Welcome to Sage Audio. Today we’re covering the top 14 free plugins in 2022. But first,
If you have a mix that you need mastered, send it to us to receive a free mastered sample
of it with the link in the description.
Baby Comeback - Baby Audio
Baby Audio makes some great plugins, and have recently released 3 free ones, so let’s
cover this back-to-back. Baby Comeback is an awesome free delay plugin that offers 5
styles, including the default, wide, analog, sauce which has longer decays, and a lofi
setting.
The time can be fixed to a note, dotted, or triplet note, as well as set to a specific
millisecond. Ping-pong delay is available, as is variable feedback, a delay tap ducker,
and dry and wet outputs.
Let’s listen and notice how greatly the 5 styles vary.
Magic Dice - Baby Audio
Magic Dice is an algorithmic reverb, that can vary greatly in style, decay, frequency
response, and timbre - but everything is running behind the scenes. We can only control 2 functions
which are the mix, and the randomization which occurs when clicking the die in the middle.
Let’s listen and notice how much
the sounds vary.
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Magic Switch - Baby Audio
Similar to our last plugin, Magic Switch has a very simple and limited design, but this
time around we know the effect we’re getting when we engage it. It’s a simple but effective
doubler that works well on vocals or for a creative effect on other instruments.
Let’s listen to the slight stereo expansion and the complexity the doubling imparts onto
the signal.
dBComp - Analog Obsession
Analog Obsession releases great free plugins - all of which can be found on their Patreon
page where you can support the developers and read about each plugin. dBComp emulates
the classic DBX160 which is great for hard-knee compression that causes a nice punch to bass
and kick drums.
We get simple controls with the threshold, compression amount, output, mix, and a high-pass
filter. Let’s listen and notice how the compressor increases punch.
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ReLife - Analog Obsession
ReLife is a simple but interesting plugin that I’m not 100% certain on what it’s
doing. The Shape dial creates a boost to the lows, dip to the low mids, and a boost to
the highs, but I wasn’t able to observe too much about the Life dial.
It sounds like a subtle exciter though and has a nice clarifying effect on the signal.
Let’s listen and notice how the 2 main functions clarify
the audio.
PREDD - Analog Obsession
PREDD is a great emulation of the Chandler Limiter REDD microphone preamp, which is based
on the EMI REDD preamps of Abbey Roads in the late 50s to 60s. It adds noticeable distortion
and breakup when increasing the gain, while an HP filter and high shelf are nice additions.
You can pad the signal, reverse its polarity, and subtly change the gain.
Let’s listen and notice the vintage character this plugin imparts.
Room041 - Analog Obsession
Analog Obsession’s only reverb plugin is a great room emulation that offers some flexibility.
We can alter the reflections separation, the pre-delay, and the decay - change the wet-dry,
and introduce a preamp that adds some nice harmonic content, compression, and an optional
high-pass filter.
Lastly, we get a 2 band EQ. Let’s listen to the quality of this reverb.
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SSQ - Analog Obsession
The last of the 5 Analog Obsession plugins we’ve covered, SSQ emulates a popular SSL
equalizer. The starting setting’s flat, which isn’t always the case with analog
emulations, but then we can impart smooth, analog emulated EQ curves with only 6 samples
of latency and minimum phase shifts.
If we’re using the high-frequency band, we can also introduce oversampling by clicking
on the Analog Obsession logo.
Let’s listen and notice the subtle and smooth changes this EQ can create.
Dirty Spring - BPB
Dirty Spring is a really unique combination of an analog emulation spring reverb, followed
by distinctly digital distortion. With it we can affect the decay length, pre-delay
to preserve transients, shape the frequency response of the output, adjust the wet/dry,
and cycle through various digital distortions.
Let’s listen to this unique combo of effects.
Orange Flavor - SNFK Music
SNFK is a new indie developer and their plugins have already greatly improved in design, sound,
and overall stability. As we increase the drive dial we can observe odd harmonics that
vary in amplitude to the fundamental and to one another - until higher settings where
they descend in amplitude.
Let’s listen and notice how these odd harmonics fill out the sound and then harshly distort
it.
Initial Clipper - Initial Audio
Initial Clipper has a simple and effective design, that lets you soft-clip your peaks
while visualizing the threshold and relative frequency of the signal. Positive saturation
increases harmonics and reduces the fundamental, and so too does the negative dial, but when
combined they compress without harmonics.
Let’s listen and notice the distortion caused by the clipper and the fullness caused by
the 2 saturation functions.
Valvola - Hornet Plugins
If you’re a fan of tube saturation, this is a great free plugin with which you can
emulate 7 different tube types. Each tube introduces a low and high pass filter and
various harmonics that vary from tube to tube and the dialed-in setting.
The only issue I find with this plugin is the lowered output, which I wish I could control
with an output gain dial.
Let’s listen to various tubes and notice their unique distortions.
Gentle Drivez - Brain Synthetic
Gentle Drivez is a great alternative to the popular Softube distortion, but with an output
gain dial which is always nice to have. It causes even and odd harmonic distortion up
to the 8th order - meaning it should reduce the risk of aliasing when compared to other
distortion plugins.
Let’s listen and notice how the even and odd harmonic combination results in a more
complex distortion than just even or odd harmonics.
T-De-Esser Plus - Techivation
Free De-esser plugins are few and far between, so it’s great to see a well-designed one
come out this last year. In the free version, we can set our threshold, adjust the frequency
range which can be observed in the Pro features frequency range, and set a threshold.
Sharpness is the slope of the transition from compressed to not compressed.
Let’s listen to the unique quality that this de-esser has.
If you have a mix that you need mastered, send it to us to receive a free mastered sample
of it with the link in the description. Thank you so much for watching.