Are there any free mastering programs available?

[Magic Trix]

Are there any free mastering programs available? I currently use Acid pro and I'm trying to get my recordings to sound more loud and powerful. I'm thinking maybe a mastering program would do the trick. Any suggestions?

[goonrick]

There is a free multiband VST called T-Sledge that works pretty well. You can also use the Kjaerhus Classic Master Limiter to increase loudness without clipping the file. I'm sure there are others out there, but I've used those two before to good affect.

[Magic Trix]

Originally Posted by goonrick

There is a free multiband VST called T-Sledge that works pretty well. You can also use the Kjaerhus Classic Master Limiter to increase loudness without clipping the file. I'm sure there are others out there, but I've used those two before to good affect.

So how do I use T-Sledge with Acid Pro? I've never used a VST before...

[goonrick]

You just load the .dll file up to a folder you set up to contain your vst effects. For my setup, I just made the folder c:\Program Files\vstplugins Make a folder like that (you can name it what you want) and then direct ACID to the vst folder and it should update from that folder from that point on.

If you haven't used VST effects before now, you are about to have a new world opened to you. There are tons of great effects free and otherwise. In my humble opinion, you can't really unlock the potential of your DAW without getting a batch of your favorite VST effects and learning to use them to their upmost.

The Kjaerhus Classic Series plugins are simple and sound pretty good and aren't very taxing on your CPU. Start there. Some of these will work better in your individual tracks, some you'll want to create a separate bus and send only selected tracks (reverb, bass sidechaining). The T-Sledge and Master Limiter would go in the effects slot of the master bus.

Just play with it a while and it should come alive for you. It took me about a year before I got results I was really happy with. Now I kind of know what I want out of something before I ever plug anything in. Usually it works, sometimes not so much.

If you hit the wall, use Google and find some of the many excellent resources on the net (many of which are on this site) to guide you in learning how to plug these effects in.

Most importantly, have fun!