These 3 essential FabFilter mixing plugins will supercharge your workflow - and they’re $90 off for Black Friday

By Matt McCracken
published

Get FabFilter’s must-have mixing tools for less in the Plugin Boutique Black Friday sale

Three FabFilter plugins on a gradient background
(Image credit: Future/FabFilter)

If you’re anything like me you’ll have masses of plugins in your DAW, and most of them you don’t actually end up ever using. It’s all too easy to get lost in trying endless compressor plugins, fatiguing your ears, and getting nowhere only to have to undo all your changes and be back at square one. Enter FabFilter’s essential plugins bundle which features three simple, yet powerful tools to help you craft a great mix. They’ve got a fantastic $90 reduction at Plugin Boutique at the moment, meaning you can focus your mixing workflow for less.

FabFilter Essentials: Was $359, now $269

FabFilter Essentials: Was $359, now $269
Containing the powerful Pro-Q 3 with its endless array of tone-shaping options, the ever-versatile Pro-C 2 which offers 8 different styles of compression in one plugin, and the all-new Pro-R 2 with its user-friendly interface, these three high-powered plugins will give you all the tools you need to get a great mix. Reduced by $90 at Plugin Boutique in their Black Friday sale, they’re must-have tools in any engineer’s arsenal.

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An EQ plugin is undoubtedly the most powerful tool at your disposal for shaping your sound when mixing. Pro-Q 3 gives you a whopping 24 bands to play with on one of the best-looking and most user-friendly interfaces we’ve ever used. It’s our go-to EQ thanks to its ability to visually overlay the sound of different tracks over one another to find conflicts and its powerful mid/side processing capabilities.

We’ve got way too many compressor plugins and to be totally honest we don’t use most of them. The idea of having 8 compression types in one plugin is thus supremely appealing, and that’s exactly what you get with FabFilter’s Pro C-2. Whilst it doesn’t do ‘character’ compression that some plugins modeled on vintage units get you, it can fill any other role whether that’s a touch of glue or a full-on EDM pump. Like all FabFilter plugins, the visual aspect is especially appealing, allowing you to see in real time how your settings are affecting your sound source.

The newest addition to the FabFilter family comes in the form Pro-R 2, the reverb plugin that builds hugely on an original that was already fantastic. New algorithms, the ability to saturate your sounds, all-new impulse response loading, and a gorgeous UI make it a compelling plugin to use. It can simulate physical spaces, plate-style reverbs, and old-school digital reverb units so it will cover a lot of ground. It supports up to 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos and even allows you to EQ your reverb to the key of the song you’re working on, making it an incredibly powerful plugin. 

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Matt McCracken
Matt McCracken
Junior Deals Writer

I’m a Junior Deals Writer here at MusicRadar. I regularly test and review music gear with a focus on audio interfaces, studio monitors, studio headphones, and pretty much anything else home-recording-related. I'm responsible for over 60 buying guides and a large part of my job is helping producers and engineers find the best deals on gear. I worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars, and have written for various music sites including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog. 

I’m a regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and producing bands covering everything from jazz to djent. I've gigged all over the country in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at. When I’m not holed up in my home studio or curating playlists on Spotify, you’ll find me making a racket with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.