Musik Hack

The cure for analysis paralysis. If you're anything like me, you already have six of the greatest buss compressors ever (sometimes from the same company - but I thought your last compressor was the 'ultimate'?), nine of the 'silkiest' EQs, a dozen 'magical' black boxes (sometimes literally called that), and at least a couple of mysterious 'I don't know what it does but I think I want it' finishers. And yet, you're not really finishing, are you? Now swallow (that's an unintentional double double entendre) your pride, and just use Master Plan.

What is it? A combination of clipping, limiting, EQ, saturation and compression with expertly selected curves and dips to help us focus on finishing those masters. That combination is best in class, and up there with a specialized plugin that only does one thing. The difference? Speed, efficiency, and CPU cycles. Take my typical mastering chain with a 'smoother', an EQ (sometimes two), a glue-y compressor, an enhancer, AND an analyzer. A complex multichannel track of the kind I like to produce would, after piling on the six mastering processors, put the CPU at an eye melting 80% sometimes - and this is a brand new pooter. Master Plan not only brings that troublesome CPU read down, it also makes it far easier to make a quick tweak (let's say your mix ended up being a bit too warm - turn down the bass) than if you were faffing around with half a dozen plugins and their dozens of settings.

It's just faster.

Could you come up with dips and cuts targeting problematic frequencies on an EQ, set up a compressor to glue things together, introduce a tape/saturator for that extra warmth, and add a clipper/limiter to turn things up past 11? Sure. But, if you're more music producer than engineer (and I know more about the latter than most, and I still don't love it), aren't you always just a wee bit worried that you're doing too much? I know I am. And while I haven't always trusted an engineer's choice of frequencies (presets if you will), when you think about it any time you send off your final mix to a mastering wizard, isn't that what he/she is doing? Using a bunch of dips and curves he/she has over the years decided would work best to warm/de-harsh your mix?

When you think about it that way, Master Plan is kinda brilliant. You have everything you need to get things cooking, without spoiling the broth. Yes, a 75 band 'mastering grade' EQ will give you more control but sometimes (oftentimes actually), limitations breed creativity. In my case I just had way too many options and my long gestating album was still, well, gestating. This baby needs to come out, and that's where Master Plan came in. It gave me the confidence to commit, and helped mitigate my paranoia (did I boost too much at that 'Air' frequency, or not enough - you know who you are). Now my eyes no longer water when I look at, or even think about, my mastering chain. For the price, that alone is worth the investment.

Some advice for newcomers: forget about mastering altogether (at least when you start), and focus on your mix. All my magical mastering tools that I've collected over the years need not be retired, but put to use on mixing busses. A well mixed punchy production often doesn't need too much at the end. Think of mastering as the garnish; it's only as good as your cooking/mixing. The 'garam masala' if you will. A bad steak drowned in A1 sauce is still a rough bite to eat.

Master Plan makes a solid mix pop. And it makes it pop without overdoing it, procrastinating or fear. This will be my third album and when I think of where my focus was in those first two, it was mixing first and mastering second. The approach at the latter stage, however, was minimalist: an EQ and a limiter/compressor. When I thought about how I was able to finish two commercially released and fairly well received records without things like 'resonance suppression' and 'spectral compression', it made me wonder if I was going a bit mad with all this choice. Master Plan was as much a return to the classics, as much as it is a revolutionary step forward. It takes me back to all those times when technology got out of the way of creativity. I couldn't be more grateful for an all in one box that makes sense, and doesn't compromise on the things that matter most: sound, clarity and loudness.

There are a few other do it all boxes out there, but nothing has impressed me as much as this. It's the Finalizer of the the future.

Best in the game right now!
Currently going Gold Clip into Master Plan, its just the best option I can find right now for my material.
Its just next level.