The Roger Nichols Plug Ins found on the Pro Tools systems in rooms 106, 112, and Control C offer signal processing resources that can help Madison Media Institute Recording students polish a mix. These plug ins are designed primarily for “meat and potatoes” functions in Mastering applications (Equalization, Dynamics, Metering), and can dramatically improve the sonic quality of projects while Mixing.

I rely heavily upon the RND (Roger Nichols Digital) Blue Multimeter while Mixing and Mastering in Pro Tools. This “meter” combines a Spectrum Analyzer, Level Meter, Headroom Meter, Phase Scope, Correlation Meter, Balance Meter, as well as Clipping Statistics and Alarms. While Pro Tools does have stereo and multi-channel level meters, it lacks a dedicated Spectrum Analyzer. The Spectrum Analyzer section of the RND Multimeter helps to quickly and accurately locate frequency energy distribution imbalances. The Alarms are especially useful for pointing out hidden clipping when adjusting limiters, allowing users to eek out every last usable bit of headroom without adding distortion. The Clipping Statistics section informs the user of the total number of clip incidents encountered throughout the program material.

I have grown quite fond of the RND Frequalizer. Frequalizer is a Finite Impulse Response filter capable of “learning” the frequency response of one audio source and applying it to your program material. This tool has dramatically reduced the amount of time doing mastering equalization – time that I used to spend A-Bing back and forth between the reference and program material – and improved the sonic quality of my work. Learn more about how to use these and other wonderful RND plug ins at: http://www.rndigital.org/tutorialsandguides.html