here's a free way with Reaper

Hope this helps.



Info under video:

In this video we explore how to create a mastering FX chain with free mastering VST plugins.

The plugins, to my ears, sound great and add a lot of depth to the overall mix. Download them for yourself and see. They are all 100% free to use!

Here are the links for the VSTs used in this video -

ReaEQ (comes standard with Reaper. You can use a parametric EQ of your choice.) - http://www.reaper.fm/reaplugs/

Thrillseeker VBL - https://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/...

CS12-M - http://www.terrywest.nl/equalizers.html

Rescue - http://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/d...

LoudMax - http://loudmax.blogspot.com/

Addendum #1 - Since making this video I have added 4 new devices to my mastering chain. They are -

Thrillseeker XTC - http://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/d...

This is an exciter effect which, when used sparingly, adds some nice finishing touches to your track. Excite a bit of the low/mid/high and it will sound good, just don't overdo it.

The second device I added is a compressor (ReaComp - it comes with Reaper) that allows for parallel compression. You can use any compressor of your choice as long as it allows you to independently set the Wet/Dry signal amounts. It's important that the Wet/Dry amounts are independent of each other. The key here is to heavily compress the master track at a high ratio and threshold so it pumps and breathes, and then mix that in with the dry signal of the master track. When you find the right level balance the track will become thicker and fuller with the heavily compressed track mixed in. This is called parallel compression and you can look it up yourself for further details. You don't necessarily need a compressor that has independent Wet/Dry signal balancing, but it makes it easier.

ReaComp - http://www.reaper.fm/reaplugs/

The third device is a multiband compressor. I use the standard one that comes with Reaper (ReaXComp) and it works great. The key is to use 3 to 5 bands and compress each band. You will have to research a bit of multiband compression as it is an advanced subject and takes a bit of learning to get the best results. I recommend reading "The Dance Music Manual" by Rick Snoman which even includes some beginning preset settings for multiband compression that come in very handy for beginners.

ReaXComp - http://www.reaper.fm/reaplugs/

You can buy the book here - http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Man...

The fourth device is a reverb unit. I have included links to 2 reverbs that will work well for this job.

Reverb #1 - EpicVerb (http://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/d...)

Reverb #2 - Nebula3 Free (http://www.acustica-audio.com/index.p...) - You have to order this one and go through the shopping cart procedure but it's still 100% free and well worth the effort smile

Use either of these 'verbs and put just a small touch of reverb on your master to make everything gel together. A little goes a long way so don't overdo it.

The final chain I have decided to go with in this exact order is:

ReaEQ
CS-12M
ReaXComp
ThrillseekerXTC
RescueMK2
ThrillseekerVBL
ReaComp
EpicVerb
LoudMax

Make sure to experiment with all these plugins and hear how they sound. Good luck and have fun mastering your tracks!

My SoundCloud where you can hear these plugins in action -

http://www.soundcloud.com/georgemarauder