Free Logic Plugins
Free Logic Plugins
Top 10 FREE Mixing & Mastering Plugins 2019
VST PLUGINS FOR FREE Get producing music straight away with free VST plug-ins and samples in KOMPLETE START, taken from our leading production suite, KOMPLETE.Get REAKTOR PLAYER, KONTAKT PLAYER, KOMPLETE KONTROL, free effects VST plug-ins, free synth plug-ins, and sampled instruments to use in your own productions, as much as you want. This is a fantastic plugin, it comes with a huge array of instruments from pianos, to brass instruments, strings and percussion. One bad thing about this plugin is that it runs both on Kontakt Player, which is free, and the full version of Kontakt, but on Kontakt player you can only use the samples for about 30 min before it stops working.
The never-ending quest for the best mixing and mastering plugins is back again, only this time we’re searching through the freebies. We scouted through many polls and forums to look for what the audio engineering community has to say about freeware mixing and mastering plugins. So here is our top 10 list of the best and brightest freeware mixing and mastering plugins in no particular order.
1 Youlean Loudness Meter 2 by Youlean
One of the most important aspects of proper mixing and mastering is monitoring. Both audible and visual. This is where Loudness Meter 2 by Youlean comes in to play. This is a freeware loudness metering plugin featuring four metering modes (LUFS, LRA, DR and true peak). It is a must-have visual tool for every producer and mixing engineer on a budget as it will help determine the proper amount of loudness without sacrificing the sound quality and dynamic range of the track. Compared to V1, it has a better-looking GUI which is resizable with reduced CPU usage and is more stable than the previous one.
2 Bitter Sweet V3 by FLUX
FLUX is a very well-known company with amazing high-quality plugins respected by many audio professionals. Bitter Sweet is their freeware audio sweetening tool. Basically, this is a tone and transient shaper plugin which can make your individual tracks go from biting hard to silky smooth. The UI is very simple to use and it features a large knob for controlling the amount of the desired effect.
By going to the sweet side you get very smooth transients and a silky tonal character, while going over to the bitter side you’re getting much more pronounced tonal characteristics and more aggressive transients. A must have for anyone working with percussive and rhythmic materials.
3 Stereo Buss by Minimal System Group (MSI)
We already talked about this plugin in a previous post about the best free VST plugins overall but we’re going to give it some more attention here again.
This is a Windows only plugin but even so it’s very special. Yes we know that there are many other free “mastering” buss compressor plugins out there, and sure they all give you that kind of final touch and glue to you mixes, but in all honesty MSI Stereo Buss does it better than most others plain and simple. For what it does and the fact that you’re getting it for free, it really is the best one out there at the moment.
4 SPAN by Voxengo
Voxengo are very well-known among the freeware VST users out there and they’re highly praised. Everyone needs a good plain simple spectrum analyzer for metering and in all honesty you really can’t beat Voxengo here. It is our favourite spectrum analyzer overall and it beats many analyzers out there that are paid-for.
You can control the ballistics and response of its graph which makes it flexible enough for a wide variety of tasks. You can even route multiple tracks into SPAN and compare their frequency content. It is a great addition to YOULEAN Loudness Meter 2. Everyone needs to have Voxengo SPAN in their collection.
5 Freeware Plugins by Brainworx
This is not an official collection but mainly our own pick of various freeware plugins by the amazingly talented people at Brainworx.
bx_solo is a powerful tool for working with M/S because it features the legendary M/S technology from their bx_control V2.
bx_subfilter is a subharmonic content processor. Basically it shapes your sub content and adds more oomph to your signal with body and punch. Highly recommended if you’re into EDM and trailer music production.
bx_cleansweep is an extremely powerful Hi/Lo-Pass filter using advanced Brainworx technology.
6 Wider by Polyverse Music
We’re re-visiting Wider for this list also as we have nothing but high praise for it. This is a simple freeware VST plugin that widens your stereo signal with a very unique ability to broaden the stereo width of the signal without causing phasing issues when played back in mono.
You can’t make it simpler than this because Wider features only one control parameter and that’s it. The slider affects the amount of stereo processing, but be careful when pushing it too far though because too much stereo widening can make your track sound as if it doesn’t exist in the same space with others in your mix. Treated carefully, this plugin is one of the best stereo wideners while keeping your mix compatible with any type of playback system.
7 Neutrino by iZotope
iZotope’s Neutron plugin bundle features a very unique technology and they scaled it down in order to present us with Neutrino, which is a freeware version with limited options. Even though it is limited compared to the full-blown Neutron, you can still achieve amazing results with it. Neutrino tames undesirable resonances caused by poor room acoustics, cheap gear, and heavy-handed processing. iZotope calls this effect “spectral shaping” and it can sound similar to gentle, low-ratio multiband compression.
The GUI is very simple to understand and use because it features only two knobs for controlling the effect and 4 buttons for selecting the sound source you are working with.
8 Limiter No.6 by VLADG/Sound
This is a rather cool and useful mastering plugin packed with features. Combined with the previously mentioned YOULEAN Metering and Voxengo SPAN, you get a free mastering power tool. Limiter No.6 features 5 separate modules mostly known as gain stages. A compressor followed by a peak limiter, high frequency limiter, clipper and the protection module.
The Protection module ensures that your output of the signal doesn’t go into clipping. Each module is controlled individually and you can turn it on and off separately. The plugin has a certain character when pushed hard but it produces a warm pleasing output. It’s a no brainer if you want to own one.
9 MFreeFX Bundle by MeldaProduction
MeldaProduction are well-known for some great plugins and they have earned their keep in many pro audio engineers’ plugin collections. This bundle contains 30 completely free plugins which span from bread and butter tools like compressors and EQs to some not so common effects like ring modulator and oscilloscope. If you’re starting out your path to becoming an audio engineer, or if you’re a student with no budget this is a must-have for you.
