Exciter plugins are a crucial tool in the arsenal of music producers, sound engineers, and mixers. They are used to enhance the clarity, warmth, and presence of audio tracks, adding a certain sparkle and brilliance that can make a mix stand out. Exciter plugins work by adding harmonic distortion or synthesized harmonics to the original signal, which can help to bring out the detail and character in a mix.
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Brainworx SPL Vitalizer MK2-T
Brainworx SPL Vitalizer MK2-T from Plugin Alliance is a highly regarded audio plugin that emulates the popular tube-based Vitalizer hardware unit. It’s known for its ability to enhance the sonic quality of audio tracks, making them sound bigger, brighter, and fuller. The plugin applies psychoacoustic and audiometric principles to achieve a verifiable improvement in sound quality. It processes only the original signal and generates no artifacts, highlighting the richness of the audio signal in all its detail. Despite its digital format, the SPL Vitalizer MK2-T manages to capture the essence of the original hardware unit.
SPL Vitalizer MK2-T is particularly effective on acoustic guitar tracks, as well as other instruments like pianos and vocals. It’s a go-to plugin for many producers and engineers when they want to add a touch of magic to their sounds. In terms of usability, the SPL Vitalizer MK2-T has an intuitive interface that makes it easy to alter the sound in a musical and effective way like top audio plugins. It’s capable of processing single tracks, subgroups, or master buss signals, and it can increase perceived loudness without increasing peak levels.
Brainworx SPL Vitalizer MK2-T is a versatile and effective audio plugin that can enhance the sound quality of a wide range of audio tracks.
AudioThing Type B
Type B provides brightness and presence to your voice, bass, leads, and other instruments, drawing influence from the old Aphex Aural exciter hardware unit. The original unit was designed to add presence and brightness to vocal or instrument tracks, often used to enhance dull recordings where the high-frequency content was missing. Type B is a faithful emulation of this effect, allowing you to control more aspects of the exciter circuit emulation, giving you access to the internal filter, the harmonic generator, and more.
In terms of usability, Type B has an intuitive interface that combines the best of a vintage analogue look and feel with a modern design. The controls are straightforward, with the exciter on the left and master controls on the right. The exciter has controls for Drive, which is the input level to the harmonic generator, and Tune, which is the cutoff of the internal filter.
We preferred the sound of it on melodic instruments over drums and percussion instruments. On synths, a focus on the filter section can provide unique sounds. To produce even more dynamic sounds, you could try automating the Tune knob. The Direct toggle switch then aids in the addition of any missing low and mid frequencies while you’re having fun. We particularly appreciated the Noise Env toggle switch, which makes the noise appear only when there is audio input.
This plugin has the same sound as the aphex aural exciter hardware unit . So, if you like late-70s hits, this plugin will help you get the sound you want. This plugin’s user interface can be resized. If you prefer simplicity, you can hide the extra parts beneath the six fundamental characteristics. As a result, it caters to both traditional and experimental manufacturers.
The filter component can be placed before or after the saturation. Similarly, instead of utilizing a standard high-pass filter, you might try using a band-pass filter. Similarly, the Emphasis setting can easily add an interesting characteristic to your music. This plugin sounds identical to the Aphex Type B unit by default. However, with a few adjustments, you can make it sound pretty different as well. This sounds great on electric keyboards, large saw pads, and vocals. Driving the input higher creates an analog grit that could be the missing piece in your wavetable synth or guitar.
AudioThing’s Type B is a versatile and effective audio plugin that can enhance the sound quality of a wide range of audio tracks. Whether you’re working with vocals, instrument tracks, or field recordings, this plugin is a valuable tool to have in your audio production arsenal.
This is the best Exciter VST in 2024.
Audiority Harmonic Maximizer
Audiority Harmonic Maximizer is an audio plugin that serves as a multi-band exciter and loudness maximizer, designed to add life to your tracks by enhancing their sonic qualities. It’s a tool that can be used to inject just the right amount of brightness and fullness, particularly in the high frequencies, which can make a significant difference in the overall sound of individual tracks.
