Best Sonic Enhancer Plugins
The best Sonic Enhancer plugins tickle that little bit of magic out of certain frequencies that you will have a hard time dialling in with basic EQs and compressors. They are especially powerful in the high and low frequencies that often loose impact in the mixing process. I regularly use Waves RBass to enhance the low end, so the bass frequencies can be heard on cheap speakers. Also the Waves Aural Exciter listed below gets steady use in my projects to brighten up the hi hats and add some much needed sizzle that sampled hip hop hats samples often miss.
Waves Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter. $69 ($299).
Waves have taken an interesting approach with their Aural Exciter plugin. Instead of modelling a bog standard Aphex box, they’ve faithfully recreated the original and rare tube-based Aural Exciter. A few switch and knob tweaks are all it takes to quickly brighten up your tracks and mixes. Highly recommended!
Little Labs Voice of God. 170$.
Little Labs build hardware outboard modules for the popular 500 series racks found in many studios. Their Voice of God module is a favourite for its ability to enhance low-frequency material. If you’ve got UAD hardware, you can get UA’s spot on virtual recreation for your own virtual rack – definitely one one of the best Sonic Enhancer plugins around!
AudioThing Type A. 55$.
Certain hardware noise reductions systems required that the signal be encoded upon recording and decoded upon playback. Many recordists discovered that the encoding stage made for a nice audio enhancer. In Type A, AudioThing have developed a plugin designed to recapture that sound. As you’d expect from AudioThing, it’s a beauty.
La Petite Excite. Free.
Finishing off the list with a freebie. Here’s where La Petite Excite from Fin cut Bodies comes in. An audio enhancer/exciter, it’s got the goods to add that special sizzle to individual tracks and buses. As with all exciters of this ilk, be careful not to overcook your signals – use with restraint for best results. Check out the video below and see why you don’t need to spend any money to get one of the best Sonic Enhancer plugins.
