There's this myth going around that you need top-notch plugins to produce good music. And look, there's some truth to that. Finding the right type of compressor for you, or purchasing that dope effect your favorite producer uses can help you translate your vision into music that actually slaps. That being said, all roads lead to Rome, and DAWs now come loaded with tasty plugins that are more than capable of giving you that stank-face sound. With that in mind, and because Black Friday's coming, I'll still share with you some of my desert island plugins that are worth the scratch, as well as free alternatives just in case you're broke.

Decapitator | Soundtoys

Soundtoys’ whole bundle is worth the squeeze, but if you have only one plugin to buy this year, I'd recommend Decapitator. I'm too dumb to know exactly what's going on under the hood on this thing, but all I know is that I want it everywhere when I do a mix.

Decapitator is an analog-style saturator, and with the help of its super simple interface, it can bring to life whatever you run through it. I've often finished a mix, been ready to bounce, then realized I forgot to overuse Decapitator on some things or others. A couple instances later, my wig was flipped.

Long story short, a mix is always better with Soundtoys.

If you can't afford it, your DAW of choice probably has a saturation that can approximate the results. I love Ableton Live's Saturator, it's just as capable as Decapitator, it just offers different colors and flavors.

Get Decapitator here.

Neutron 3 | iZotope

Where Decapitator is all analog emulation and vintage simplicity, Neutron is something completely different. Using AI and fancy algorithms, this VST can detect what's wrong with your mix, and often it can fix it for you.

Your lo-fi synth is hurting your ears? Bam, Neutron, and it's done. Your drum buss' transients are a little too in your face? Neutron and you got it. Your bass is too muddy? Neutron is your buddy.

Alright, you get the point. Neutron is that chirurgical tool that helps you get pro results on the fly. It's not always perfect, and you might need to tweak it to get the optimum results, but more often than not, this plugin feels like a very capable friend.

I'm not sure there's a free alternative for this one, except your good ol' compressors and EQs. And not to sound too old-man-yells-at-cloud about it, but if you're just starting out, it's probably a good idea to learn the basics of mixing first before you let Ex-Machina over here take over.

Get Neutron here.

RC-20 Retro Color | XLN Audio

If you've watched a production tutorial on YouTube in the past couple of years, you've seen this one. RC-20 brings you all the wobble and crackle you need to make stuff sound like a vintage sample. But it's not a faithful recreation of a high-end tape machine, it's more like a cartoonish impression of an old cassette. (And I mean that in a good way.)

RC-20 is that beast that will bring some weirdness and character to your mixes, and there are many imitations and alternatives out there…

In other words, it's getting ripped off a whole bunch.

If you want that tape je-ne-sais-quoi on the cheap though, you can try a bit of vibrato, as well as iZotope's free plugin Vinyl. RC-20 is a multi-effect, so you can throw in a bitcrusher and some reverb on your tracks and call it a day. You won't sound exactly like everyone else, but hey, is that really a bad thing?

Get RC-20 here.

PanMan | Soundtoys

Another great plugin from Soundtoys is PanMan, a vintage-style auto pan that can bring width to your mixes. I can't tell you how much I love hearing sound bounce all over the place in a mix, it really screws with the listener's mind, which is great when you're um, well… on drugs (I'm just leveling with you here).

There are many free auto pans out there, like Ableton's aptly named Auto Pan. Don't mortgage your house to get Soundtoys’ version, but if you're getting their complete bundle, it's worth taking PanMan for a spin.

Get Pan Man here.

Pro-Q 3 | FabFilter

A good EQ isn't the flashiest of effects, but when it's as powerful as FabFilter's Pro-Q, it's worth a mention. This thing is as powerful as it gets, and I won't get into all it can do because a) we'd still be here on Cyber Monday, and b) I'm not sure I'm smart enough to use it to its full potential.

Let's just say this FabFilter EQ, like all of the company's products, is worth discovering.

Get Pro-Q 3 here.

Volume 5 | Softube

If you got all the plugins you want and you still have a few bucks burning a hole in your jeggings, get yourself Softube's Volume 5 bundle. The thing is pretty affordable, the company is way better than most (I'm looking at you, Waves) and I don't understand why Softube gets so often left out of the great plugins conversation.

You don't necessarily need vintage emulations of compressors and channel strips and whatnot to make good music, but it's good to have them and they’re fun to play with. Softube's plugins sound fantastic, and they look really cool too, which shouldn't matter, but it kinda does let's be honest.

If you can't swing it though, don't worry about it. You can grab their Saturation Knob for free, and for the rest, your DAW of choice has plenty of mix plugins to get you up and running.

Get your Softube plugins here.

Freebies

There's an I Heart NY giveaway going on via BPB. I really recommend this Baby Audio plugin if you want your sound to slap. This thing is super easy to use and sounds great out the gate, which is perfect for me because, as I was saying earlier, I'm a dummy. Catch it while it's hot and you too will be saying: “Hey, I’m walking here.”

Another free plugin I absolutely love is Wider, by Polyverse Audio. This little gem can increase the stereo image of a mono signal by up to 200%, and if that doesn't paint a picture for you, just sit in front of a mirror, load this on a sound and watch your face melt. It's good and it's free. What more do you want folks?

COVER : Tanner Boriack

All products featured in this post are independently selected by myself. However, when you buy something through my retail links, I may earn an affiliate commission.