Due to their undeniable complexity, a seasoned engineer can easily spend hours mastering a single vocal track…
Afterall, compressing and paying special attention to levels on the most dynamic instrument only makes sense.
7 Best FREE Limiter VST / AU Plugins for Mastering If you’re looking for a limiter plugin, here is a list of some of the best FREE limiters VST / AU plugins used by many music producers and sound engineers. Luckily, there are several free vocal mastering VST plugins to assist in the process without breaking the bank. In this article, we’ll dive into a couple of compressors, exciters, equalizers, and noise gate VSTs that mimic many of the tools used by the pros to give mixes the extra polish they need.
Luckily, there are several free vocal mastering VST plugins to assist in the process without breaking the bank.
In this article, we’ll dive into a couple of compressors, exciters, equalizers, and noise gate VSTs that mimic many of the tools used by the pros to give mixes the extra polish they need.
Free Plugins For Mastering Vocals
Compressor VSTs
With vocal audio constantly wavering between high and low levels, a good compressor is nothing short of essential to the final mastering process. Check out some of these options to achieve a cohesive, condensed vocal sound.
Related: Proper Compression Settings for Vocals, Best Paid Vocal Compressors
OTT by Xfer Records
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With a simple yet sleek user interface, this plugin is approachable to engineers at all ends of the spectrum. The VST consists of 3 bands and is geared towards trap/electronic genres. OTT has the standard controls of any compressor: In/Out Gain, depth, and time without the clutter from any unnecessary bells and whistles. Each band is equipped with a modest visualizer, allowing you to see how your sound is being altered at different frequency ranges.
Although some producers may find the lack of options control-wise limiting, OTT is quick to get you to the sound you desire without wasting unnecessary time. Overall, the price is more than right, and OTT does an excellent job at evening out levels.
DC1A by Klanghelm
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If you’re looking for a simple compressor to give your vocals a bit more of an analog/classic feel, the Klanghelm DC1A is an excellent free plugin to start with. Its most notable feature is the 4 built-in presets with deep, relaxed, negative, and dual mono compression modes.
To add to its retro vibe, the VST has an embedded meter that looks like those on vintage rack mounts and is just as useful. The meter itself is easily understood and has a delineated red threshold so you can tell whether or not you’re clipping even with just a quick glance. The main focus of the plugin is the input and output, nothing else really besides the compression modes, making it a great option for beginners.
Moreover, Klanghelm produces a bulkier compressor VST entitled DC8C, so DC1A acts as a great trial run before investing in a paid plugin. For a seasoned engineer, this VST may be oversimplified, but those looking for efficiency or that classic mono sound, this is an excellent choice.
Equalizers (EQ) VSTs
When mastering a vocal, especially in pop/more current styles of music, producers commonly boost/cut out frequencies to help it stand out a bit more in the master mix. Here are a couple of free EQs that can fulfill all of your vocal mastering needs.
Related post: Best Paid EQ plugins for Vocals
ReaEQ by Reaper
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In general, this EQ plugin is great for the entire production process, but it also has a couple of key features that lend themselves particularly towards vocal mastering. For example, the VST has a dial-in frequency feature that allows the user to enter precisely what frequency he/she would like to be emphasized or lowered. You are able to add an unlimited amount of bands to give absolute clarity to the vocal and add polish to its final master. The bandwidth can be widened or narrowed with a few mouse clicks, streamlining the process.
Moreover, each band has a separate bypass toggle, meaning that you can easily switch one on/off to compare a sound before/after processing. ReaEQ comes equipped with high and low pass filters, bands, much more. The central visualizer makes it easy to locate all of your bands. Although the plugin is not the most aesthetically pleasing, it certainly works well and has a lot of features that normally come with paid plugins.
It is a great plugin to download as a beginner, but able to translate into more mature mastering practices with its potentially highly specified input/output values. ReaEQ is a superb tool and comes as a part of the Rea PLugs bundle with many other useful VSTs.
Luftikus By Lkjb
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This EQ is super useful in achieving a retro sound, as it is a digitized version of an analog-style Equalizer. Luftikus is set up like a traditional rack mount and has 5 fixed-frequency EQ bands with corresponding knobs. This feature could be seen as limiting during the mastering process as you cannot type in specific frequencies in the same way that you can with previously mentioned ReaEQ.
However, if you’re mastering a vocal bus with multiple vocal tracks, having fixed bands can help simplify the process and give you a little boost without being excessive. In addition, the VST has an added “mastering” mode which removes superfluous features to get you in and out of mastering efficiently. Luftikus has a separate section dedicated to boosting the high-end frequencies and a couple of preset options between 2.5-40K Hz which is particularly useful during the vocal mastering process.
