I’m a firm believer in the fact that there’s never been a better time in the history of all recorded music to be a musician and artist than right now, in 2024. Sure, AI might further crowd an already oversaturated market, and streamlining platforms may make it more challenging than ever to make ends meet, but if we can, just for a moment, not focus on the end product and instead on the process, we can start to see just how amazing of a time it is right now to be an artist.
Because music production is more accessible than it’s ever been, with more and more people flocking to beat-making and producing and being able to create unforgettable, Grammy-level mixdowns all completley within their laptops, gone is the need for a million-dollar Hollywood studio and a team of five engineers to produce a hit. You can achieve all of the same warmth, punchy, richness, and “expensive-sounding” sonics entirely in the box; it just takes the right types of tools.
The best tools for the job of making music in the box that sounds like it was made with an arsenal of priceless hardware are analog emulation plugins. And while countless of plugins claim to recreate the grit and texture of expensive outboard gear, most just use it as marketing buzzwords. So, I compiled a list of some of my favorite analog emulation software into this list so you know what worked for me over my decade-long career as a music producer.
So let’s dive in.
Audified
Whenever I want to emulate the more German-style mixing philosophies and sonics that were popular between the ’60s and ’80s, the Audified bundle is one of the go-to suites of tools. Audified doesn’t try to make their analog emulation plugins “look” analog just for a gritty or purposely-dated look, and I admire the modern aesthetic they use on the GUIs of all their plugins.
The period and hardware units they modeled a lot of their software off of was when electronic music was starting to become popular, especially towards the back half of the 80s. So whenever I want to add that glued warmth that is still punchy and club-ready, this is an incredible batch of plugins for the job.
My Favorite Plugins They Make Are:
- U78 Saturator – Having access to features like gain adjustments and LP/HP filters really helps me drive the signal and then shape the coloration to taste. I use this saturation on groups of synths to add that cohesive veneer of warmth that makes them all sound like my stacks of soft synths belong together.
- u73b Compressor – This warm and punch mastering compressor ties a mix together. I love the energy and “oomph” that it adds to a pre-master without crushing the dynamics so heavily that it becomes fatiguing to listen to.
Black Rooster Audio
There are a ton of different options for analog emulation plugins. This article alone proves that much, but there’s more to analog emulation than just warm or punchy buzzwords commonly spouted on forums and threads.
Analog emulation comes when you can get that warmth, smoothness, and textural density to be musical and when it adds a tangibility to the sound. While many cheaper emulation plugins and bundles are great for adding blatant grit and over-the-top distortion to a signal, I’ve always loved the Black Rooster Audio bundle for its musicality and ease of use. If you’re new to analog emulation, this is an excellent bundle for that reason.
My Favorite Plugins They Make Are:
- VLA-2A –I’m a sucker for a good 2A emulation, which is my secret sauce for making filtered leads cut through a mix whenever I’m producing progressive and melodic house. Black Rooster Audio’s version of the 2A compressor is second to none.
- VEQ-5 EQ – It’s a fantastic broad-band EQ to help carve out pockets in a mix. I love using it on vocals, as there’s something special about the upper-mid range on this EQ that helps add focus and an intimate roundness to them.
D16
I touched on the fact that there is more to analog emulation and recreating that thickness of outboard gear than simple distortion earlier in this list. However, that was not meant to entirely cast off that aggressive coloration that both old and modern music thrives on. And if you’re looking for a suite of plugins and tools that add heavy yet tasteful amounts of distortion to your channels, the D16 plugins are some of the best on the market.
And while they’re modeled on some of the most iconic pieces of hardware throughout the history of recorded music, the fact that they’re plugins means you can automate the parameters. This plugin bundle is the secret sauce for creating that dynamic journey and helping morph a sound into something entirely new, all through warm and dialed-in distortion that ebbs and flows in its amounts throughout the track.
My Favorite Plugin They Make Is:
- Decimort – This is one of the best bitcrushers you can snag. Where so many downsamplers are great for making chiptune music and nothing else, the amount of control and coloration this plugin brings makes it usable in all genres and incredibly creative ways.
Kiive Audio
Kiive Audio offers a ton of different analog emulation plugins, but where I think they shine is their dynamics controllers, like their compressors and limiters. At least, in my opinion, their plugins toe the line between retro-warmth and modern functionality. Where many analog emulation plugins are purposely complex to dial in, which gives for that less-than-perfect result many are after, Kiive offers more touchpoints and more room to get the exact amount of aggression, punchiness, and warmth from their compressors and limiters.
