There is history behind the "excluded" plug-ins. This was discussed some time ago when the subject originally came up. The "4 hidden treasures" are dlls that provide the functionality for the Style Dials. There is no guarantee the full versions of the old Boutique Suite plug-ins will be used in the future. Given there status, if one uses them outside of their intended design, it might be a good idea to bounce the tracks that use them so there is no project dependency that may fail some time in the future.
FULL Cakewalk Boost 11 Vst plug in
So, can't you just insert plug-ins in the master bus? It's true that much of mastering involves using EQ and dynamics processing, but that's not all there is. I'll often redraw waveforms in a DAW to tame peaks, thus gaining headroom without using dynamics processing, and I'll define particular regions within a file in order to boost or cut specific sections such as a strategic drum hit. Although, theoretically, you could accomplish much the same results with master bus automation, it's difficult to be as precise. Furthermore, some mastering processes simply work best when used offline. Noise reduction is one case in point, and while Sonar's R-Mix plug-in tries valiantly to do real-time spectral editing to eliminate artifacts like finger squeaks, breath noises, audience members coughing, and similar problems, spectral editing also works best as an offline process with appropriate programs (such as Adobe Audition). Most 'repair/salvage' work, which can be a crucial part of the mastering process, is often difficult or even impossible to do simply by employing plug-ins.
Sonar's included LP-64 EQ and LP-64 multi-band (compressor) plug-ins are fairly demanding on your CPU. Try this experiment: insert a Sonitus EQ and the LP-64 EQ in the master bus, with several dB of high- and low-end boost. Set the frequency, gain, and Q settings identically, and do an A-B comparison. You'll likely find that the LP-64 plug-in handles the highs with more transparency and clarity. Now try the same experiment with some of the Pro Channel EQ types; as the Pro Channel EQ offers 'character' options, you may prefer them to the LP-64 EQ's neutral sound. In any event, you don't really need 'designer' EQs with special mojo, Sonar's are perfectly good. This isn't to minimise the value of other character EQs by companies like Universal Audio and Waves, as they can contribute a unique sound. The Sonitus multi-band compressor can also serve as a multi-band limiter. Note that when the light above the output meters glows red, it doesn't indicate distortion, but rather that limiting is taking place.
Another option is the Concrete Limiter, which is an optional-at-extra-cost Pro Channel plug-in. I think it's exceptional on individual tracks, particularly drums and vocals, but as it's not a multi-band processor I prefer Waves Ultramaximizer-type plug-ins for more transparent limiting with programme material. However, if you like the sound of full-band limiting, Concrete Limiter is a good option; the Sonitus Compressor plug-in also has a limiter function that's similar to the one in its multi-band counterpart (ie. set the ratio to 1.0, and increase the Gain control until limiting occurs).
To the oft-asked question of whether mastering EQ should go before or after dynamics processing, the answer is 'yes'. Compression will tend to undo the effects of any EQ boost, but this also means you can sometimes push something like a kick drum to make it seem louder, yet not exceed the available headroom. EQ after compression will tend to sound more natural as the dynamics aren't affecting the EQ. However, if you're using a limiter on the master bus, it should be the last processor in the chain, to ensure that there's no clipping. I'll often pair this with SSL's free X-ISM metering plug-in to monitor whether there's any inter-sample distortion, and use the highest output level possible coming out of the limiter that still ensures nothing registers above -0.1dB according to the X-ISM plug-in's meters.SSL's free X-ISM VST plug-in can measure inter-sample distortion.
Both plugins consume barely any CPU resources and are highly recommended for tracking and less demanding limiting tasks. Unlike LoudMax, W1 Limiter offers direct control over the release time parameter, which might be beneficial in some situations. An adaptive release switch is also included for setting the plugin to fully automatic mode.
As before, you get a full version of Dimension Pro, Cakewalk's multitimbral workstation synth plug-in that covers all the bread-and-butter sounds you'll need for most productions. But now you get the full version of Rapture, a stellar virtual analog synthesizer packed with excellent-sounding presets and tons of knobs. TruePianos delivers a decent, if not spectacular, grand piano imitation. And on the mixing side, SONAR X3 Studio and Producer both include a set of 19 Nomad Factory Blue Tubes FX plug-ins, which deliver classic analog emulations, including a new limiter that's a big improvement over Boost 11, which I never liked. Tone2 BiFilter2 is a new, comprehensive analog and digital stereo filter. Overloud TH2 and Breverb carry over from before, and they remain excellent guitar amplifier and reverb plug-ins.
Mixing vocals takes a lot of practice. Even just finding a chain of effects that you can rely on can be a very time consuming process of trial and error. Hopefully these vocal plugins can narrow your search just a bit, and help you on your way to better sounding mixes!
Of course, this all depends on what you are trying to achieve, so tread carefully here. To shed more light on our process for EQ, how about a list of the 20 best EQ plugins? These are the EQ plugins you must have in your arsenal to be making the best tracks you can.
I've just tried 1.1.0. The new circuit emulation sounds great. The output gain is very welcome and fixed my main complaint about the earlier version. However, I think that the gain should be increased to at least an 24dB boost to compensate for any drop in amplitude that the plugin causes at extreme settings, so I can volume match accurately. 2ff7e9595c
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