Musik Hack has announced Master Plan 2, the next generation of its flagship mastering plug-in.
"Master Plan 2 pairs a completely overhauled signal chain with powerful new controls and an entirely new workflow, giving users more ways to finish a record without compromising the mix that got them there,” says company co-founder, Sam Fischmann. “We wanted to give users more control while keeping the process of finishing a master as simple as possible.”
Limiter 2.0 brings redesigned limiting architecture using advanced waveform-shape preservation techniques to achieve greater loudness while maintaining transients, low-frequency integrity, and the original character of the mix. The Presence circuit adds more bite or can soften the feel of the limiter with two different frequency-adaptive release algorithms. Body control brings quieter elements forward to increase perceived density and loudness, while fine-tuned glue compression provides greater control over how much mastering-grade compression a mix receives and the True Peak meter has been improved to indicate greater transparency and more usable loudness.
New sound-shaping tools include targeted saturation through blend of four saturation flavours, including the signature Thick circuit. Glow is a new circuit that adds cohesion and helps a mix feel more connected; Aura allows Master Plan's signature colour to be adjusted up or down; Silk is an analogue-inspired high-frequency saturation for added sheen, air and dimension; Auto-Input-Leveling automatically sets the mix to the optimal input level; and Low Latency Mode switches all circuits to low-latency versions for live tracking and performance.
Core processing includes a custom-refined EQ, an overhauled Multipressor, a new Dynamic Calm dynamic resonance-suppressing, Tape Intensity with control of both the amount and flavourr of tape saturation, advanced anti-aliasing architecture combining oversampling with Antiderivative Antialiasing (ADAA) to reduce unwanted aliasing in nonlinear processing, eliminating the need for ADAA compensation filters, latency-compensated bypass for more accurate A/B comparisons, and LUFS-matched unity.
A new workflow includes intelligent loudness analysis system that evaluates the musical content of a mix in real time, helping users identify the ideal loudness range for their master. A dynamic visual indicator shows when the signal is safely within range, approaching its optimal loudness, or being pushed into excessive limiting.
The meter overhaul offers new Gain, Spectral, EQ and Imaging views to show what Master Plan is doing to the mix in real time, including a difference meter that shows how much gain and saturation are being added. Reference track comparison allows use of a reference track to compare directly against the master without leaving the plug-in.
The plug-in can save up to three different Master Plan settings and automate between them, so the verse, chorus, bridge, or any section can have its own master treatment, while the UI and settings offers theme colours, light and dark modes and deeper workflow options.
The complete Master Plan 1 signal chain remains available at any time for users who enjoy the original.
More: www.musikhack.com