Acon Digital Mix & Mastering Buyers Guide

The path to exceptional audio starts with the right tools, and for over two decades, we’ve been a trusted name in the audio processing world. Our mixing and mastering plugins have been crafted to meet the needs of both experienced audio engineers and ambitious producers, helping them achieve outstanding results.

Available as part of our carefully designed packages or as standalone options in our webstore, these plugins are built to elevate your sound. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the available tools to help you decide which package best suits your creative journey.

Why choose Acon Digital?

All the plugins and tools we create reflect our total commitment to signal transparency and intuitive design. Our plugins are crafted to deliver precision and clarity, making them a go-to choice for audio professionals both in the music and post-production industries. Whether you're fine-tuning a mix or preparing a track for release, Acon Digital's tools provide the flexibility and power you need. 

Who are our plugins for? 

Whether you're a hobbyist looking to elevate your mixes or a professional mastering engineer, our plugins offer something for everyone. Our intuitive interfaces make them accessible to beginners, while advanced features satisfy the demands of seasoned pros.

What is the difference between the Mix & Mastering Suite and Acoustica Premium?

Mix & Mastering Suite is a collection of plugins specifically designed for mixing and mastering tasks.

- It includes tools like Equalize 2 (parametric equalizer), Dynamics (compressor/expander/gate), Multiband Dynamics, Limit, and Dither.

- These plugins can be used within any DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that supports VST, AU, or AAX formats.

- It's ideal for users who want very affordable high-quality mixing and mastering tools without needing a standalone audio editor.

Acoustica Premium Edition is a comprehensive audio editing software that includes the Mix & Mastering Suite plus;

- In addition to mixing and mastering tools, it offers advanced audio editing, restoration, and post-production capabilities.

- Advanced features like spectral editing, multi-channel support (up to Dolby Atmos 7.1.2), and Extract:Dialogue (AI-powered noise reduction) make it a more versatile tool for audio professionals.

- It’s a standalone application, but it also supports plugin formats for integration with DAWs.

“I’m a huge fan of Acon Digital’s Acoustica audio editor. One of the best things about it is its ARA support. It makes audio editing a breeze by seamlessly integrating with Logic & Pro Tools.”   - Alan Branch, Grammy-Winning Mixer, Engineer, Producer, Writer (U2, Jeff Beck, Nine Inch Nails)

In summary, the Mix & Mastering Suite is a focused plugin bundle for mixing and mastering, while Acoustica Premium Edition is a full-fledged audio editing and production software that includes these plugins along with additional features. 

Which plugins are in our Mix & Mastering Suite?

Dynamics This versatile plugin functions as a compressor, expander, or gate. With features like adjustable look-ahead, up to 4x oversampling, and a sidechain equalizer, Dynamics ensures minimal distortion and maximum control over your audio. Use case example: Gently compressing a lead vocal to ensure consistent levels without sacrificing dynamics. Why It Works: The sidechain EQ allows you to focus on specific frequency ranges, preventing over-compression of unintended frequencies. Another Example: is noise-gating a drum track to clean up bleed from other kit elements.
	Multiband Dynamics For more granular control, Multiband Dynamics allows you to process up to four separate frequency bands. Its linear phase mode prevents phase issues, while mixed phase filtering reduces pre-ringing for pristine audio quality. Use Case example: Fine-tuning the bass frequencies in a mix to tighten the low-end while leaving mid and high frequencies unaffected. Why It Works: The multiband approach lets you address issues in specific frequency bands, offering greater precision. Another Example: Enhancing the shimmer of cymbals while controlling harshness in the upper mids.
Equalize 2 A parametric equalizer with unmatched flexibility, Equalize 2 offers independent control over frequency, gain, bandwidth, and filter slope. Its three operational modes—minimum phase, linear phase, and mixed phase—cater to various audio processing needs. Use Case example: Crafting a mix-ready acoustic guitar track by applying subtle cuts and boosts to problematic and pleasant frequencies. Why It Works: Its mixed phase mode allows for transparent EQ adjustments without introducing artifacts. Another Example: Correcting an overly boomy vocal recording by rolling off excessive low end with precision
	Limit This transparent limiter uses intelligent look-ahead to minimize distortion, ensuring your tracks are loud and clear without compromising quality. Use Case: Increasing the overall loudness of a final mix during mastering while avoiding audible distortion. Why It Works: The intelligent look-ahead feature ensures peaks are controlled transparently.
Verberate 2 Known for its natural-sounding reverberation, Verberate 2 simulates real acoustic spaces with stunning realism. It’s perfect for adding depth and dimension to your mixes. Use case example: Adding a sense of space to a dry lead vocal track, making it feel more alive and present in the mix. Why It Works: Its realistic reverb algorithms recreate natural acoustic spaces with stunning detail
	Dither A must-have for mastering, Dither reduces quantization noise when converting to lower bit depths, preserving the integrity of your audio. Use case example: Ensuring smooth transitions when converting a 24-bit master to 16-bit for CD release. Why It Works: The dither algorithm minimizes quantization noise, preserving audio fidelity

Here’s an example of how the above plugins can work together...

