Overview

Maximize loudness and maintain clarity

The bx_XL V3 empowers mastering engineers to achieve loud mixes without sacrificing clarity. Utilizing the mid/side technology from Brainworx’s groundbreaking bx_digital EQ, you can split the mid channel into two bands (low and high). This allows for control over three individual channels – mid-low, mid-high, and side – resulting in increased loudness and significantly enhanced clarity with fewer artifacts and greater punch.

Hear the power of four limiters

The Crossover Frequency slider lets you define where the mid-low band ends and the mid-high band begins. This allows you to separate the kick drum and apply different limiting from the rest of your mid signal – an essential technique for mixes that need a strong bottom end, such as dance, rap, techno, and rock. After the three channels in the bx_XL V3 are combined back into a stereo signal, the mix is run through a true peak limiter. This means four stages of limiting, resulting in loud and crystal-clear stereo mixes.

Warm up mixes with XL saturation

The XL knobs add warmth to your mixes by introducing third and fifth-order harmonics. A special filtering process prevents aliasing, ensuring your mixes remain free of artifacts. This additional harmonic content enhances perceived loudness without significantly increasing your music’s output level.

Listen to the finest details

Building on the legacy of the bx_XL V2 – the first mid/side mastering limiter to allow individual auditioning of mid/side signals with phase correction using Phase-X crossover filters – V3 includes a three-band “psychoacoustic” loudness maximizer and a variety of detailed mastering meters, making it a top-tier dynamics and loudness control system.

Features

  • True peak limiter
  • Dual-band mid/side processing
  • Four limiting stages
  • Adjustable crossover frequency
  • Advanced Brainworx UI
  • Mono Maker
  • Sidechain circuit
  • True peak, RMS, gain reduction, LUFS, and correlation meters

Audio Examples

Industry Reviews

  • Ralf Hildenbeutel

    Ralf Hildenbeutel

    Producer / Artist / Musician

    Fantastic mastering tool and so easy to go, have been fan of V2 already, but V3 goes next level sound-wise. Really warm and nice bottom. Widening the mix via the side-level sounds beautifully… Read More

  • Dani G.

    Dani G.

    Mixing Engineer / Producer / Songwriter (Steve Vai, Monica Naranjo, Rhapsody)

    All the loudness I've dreamt about is reachable with the bx_XL V3 without any compromise of loosing quality, including tons of extra features for both mastering and mixing. Now it has become a… Read More

  • Peter Riese

    Peter Riese

    Singer / Songwriter / Music Producer (Blue Weaver, Volkswagen, Henkel)

    Wow. The new bx_XL V3 is a really good weapon for making the mix loud and clean. If you want your mix to sound competitive, this thing is your tool! Now it has a wonderful new interface that is up… Read More

Customer Reviews

  • Sub Frequencies

    ★★★★★
    by DJ Chef 808
    I've never heard the bass more clear in the car.
  • Great solution!

    ★★★★★
    by KuroNekoYama
    The number of knobs has not changed that much from bx_XL V2, but the sound quality is far better.
    There are many presets available, and they are clearly divided into mono high, mono mid, and… Read More

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX Native, AU, AAX AudioSuite, VST2, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 15 down to macOS 12
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel, or Apple Silicon

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

ChangeLog

bx_XL V3

Brainworx bx_XL V3 - Changelog

Version 3.0.1 (Jul 01, 2024)
- Fixed font drawing at 75% and 125% UI scaling
- Fixed gain reduction meters not showing up correctly in Pro Tools
- Fixed weird behaviour of parameter banks and reset control
- Fixed sidechain metering not resetting correctly with suspended processing
- Updated Manual

Version 3.0 (Jun 4, 2024)
- Initial release