variations of a real analog console, providing a rich, dimensional sound that sets it apart from other channel strip plugins. Pressing the Random Channel “ALL” button applies a different pair of TMT channels to each instance of the plugin in your session, meaning each instance will sound unique.
ADPTR AUDIO Metric AB
ADPTR AUDIO's Metric AB is a cutting-edge reference plugin for music production. By clicking an "A/B" button, you’re able to toggle the active audio stream between your mix and a reference track. Metric AB allows you to visually compare the frequency response, phase correlation, stereo image, dynamics, and loudness of your mix to commercially released songs.
Instant loudness matching makes comparing your mix with up to 16 reference tracks easy. There are four loudness matching modes that you can use to eliminate loudness bias and conduct accurate A/B comparisons. Metric AB provides you with the confidence that the changes you make to your mix sound better and not just louder.
Metric AB also includes features that allow you to make detailed comparisons with your ears. It offers a filter bank to solo frequency ranges using a low-pass, bandpass, or high-pass filter. With its user-friendly interface and robust feature set, Metric AB is an essential tool for all mixing and mastering engineers.
Brainworx bx_console SSL 9000 J
The Brainworx bx_console SSL 9000 J is a console plugin that delivers the big, deep, and clear sound of a Solid State Logic 9000 series console; this unit was a favorite amongst pop, hip-hop, and R&B engineers in the 1990s and 2000s. You’ve undoubtedly heard the 9000 series on major releases from artists like The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Aerosmith, Evanescence, and Britney Spears.
Features include a filter module, compressor, expander, four-band EQ, TMT, Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), and output meters. If you’re looking for a rougher sound, turning up the THD knob will introduce colorful saturation to your mix, perfect for aggressive drums, guitars, and vocals. There’s also the option to punch processing modules in and out of the signal chain and rearrange their position.
Similar to the bx_console AMEK 9099, the bx_console SSL 9000 J includes 72 TMT channels. When working with a console plugin, you’ll likely want to apply it to every track in your session to emulate the experience of working with a hardware console. To streamline this process, add your go-to Brainworx console to your default audio and MIDI track presets. When you create a new audio/MIDI track, the bx_console SSL 9000 J will load automatically.
Black Box Analog Design HG-2MS
The Black Box Analog Design HG-2MS is a colorful frequency-selective tube saturator; it’s an enhanced version of the Black Box Analog Design HG-2 with mid-side processing and some other added features. Engineers like Dave Pensado, Bob Horn, and Jack Douglas rely on the creamy transformers found in the Black Box HG-2 to enhance the punch and loudness of their mixes. Add this plugin to your stereo bus to flavorfully seal your mix together.
With the ability to emulate four different vacuum tube stages, the HG-2MS offers a wide palette of harmonic colors to enhance your mix. Separate gain controls for pentode and triode tubes are placed in series between buttery virtual transformers, warming the plugin’s input and output. It’s also possible to drive both tubes while keeping input and output levels balanced using the Density knob.
Features like the Air knob and Calibration switches offer further customization, letting you fine-tune the high-frequency response to apply dark, normal, or bright coloration. Blend the dry signal with the wet signal for the perfect mix of tube warmth and clarity. The Black Box Analog Design HG-2MS also includes TMT options, a Mono Maker knob, a Stereo Width knob, and a Parallel Mix knob.
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Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A
The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A is an enhanced emulation of one of the most prestigious hardware compressors used in mastering studios. It applies optical and/or discrete VCA compression to your mixes, depending on the settings you’ve selected. You can also toggle between three output transformers (Nickel, Iron, and Steel) that shift the plugin’s tonal balance.
The Class A version that was modeled has a different character than the original Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor; this is a result of the Class A discrete compressor section that utilizes Lundahl input transformers and was hand-wired with Mogami cable. Compared to the original, you can expect smoother compression, a punchier VCA, a larger sense of size and depth, along with a thicker and richer tone.
This plugin also includes Brainworx features like TMT, mid-side processing, a Mono Maker knob, a Stereo Width knob, a Parallel Mix knob, and a sidechain filter. If you’re looking for a desert island mastering compressor, the versatility of the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A makes it an excellent choice.
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