Outside of the presets, the high-end boost has a knob that can be altered for a more specific vocal top-end boost. The plugin has a “keep gain” button designed to make changes appear more subtle than drastic while EQing, ideal for mastering. The colorful interface makes it exciting to use and Luftikus proves to consistently create masters with a bit more of a vintage feel.
Nova-67P by Vladg/sound
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The Nova-67p is a hybrid between a compressor and an equalizer making it a fine resource for mastering. The plugin is centered around the main visualizer where you can view the waveforms and respective bands. It’s nice that you’re able to see the waveforms in realtime, especially since vocals are fickle and quick to change from one level to the next. Since it also acts as a compressor, there is a small level meter as well to prevent clipping the vocal tracks.
This unique combination makes the VST a one-stop-shop for vocal mastering. Although sidechaining is traditionally done within the mixing stage, it is certainly worth mentioning that this plugin has sidechain capabilities built-in, along with high and low pass filters. It comes with attack, release, and ratio knobs and a separate toggle for mastering. If you’re looking to EQ or compress exclusively, this plugin may not be the best choice as the two components are designed to be used together in the mastering process.
For those looking to do both processes anyway, this plugin certainly accelerates mastering and will give you a more put together sound as the EQ and compressor interact with one another beautifully.
Noise Gate VSTs
A less common but underrated gating possibility is centered around the vocals. Condenser and other common microphones, often pick up unneeded frequencies that can cloud your vocal clarity during the mastering process. In order to eliminate this, try out one of these free noise gate plugins and place it on a vocal track.
Related post: Best Paid Noise Reduction Plugins
preFix by Variety of Sound
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Prefix acts as a couple of plugins built into one with EQ, sidechain, compression, and phasing built-in. Similarly to Nova-67P, the features are meant to be used with one another without external interference. The noise gate feature is notable as it has specified attack, release, hold, and pre-gate knobs allowing the user to hone in on which frequencies they’d like to be ducked.
Although this plugin is best used during the mixing process, it can be a great reference point during mastering since it includes so many of the tools needed to create a polished track. If someone was stuck on a vocal mix and wanted to be able to visualize a finished or mastered product, preFix could be placed on the corresponding vocal bus and quickly adjusted to give the user a vague idea of the polished product. Since there are so many controls and a lack of a frequency visualizer, this plugin can certainly be intimidating and time consuming for a beginner. However, a reference track on its own is extremely valuable, especially for something as nuanced as vocals, and when mastered, preFix is as effective as comparable costly VSTs.
GGate by GVST
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This plugin is as simple as it can get, but don’t let its minimal approach fool you- GGate is very powerful and is straightforward enough to be added to all kinds of vocals. The plugin consists of 3 knobs: The threshold, attack, and fade; Each pretty self-explanatory in their own right. GGate has a dry/wet meter so that the gated signal can be played alongside the unaltered signal. This opens the door to parallel processing for vocals, which can make a significant difference in the listener’s experience.
Moreover, the “fade” knob is suited to create subtle changes in the overall level of a vocal track. For those looking to give a more processed/clear sound to vocals, i.e those centered around commercial/pop genres, this plugin may prove to be insufficient. However, if you’re in a pinch or just need to eliminate a minute level of noise without being too obvious, you can’t beat the control offered by GGate.
Exciter VSTs
In the same way it is helpful to boost the preexisting high-end of vocals in order to bring the sound more upfront during mastering, exciters generate artificial/organic tones typically in the 3K range and above.
Related post: Best Paid Exciter Plugins
Thrillseeker XTC by Variety of Sound
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This exciter is based around analog-style retro sounds and combines a traditional exciter/saturator with a 3-band EQ. Each set EQ range has a separate knob and bypass button so that different frequency ranges can be enhanced independently. This is particularly useful in scenarios where one is utilizing a vocal bus and wants to master an overall sound without emphasizing unwanted tones/frequencies.
The plugin has a “Mojo” and Drive section, catered to leveling out the amplitudes of generated frequencies running parallel to the dry vocal. Moreover, the VST can be switched in between blue or black versions depending on how precise an engineer desires the finished master to be. Thrillseeker in this way lends itself to a variety of genres and applications. Although it is somewhat limited in being linked to retro or vintage type sounds, the VST is absolutely worth a try at no cost.
BuzVintageMaxi by Buzzroom
Buzzroom has created a true exciter plugin with BuzVintageMaxi. The VST is very minimal, with two main knobs: gain and ceiling for the threshold level of the audio signal. The plugin is known for adding thick, warm sounds to any track it is applied to. This can be especially useful for mastering female vocals, where sometimes the upper register can lose warmth/low-end frequencies when translated to an audio signal. It has two included processing modes, normal and deep, to cater to the depth of harmonics applied to the signal.