Sure, this does mean that the plugins have a bit more of a learning curve than some of the simpler-to-use options on this list, but once you start feeling comfortable with plugins Complexx, there is no comparison,
My Favorite Plugins They Make Are:
- Complexx – It takes all the functionality and control of more modern compressors and adds to it its analog emulation’s warmth and drive. It’s incredible on my drum bus and for gluing together vocal stacks.
- ADC1 – As with the Complexx plugin mentioned above, this old-school style limiter brings in new-age controls like width control, dry/wet, and oversampling for modern-sounding dynamics with that edge and grit of outboard gear.
Mellow Muse
What I like the most after demoing this bundle of plugins is a little hard to describe, but hear me out…
There’s a feeling that hardware imparts to music that is almost living and breathing, if not three-dimensional, and is a quality impossible to replicate with software. Well, it’s *near* impossible because the Mellow Muse bundle is about as close to that 3D vibe as I’ve ever experienced using digital plugins.
And while these plugins and this company seem to fly under the radar far too often, their bundles pack a powerful punch that even larger legacy brands may struggle to compete with (and again, this was only after doing the short trial period of these plugins)
My Favorite Plugins They Make Are:
- EQ1A Equalizer – I love adding a touch of analog EQ to boost the air and presence of my hi-hats and shakers, and this is an amazing EQ for that exact purpose. It adds a bite to the high end that is still smooth and far from sterile.
- IR1A Convolver – It’s hard to find decent convolution reverbs these days, and this is one of the better ones I’ve stumbled on. It’s incredibly customizable without being overly complex. Plus, the zero-latency aspect of it is pretty damn impressive as well.
Pulsar Audio
Except for voltage meters, most analog emulation plugins completely lack a visualizer or visual feedback of any kind. Pulsar Audio’s small-but-dope bundle of plugins features a graphical display, which is a welcome feature.
Plus, the user interfaces on both of the plugins in this small bundle are incredibly cool, as I love the light blue against the darker-colored knobs with the touch of brightness when the knobs are toggled on. I know the looks of a plugin are usually the least important part, but humor me just this once while I highlight Pulsar’s aesthetic choices!
My Favorite Plugin They Make Is:
- Pulsar Massive –Everyone needs a reliable Pultec-style EQ in their arsenal, and this is one of my favorite ones. In my opinion, Waves used to be the industry standard for Pultec EQs, but it was dethroned the second this EQ came onto my radar and into my studio.
Tone Empire
Tone Empire’s entire line will be the go-to recommendation if you’re looking for big, beefy analog emulation plugins. Where many plugins on this list are subtle in the warmth and punch they bring to a signal, I’ve always found that Tone Empire’s plugins are anything but (and that’s what sets them apart in the best possible way).
Because a killer mixdown is all about contrast, I love using heavy-handed mixing moves with plugins like Goliath and Loc-Nes against smaller and lighter touches of other analog plugins from this list. This entire line of plugins makes sounds just entirely out of the speakers, and when used correctly and in the right moments, they can be the secret sauce to making an entire song feel like a living, breathing work of art.
My Favorite Plugins They Make Are:
- Loc-Ness – This is an absolute monster on drums and guitars, adding grit and texture while crushing their dynamics in a way that’s as harsh as it is musical. Almost like a digital version of the iconic 1176 style compression, this plugin adds so much brightness and life to top loops and grooves.
- Goliath – Offering a range of different saturation models and transient shaping means adding color and bite to those initial moments of a hit to make them jump and cut through a mix.
SoundToys
SoundToys needs little introduction, as it’s been the gold standard of analog emulation for years and the usual entry point that most new producers have into this style of plugins and mixing. And while I know there are tons of other options for analog emulation, there’s no denying why this brand is at the top; their stuff is incredible and question.
My Favorite Plugins They Make Are:
- Decapitator – This is an absolute beast on drum groups and lead synths. Throw on the Drum Fattener 2 preset, instantly making an entire drum group sound warm and punchy. This plugin is the GOAT saturator, full stop.
- SuperPlate – Their new reverb plugin is excellent and adds new levels of functionality and usage to their other plate reverb, which I always found to be a bit too restrictive on how to dial it in. Check out my massive guide about using this plugin to make your music move!
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