So you're mixing and mastering a pop track... You start by using Equalize 2 to adjust frequencies across vocal and instrumental stems.  Next, you employ Multiband Dynamics to balance the frequency bands of the stereo mix.  Verberate 2 adds depth and polish to the mix, while Limit handles overall loudness during the mastering phase.  Finally, you apply Dither to prepare the track for distribution.

Which other Mixing and Mastering tools are in the Acoustica Premium package?

Acoustica is our solution for audio editing, post-production, podcast creation, mastering and audio restoration – with no compromises when it comes to audio quality and workflow.  Acoustica Premium Edition combines both a standalone application and a selection of audio plugins which can be loaded in your DAW.  

Here's the top 3 additional mixing and mastering tools which you get with Acoustica Premium. 

1. Restoration Suite 2

A versatile set of four audio restoration plugins, our Restoration Suite is designed to enhance your recordings. From hiss and wind noise to hum, buzz, and clicks, this suite helps you tackle unwanted noise with ease.

Audio restoration can play a pivotal role in mixing and mastering music, especially when dealing with challenging audio situations.

Here are some examples:

Cleaning Up Noisy Recordings

• Scenario: You're mixing a track that includes a vocal recording made in a home studio with noticeable background noise (e.g., fan hum or air conditioning).
• Tool: DeNoise 2 can reduce the broadband noise, leaving the vocal clean and focused, enhancing clarity in the mix.

Removing Electrical Hum

• Scenario: A bass track was recorded with a slight electrical hum due to grounding issues.
• Tool: DeHum 2 can effectively eliminate the hum, ensuring the bass sits cleanly in the mix without muddying the low frequencies.

Fixing Pops and Clicks in Instrument Recordings

• Scenario: You’re mastering a track where a guitar take has occasional clicks or pops from poor cable connections.
• Tool: DeClick 2 can smooth out these irregularities, preserving the performance's integrity.

Repairing Clipped Audio

• Scenario: During mastering, you notice clipping in the mix due to overdriven levels in a previous session.
• Tool: DeClip 2 can restore these distorted peaks, allowing the audio to sound polished and balanced.

Creating Transparent Mixdowns

• Scenario: Before final mastering, you notice subtle noise or irregularities across individual stems in a mix.
• Tools: Restoration Suite 2’s plugins can be applied subtly to ensure each element contributes to a clean, cohesive mix.

2. Remix Stem Separation 

Our Remix plugin is a groundbreaking tool for mixing and mastering, thanks to its real-time stem separation capabilities.

Here are some ways it can be incredibly useful:

Isolating Elements for Precise Mixing

• Use case example: You’re working with a stereo mix and need to adjust the vocal levels without affecting the rest of the track.
• Why It Works: Remix separates a mix into five distinct stems—Vocals, Piano, Bass, Drums, and Other—allowing you to isolate and adjust individual elements with precision.

Enhancing Mastering Workflow

• Use case example: During mastering, you notice the bass is overpowering the mix, but you don’t have access to the original multitrack session.
• Why It Works: Remix allows you to lower the bass stem directly, ensuring a balanced final master.

Fixing Pops and Clicks in Instrument Recordings

• Use case example: You’re remixing a track and want to experiment with different arrangements or effects on individual elements.
• Why It Works: The plugin provides separate outputs for each stem, enabling you to apply effects or rearrange elements as if you had access to the original multitracks.

3. Spectral Editing

Spectral editing is an invaluable tool in mixing and mastering music due to its precision and flexibility and is a key feature of Acoustica Premium.

Unlike traditional editing that deals with audio as a waveform (amplitude over time), spectral editing visualizes sound in terms of frequency content over time, allowing you to target specific frequencies without affecting the entire track.

Here are some reasons why spectral editing so useful:

Targeted Problem-Solving

• Removing Unwanted Noises: Spectral editing is perfect for isolating and removing unwanted sounds like clicks, pops, hisses, or environmental noises (e.g., a cough during a vocal take) without damaging the rest of the recording.
• Fixing Instrument Artefacts: It can help reduce string squeaks in guitar recordings, pedal noise from a piano, or breath sounds in vocal tracks with surgical accuracy.

Frequency-Specific Enhancements

• Balancing Frequencies: You can attenuate harsh frequencies, such as sibilance in vocals, or enhance specific frequencies in instruments to give them more presence in the mix.
• Dynamic Frequency Shaping: Rather than applying a broad EQ, spectral editing allows you to focus on individual frequency events, making changes only where and when needed.

Precision in Mastering

• Fixing Frequency Clashes: If different elements of a mix compete in the same frequency range (e.g., bass and kick), spectral editing allows you to surgically address these issues without affecting the rest of the track.
• Cleaning Up Stems: During mastering, you can use spectral editing to reduce noise or resonance in individual stems for a more polished final product.

Tips for Choosing the Right Plugins

Assess Your Needs: Are you focusing on mixing, mastering, or both? Identify the tools that align with your workflow.

Try Before You Buy: We offer free trials for all our plugins, allowing you to test their capabilities before committing.

Consider Compatibility: Ensure the plugins support your DAW and operating system.