Although this plugin cannot be used to master an entire vocal tracks alone due to its lack of complexity, it certainly produces a warm vocal within a short amount of time. It’s definitely worth a try, even just train your ears on what a warm/fat vocal should sound like.
Modern Exciter by Antress
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Antress has a number of strong plugins free for download on their website. Modern Exciter has a user interface resembling a standard rack mount and is not overly muddled by too many controls. Harmonics can be added to low or high frequencies and adjusted with their respective knobs. This lends itself well to mastering vocals as different voices will have different areas in which they need more widening depending on the frequency of the dry audio signal. Modern Exciter includes a VU meter, which especially lends itself to mastering since it helps display the average level of the processed signal.
If you want more of a retro sound, this VST has a built-in analog preset. Moreover, the VST processes in stereo and has separate left and right channels appropriately. The plugin does not have a whole lot of controls which may seem to limit to some, but it notably separates the high and low ends to organically fill in vocal frequency gaps.
Quick Tips For Mastering Vocals
In general, the mastering process involves adding the final polish to a preexisting mix. This includes leveling, preparing for distribution, and making sure that the project as a whole is cohesive. Let’s dive into a couple of tips that illustrate what that process is like for vocals.
#1. Keep Mixing and Mastering Separate
With any aspect of a song, especially vocals, it’s important that you’re giving the mixing and mastering processes their own space. This is because the philosophy behind mixing involves deep adding/subtracting, sometimes involving an entire rework of a track.
When you master, you are looking to polish and heighten the parts of something that is already complete. By keeping the two operations independent of one another, you allow for your vocals to be better thought out in terms of context (mixing) and the overall level/vibe of the song as a whole (mastering). A good master on a bad mix still produces a poor track. Therefore, make sure you do your homework before jumping into the world of mastering plugins- The real work comes out during mixing.
#2. Know your Vocals
What type of voice is presented on your track? What kind of frequency is it lacking? Is your vocal the focus of your song or more in the background? It’s vital that you consider these questions deeply before beginning the mastering process so that you have a clear roadmap to lead you down the right mastering path with plugins that fit accordingly.
#4. Use a Reference Track
Vocals are by far the trickiest aspect of understanding audio engineering since they are so unique. It can be extremely helpful to use a reference track during the mastering process to get your vocal exactly where you desire. Moreover, so many of these free plugins include bypass features, sometimes for each separate band, which makes it easy to compare against your model track.
Mastering is the icing on top of the cake, not the cake itself, but that does not diminish its importance- especially with vocal tracks. A good master sets your music apart and is a mark of a seasoned producer. Try out one of these free vocal mastering VSTs on your next track to get you one step closer to the coveted warm, thick vocal our ears crave.
When thinking of the human voice, we tend to overlook the fact that it is an instrument in and of itself. One which cannot be replicated no matter how hard we try. This unique attribute perhaps explains why there is a fairly limited amount of choir VSTs in the market.
Indeed, the profound vocal range of male Baritones, combined with the heavenly voice of female sopranos, can truly form the very essence of an entire production.
Several companies have now designed exceptional choir plugins with access to extensive collections. From Hollywood choirs, to children’s ensembles, these libraries will surely take any sinner back to church.
Without further ado, we have put together a list of the best choir VSTs available right now!
Top 8 Choir Plugins
1. Soundiron Mercury Boys’ Choir Elements
The first thing that comes to mind when describing Soundiron’s Mercury Boys’ Choir Elements is Pink Floyd. Remember the choir of boys singing in the background? Well that is exactly what this package offers. Think clear, crisp, light, yet rich vocals of a 25-boy professional ensemble, known as the Pacific Boychoir. Recorded in a large hall, the setting accentuates the ethereal sound the boys’ pure voices.
This VST includes sustains, marcatos, and staccatos, in addition to four primary vowels: Ah, Eh, Oh, and Oo vowels. You have the option to select these vowels to be played in piano, or forte with a 2x round robin variation. Also recorded chromatically with automatic tempo-syncing is the multi-syllable sustain or staccato latin words variances.
Again, similar to the other Soundiron elements, we see a multitude of audio elements ranging from built-in sound effects to sound-shaping parameters. These elements are meant to add an additional layer of sentimentality attached to the cinematic performance.