10 NOVA EQ by TDR
This is a rare sight to see when it comes to freeware plugins. NOVA EQ is a real Swiss army knife when it comes to fixing those problematic frequencies. It is very easy on the eye with its rather sleek looking GUI.
Each EQ band features a dedicated dynamics section which allows the EQ to cover a wide range of frequencies. The sound is very transparent.
What are your favourite free mixing and mastering plugins?
Related Articles
- Top 10 Granulizer Plugins 2019
Top 10 Granulizer Plugins 2019 Granulizers seem to be getting popular these days so it is only natural that we start looking for what’s cool & trendy for this year, but first WHAT IS A GRANULIZER? Granulizers and Granular synthesis in general works by taking an audio sample and dividing…
- Top 10 FREE VST Plugins You Need 2019
Top 10 FREE VST Plugins You Need 2019 In life many things don’t come free, but then again sometimes they do… VST plugins do so more often than not and that’s a good thing for many of the uprising producers, musicians and composers out there. We scouted and looked through…
- Top 10 Simple But Amazing Plugins 2019
Top 10 Simple But Amazing Plugins 2019 Simplicity is the mother of virtuosity and sometimes less IS more. That is the case when it comes to audio plugins. We all love them and we all need them but sometimes their GUIs and options are too much to comprehend. This is…
Do you use Logic Pro X? You need to know how to add plugins to logic pro x if you want to keep using it.
If you’ve spent any time producing music in Logic Pro X, you’ve no doubt come across instruments with plug-ins loaded into the Audio FX slots.
And, if you’re new to Logic Pro X, and/or to making music in a DAW, you’ve probably wondered what the hell they are, what they do, and how to add plugins in Logic Pro X to create an extra layer of sophistication to your tracks.
You will generally start adding plugins after you’ve completed the sampling stage.
What Exactly Is A Plugin?
A plugin is a tool that you can apply to a track to manipulate the sound of the audio. You will generally start to apply plugins before you go on to the autotuning stage.
Prior to the age of digital audio and music production, they didn’t exist at all.
In order to manipulate the sound using compression, delay, EQ or any other effect, you’d need to fire up a separate physical unit. Luckily, things are a lot easier in the world of DAWS like Logic, and a simple click of the mouse gives you access to a folder full of effects.
Some common types of plug-ins include:
- Compression
- EQ (equalization)
- Reverb
- Delay
- Distortion
- Gates
- Modulation (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser etc)
Logic Pro comes with a library of fantastic, professional quality and highly usable plug-ins, but you also have the option to purchase or download third party units that can be used within the DAW (more on that later).
Why You Should Be Using Plugins
It can be easy to forego the need to use plugins in Logic Pro, not least because the sounds generated by some of its stock instruments are amazing.
But, you run the risk your finished tracks sounding like everybody else’s. After all, they have access to the exact same instrument sets.
By simply experimenting with Logic’s built in plugins (the stock ones are great), you greatly expand the diversity and quality of your tracks, differentiate yourself from the thousands of other producers out there, and have more control over the final sound.
Adding Plugins To Logic Pro X
Adding a plugin to a track in Logic is ridiculously easy. Gone are the days of complex patch bays and external processing units!
On the track’s channel strip (either to the left of the edit window, or inside the mixer window), click on a blank slot under Audio FX. Choose a plugin from the drop down list. You’ll notice Logic’s stock plugins are organised by type (a folder for Delay, a folder for Modulation etc).
Any third party plugins are located under Audio Units at the bottom of the list.
Audio Units are the file format Apple accepts for its third party plugins. Other DAWs use formats such as VST and AAX. You’ll learn how to import third party plugins further down in the article.
If you’re brand new to using plugins, a great place to start is Logic’s Channel EQ. It’s highly visual, intuitive, and is a perfect way to understand the way that plugins manipulate the sound of your tracks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Logic Pro X Plugins?
Logic’s stock plugins are built into the code of the software itself, so you will not be able to locate them on your Mac, or use them with any other software.
Third party plug-ins (Audio Units) however are stored in a folder on the Macintosh HD, and you can find them here:
- Macintosh HD>Library>Audio>Plug-Ins>Components
How Do I Get Logic Pro To Recognize New Plugins?
If you’ve installed new third party plugins, Logic should recognize these automatically when you fire the software up. If Logic Pro is not showing your Audio Units plugin, try quitting the software and opening again, or restarting your Mac.
Free Logic Plug-ins 2020
Still not working? Head to Logic Pro X>Preferences (make sure you have Show Advanced Tools ticked), and select the Plug-In Manager.
Depending on your version of Logic, this may also be called the Audio Units Manager, or AU Manager. Hit ‘Reset and Rescan Selection’ and let Logic do its business and scan the Macintosh HD. Your Audio Units file should be installed and recognised by Logic’s Plug-In Manager in no time.
Can You Use VSTs In Logic Pro X?
The short answer is no. Apple uses the Audio Units (AU) file type for its third party plugins. There are, though, a few “VST wrappers”, which serve to turn VSTs into AUs for use in Logic.
This is kind of like converting a WAV file to an MP3.
To list a few that could be installed on your Mac:
- JVSTwRapper
- FXpansion VST to AU Adapter
- VST Wrapper – KVR Audio Plugins
Free Logic Pro X Plugins
Conclusion
So, now that you know how to add a stock Apple or third party plugin to Logic Pro X, it’s time to start levelling up your music production!
Logic has a huge library of great plugins, and there are a number of free ones available too, just search “free AU plugin” and get creating!
Free Logic Plugins