Become your own mastering engineer with just a few clicks with yet another wonder tool from Brainworx.

by Alex Arsov, May 2020

• Brainworx bxmasterdesk gives us one brilliant hack. As all great mastering engineers say: mastering should just be slight tweaking and balancing the mix, making everything more prominent. That’s exactly what this tool does. The problem comes if you are not at least a solid mixing engineer or producer. If your mixes have an issue with.
• The creation of Brainworx owner Dirk Ulrich, bxmasterdesk perfectly reproduces a high end analog mastering system in a single plugin. Containing every component you need to create professional results bxmasterdesk allows you to master your own material with a minimal learning curve. The Analog Way of Mastering in the Box.

Brainworx bx_masterdesk gives us one brilliant hack. As all great mastering engineers say: mastering should just be slight tweaking and balancing the mix, making everything more prominent. That’s exactly what this tool does. The problem comes if you are not at least a solid mixing engineer or producer. If your mixes have an issue with leveling, being too bass-heavy, or if an instrument sticks out, basically not balanced in some way, this plugin can’t fix that. Of course, there is a tool inside bx_masterdesk for adding or reducing low end and even targeting common weak points in a frequency range. Also, it can do wonders for the high end, and the end result can really sound heavenly. But still, if your mixing skills don’t allow you to spot your weak points, don’t expect this plugin to fix it by itself. It is not a magic wand, it’s a tool. It’s great for anyone who knows at least a bit about what they are doing. If you’re not one of those people, you can still try it, and in most cases, you will get decent results, but some bigger imperfections won’t get cleaned up. Just saying.

The new bxmasterdesk is one of those plug-ins I struggle with. That isn’t because it isn’t good, actually it’s worryingly excellent. No, the reason I’ll always struggle with plug-ins like this is that it doesn’t suit me. However, as we know we are all different and that is what makes life interesting.

Other than that, bx_masterdesk does an excellent job. It is easy to use: just turn the knob left or right and you’ll hear the difference immediately, knowing exactly where you are. Actually, it is one of those rare tools where it’s really hard to go wrong, but you really need a good pair of speakers to know if you are actually improving things or making them worse. Again, just saying.

One way or another, it’s a tool that almost anyone can master in less than five minutes (master … get it?). Everything on the graphical interface is straight forward and easy to understand. So let’s go through the whole process.

What Do We Get?

First of all, you will probably start with the big volume knob on the left to set the output level that automatically adds compression if needed. If you are somewhere around seven on the VU meter showing dynamic range, then you are on the right path. The next big knob, on the right-hand side of the main graphical interface, and is called Foundation. Tweak it clockwise to add more attention to the low end, or counter-clockwise to add a bit more high end – until you find the sweet spot. The next focus of attention depends on your taste. I would go to the Output Trim knob, below the Volume knob, setting it to 0.5 dB or similar, preventing peaks from going above zero. Then we have four TMT Compressor Mode buttons for choosing between the levels of compression, the first being the heaviest and the fourth the lightest. Again try all four and you will hear which one should be your choice. All those knobs and buttons do make a difference so you will not be tweaking something that only skilled mastering engineers can hear – it should be quite obvious. Under the compressor section, you can find two buttons that I usually don’t touch: Compressor Link and Limiter Turbo. The names say it all. You can always try them out and see if it sounds better, otherwise, pass.

OK, now we should nail the details. Of course, this is an area where you can ruin everything, but the safest way to find what works and what doesn’t is to simply drive the knobs from one extreme to the other and then, when you’ve figured out where it sounds better, just turn them back slightly until you get the balance. Of course, we are talking about the equalizer section, about bass, mid, treble and presence knobs, where the feeling is everything. A little less complicated is to set the knobs inside the mono/stereo section at the bottom right, where you can play it safe by setting the Mono Maker to around 70 to 90 Hz and tweak the Stereo Enhancer knob until you start to dislike it. Things become a bit more tricky at the bottom left where you can tame some issues in problematic low or high areas by turning a knob at the predefined trouble frequencies and somehow make them less clear and prominent. On one quite problematic song, I managed to make the lows less moody, and with this 6666 high area, I tamed a quiet buzzing high end, allowing me to add more treble and presence without it sounding annoying and all over the place. With the solo knob, it is quite simple to hear what are you are doing in this area and it really helps to focus on this Resonance Filter section. With or without this section, the end result is here. And how does it sound?

The Final Result

I’m impressed with the result, as the high end sounds pleasant even if you push it quite hard. This is something that usually happens when you drive sounds through analog gear, so, it looks like Dirk from Brainworx has nailed this one. Also, the sound, in general, is really good, containing a nice presence and a balanced low end. The advertising material states that bx_masterdesk emulates some high-end hardware mastering components, bringing them under the same roof. True, not true, who really cares! The end result really sounds balanced, containing depth and focus, and I have to admit, even comparing it with some other mastering plugins it stands out. The Resonance Filter section even cleaned up some frequency issues in my songs, something that I was obviously not able to fix by myself in the mixing process, making the result sound cleaner, with good definition, and making instruments sound more in focus. All in all, it is easy to use and gives superb results with just a few tweaks. Regarding the things I wrote about at the beginning, it would be nice to have some sort of analyzer to show you if something is really wrong with your mix in the first place. But let’s face it, there are a zillion analyzers around, so I presume you are already working with one.

Bx Masterdesk Vst Torrent

I think it is worth every penny – but don’t listen to me! Download the 14-day unlimited demo and see for yourself.

Essential for: Ultra easy to use, gives excellent results.

Bx_masterdeck by Brainworx is a new all-in one analog inspired & easy-to-use mastering solution for PC & Mac (VST/AU/AAX).

Brainworx is back with a new plugin. Bx_masterdesk is a new high-end analog inspired mastering solution with modern features in a single plugin. All this is built-in a straightforward designed graphical user interface.

Overview

Containing every component you need to create professional results, bx_masterdesk allows you to master your own material with a minimal learning curve. Even if you are not a professional mastering engineer! No artificial intelligence, virtual assistants or multi-band voodoo, just great sounding analog models and an intuitive layout, so YOU can do the job.

Bx_masterdesk Plugin Alliance

With a clearly defined workflow and pre-tuned processing chain, you’ll find the entire mastering process extremely intuitive. From setting the perfect level and compression settings to dialing in the right tone for your mix, using bx_masterdesk is as easy as 1-2-3.

Features

• High end analog mastering chain in a single plugin.
• Simple workflow and clear intuitive metering.
• Extensive pre-set list for immediate results.
• New Mid/Side features for fail safe enhancement.

Brainworx bx_masterdesk plugin is available now for Windows and Mac (VST/VST3/AU/AAX) for $299 USD. You can save $100 USD OFF with coupon code bx_masterdesk-intro at checkout through August 2018.

More information here: Plugin Alliance