Pros
- Built-in Wordmaster system
- Proficient round-robin capabilities
- Dynamic and true legato vowels
Cons
- Requires significant CPU usage
2. Soundiron Requiem Light Symphonic Choir
Best Free All-in-one Vocal Vst Music
Another choir VST option offered by Soundiron is the Requiem Light Symphonic Choir. All the choral sounds that you hear in this software were recorded at the San Francisco Montclair Presbyterian Church, and provide epic soundtrack composition and cinematic scoring. Indeed, the church’s architecture and structure played a huge part in helping the talented performers create a sound that is unique and powerful.
If you’re looking to produce ever-changing melodies that shift from fine and detailed, to rich and loud, then this just might be your golden ticket.
Similar to the Soundiron Olympus Choir Elements, the Requiem Light Symphonic Choir also uses the Kontakt Player engine to host a diverse library of true legato vowels, including but not limited to: single-syllable Marcato words, aggressive Latin staccatos, long poly-syllabic Latin sustains, standard staccatos, and the classic sustain. Additionally, as part of the Requiem Light you gain access to different sound design pads such as choral atmospheres, drones, and polysustains – all of which are considered amazing additions when creating ambiant songwriting pieces.
The way the user interface was built is pretty interesting. As opposed a top-down design method, Soundiron engineered it using a bottom-up method in order to facilitate real-time articulation switching and layering, parameter shaping, and section blending. Cherry on top? The Requiem Light includes a fully integrated phrase step sequencer! Not to mention, they included their modular FX rack – complete with 119 reverb spaces.
Still wondering if Requiem Light is right for you? Let’s simplify it. If your main priority is to create cinematic choral arrangements, then what are you waiting for? However, if your focus lies elsewhere, then it might not be the best match for you, so keep on reading!
Pros
- Solid interface
- Rich and dynamic sound
- Multitude of effects
Cons
- Another CPU Hog
3. EastWest Sounds Hollywood Choirs
The EastWest Sounds Hollywood Choirs is essentially a reformation of the EastWest Sounds Symphonic Choirs VST, with a specific focus on Blockbuster film scoring. Hollywood Choirs includes both male and female choirs, helping to bring about exceptional sounds that are bound to revolutionize any given piece.
Featuring an innovative software called the WordBuilder 2, Hollywood Choirs allows the musician to input phrases, words, or sentences that are then transformed into choral vocals sung by the choir. Amazing isn’t it? What’s more, is if you are not really sure of what you want the choir to sing, no problem! You actually have the option to choose from 781 pre-built and editable WordBuilder phrases in different languages from English, Spanish, Italian and many more.
Splurge on the Diamond Edition and are you are looking at 13 microphone user-controllable setups, which make a huge difference for virtual reality and/or surround sound performances, but you are also getting exceptional 3D soundscapes. This combination of elements will make your listeners transcend into another cinematic dimension.
When narrowing it down and comparing it to other VSTs, the EastWest Sounds Hollywood Choir is the perfect blend of flexibility and dynamic range.
Pros
- Wide range of male and female choral vocals
- Ingenious WordBuilder software
- A complete range of dynamics with mod control
Cons
- Lacks portamento Legato transitions
- Not beginner-friendly
4. Soundiron Olympus Choir Elements
Soundiron’s Olympus Choir Elements offers a powerful symphonic bundle of Mars Men’s and Venus Women’s choir collections. These collections were recorded at the San Francisco Montclair Presbyterian Church with groups of choirs made up of 30 men and 33 women. The result: over 45GB of Latin and Slavonic samples!
The fact that these collections are powered by Kontakt, makes it all that more appealing if you are a Native Instruments aficionado. The plugin also uses a wide and close stage microphone blend and covers all eight core vowel articulations.
By using divisi, you can easily rearrange and control the choir dynamics by separating the male and the female parts! Indeed, the combination of the pp-ff dynamic layering combined with the intelligent round robin gives you full command of all articulations including sustain, staccato, and marcato.
Additionally, the plugin’s choir sample library offers a multitude of innovative vocal effects that offer an improvement and/or alternative to the standard choral sounds. Some of these vocal effects include swells, sweeps, whispers, and shouts, among many others. What is more, the library’s performance presets can be configured by using the onboard EQ controls, and/or selecting from the 50 custom convolution reverbs.
All these powerful features make the Olympus Choir Elements VST more suitable for the music industry professional who wants a piece of software that enables them to have complete choral control.
Pros
- Extraordinary choral sounds
- Fully automatable interface
- Customizable
Cons
- CPU hog
5. Big Fish Audio Aeris: Hybrid Choir Designer
One of the main features of Big Fish Audio Aeris is that it meshes the voices of solo singers, with male and female backing choirs. All the performers were multi-sampled, using a range of different voices, including Ah, Oh, and Oo vocals, as well as hums.
Want to customise beyond simple vocal patches? There are a range of sound design tools available to help you build beautiful spaces and customise your choral sound. For a more distinct tone, there are four different LFOs that you can add modulation to. To help spread and mix your different layers, you can also use high pass, low pass, bandpass, volume, pan and pitch. There are dual sequencers that make the creation of complex patterns a breeze, as well as eight unique effects to help you shatter the sound design barrier.
Pros
- Customization features are endless
- Light on CPU!
- Envelope Controls for easy breezy mixing
Cons
- solo and choir vocals cannot be used in one instance of the plugin
6. Cinematique Instruments Interval – Les Femmes
Looking for uniqueness? You’ve come to the right place! Cinematique Instruments is one of the more exceptional choir VSTs out there. The carefully selected female voices of Insa, Mel, and Basiaa have created a detailed and delicately personal piece of software.
The plugin allows you to make use of the layering feature in order to bring about a more intimate choral experience. And while there are only 3 voices in this choir plugin, Cinematique recorded each of the female voices using different articulations – meaning the women use different intonations, inhalations, and intimate notes. However, when combined, the three voices bring into being the true essence of powerful choir vocals.
While you can undoubtedly use this VST within the cinematic, as well as choral circles, we highly recommend it for modern pop backing vocals, experimental mumbling, and/or textured vocal harmonies.
The built-in presets such as EQ, reverb, delay, attack and release, and an LFO make it easy to load up a patch and tweak it to your heart’s content. So if you are looking to compose more intimate, and flexible choral pieces, Les Femmes should definitely be on your list of choral VSTs to explore further!
Pros
- Unique feminine tones
- User-friendly
- High quality vocal recordings
Cons
- Does not work well with forte sounds
7. Strezov Sampling StormChoir Ultimate
While Strezov undoubtedly offers some of the most diverse and professional choral products available in the market, the StormChoir Ultimate is possibly one of our favorite. This 12-piece chamber choir includes six men and six women who were recorded separately in order to allow for greater flexibility during composition. And despite the fact that it is a chamber choir, the absolute intensity of the sound created is mesmerizing. Maybe this can be attributed to the fact that the choir focuses mainly on the Slavonic molto vibrato tone.
In fact, with 24 Slavic syllables to choose from, by accessing key switches or the onboard Phase Builder, you can put together such a unique choral sound that is clearly distinguishable from the standard Latin syllables found on most choir VSTs.
However, in our opinion, the stand out feature of the StormChoir Ultimate is the ferocity of the staccatos, suitable for composing eipic trailers. Lest we forget the sustain, which comes with an innovative “tighten” dial that proves to be quite useful for shortening samples, or strengthening the attack.
Although the StormChoir Ultimate user interface isn’t anything special, it is easy on the eyes and simple to operate. In other words, the way in which the tabs and buttons have been designed, helps in cutting down the time needed to find the adequate spaces for each of the layers. You can easily add additional samples to notes that are already played by using the “stack” button, which works well to thicken your tone.
We recommend this choir VST plugin to those seeking to compose more distinguished and intense masterpieces, that do not necessarily require the usage of softer sounds.
Pros
- Massive sound for a chamber choir
- Intuitive and practical GUI
- Unique Slavic sounds
Cons
- Vibrato on pianissimo samples can be distracting
8. Strezov Sampling Wotan Male Choir
Another choir VST we would like to highlight from Strezov is the Wotan Male Choir. This VST is considered to be one of the most revered sounds in the film industry – the Khazad-dum male choir, inspired by the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Made up of ten tenors and ten basses, this VST is bound to add a touch of choral intensity to any movie score.
One of the features of Wotan is that it combines sample recording of phrase building for convenience with the fully customizable functionality of word building.. This option simplifies the creation of new sample content allowing you to build choral patterns, as well as connect different syllables, which can then be used to modify your very own choral compositions.
If that wasn’t enough: the Wotan Male Choir enables you to use the Agile Legato technique to play each and every syllable in the provided library using legato articulation – also known as Syllabuilding.
And the icing on the cake you ask? You can create polyphonic arrangements using intelligent voice leading. All you have to do is press a chord down on the left, and simultaneously play a melody on the right. You’ll notice that the legato transitions will immediately start to connect.
Pros
- Intense cinematic sound
- True legato for smooth and melodic movement
- Excellent word building features
Cons
- Limited syllabic range
- Manual is a bit too technical
Do I Hear Angels From Above?
Best Free All-in-one Vocal Vst Software
Want to trick your listener into thinking that you spent thousands of dollars recording a hundred person choral ensemble? Then get one of the high quality choir VSTs on our list – that should do the trick!