When working with individual tracks, the Harmonic Maximizer can be particularly effective. For instance, on an acoustic guitar track, the plugin can add the necessary sparkle that might be missing from the raw recording, bringing out the strings’ natural resonance and detail. This can be crucial for acoustic instruments, where capturing the essence and clarity of the high frequencies is often the key to a lively and realistic sound.
The plugin’s capabilities are not limited to high frequencies alone. It also offers control over the low end, allowing producers and engineers to shape the bottom frequencies to achieve a more solid and impactful sound. This can be especially useful when trying to ensure that the low end doesn’t become muddy or overpowering, which is a common challenge in mixing.
Top pros in the music industry often look for tools that can provide subtle enhancements without altering the original character of the track too much. The Harmonic Maximizer fits this bill, as it can be used to apply gentle saturation that adds warmth and depth without being overly aggressive or noticeable. The interface of the Harmonic Maximizer is user-friendly, making it accessible for both seasoned professionals and those who are new to audio production. The plugin allows for precise control over the amount of excitement and maximization applied, ensuring that users can dial in the exact sound they’re after.
Audiority Harmonic Maximizer is a versatile plugin that can be a valuable addition to any audio engineer’s toolkit. Whether you’re looking to add just the right amount of sheen to high frequencies, bring life to dull tracks, or control the low end for a cleaner mix, this plugin can help you achieve professional results with ease.
Black Salt Audio Oxygen
Black Salt Audio Oxygen is an audio plugin that has been designed to breathe new life into your tracks, providing a solution for enhancing the top-end of any track in your mix. It’s a tool that can be used across various digital audio workstations (DAWs) such as FL Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, and Pro Tools, making it a versatile choice for producers and engineers working in different environments.
Oxygen is known for its ability to add character and tone to your music, with a smooth and musical character that is often hard to achieve with EQ alone. It offers three different types of top-end enhancement—BITE, PRESENCE, and AIR—allowing users to sculpt their sound with precision. The built-in compressor comes with two modes, PUNCH and SMOOTH, to cater to different mixing needs, whether you’re looking for an aggressive sound or more transparency.
Oxygen’s user interface is designed to be intuitive, making it accessible for both seasoned professionals and those new to audio production. The controls are straightforward, allowing for quick adjustments that can significantly enhance the sound quality of your tracks. The plugin is praised for its low CPU usage, which means you can use multiple instances of it across your project without worrying about overloading your system. This is particularly beneficial when working with complex arrangements in DAWs like FL Studio or Pro Tools, where track counts can get quite high.
While Oxygen is a digital plugin, it aims to capture the essence of the vintage exciter effects that were used to add presence and brightness to vocal or instrument tracks, especially when the high-frequency content was lacking. It’s a modern take on a classic concept, providing the flexibility and musicality that today’s producers require.
Black Salt Audio Oxygen is a valuable addition to any audio production toolkit, compatible with major DAWs like FL Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, and Pro Tools. Its ability to enhance the top-end of tracks with a musical character, combined with its user-friendly interface and efficient CPU usage, makes it a go-to plugin for adding that extra sparkle to your mixes.
Softube Abbey Road Brilliance Pack
These iconic Abbey Road Studios equalizers will brighten up your life! The RS127 Rack, RS127 Box, and RS135 were meticulously designed by Softube to give the finest treble equalization possible. Today’s DAW-based mix engineers can add as much air and top frequencies as they like with the Brilliance Pack, exactly like Abbey Road Studios’ engineers did on their recordings from the 1960s forward.
The Brilliance Pack from Abbey Road Studios is a highly specialized but essential tool for mix engineers of all genres. The three provided equalizers are solely focused on the presence/treble frequencies, allowing solo tracks or entire mixes to breathe. The presence boxes were found to be good for guitars, vocals, and drums, particularly snare and kick drum direct to tape, by Abbey Road Studios engineers. The devices were used to define the sound of instruments, brighten the input to the echo chambers, and patch over compressors to create de-essers across the studios during recording and mixing. They made it into the cutting rooms as well.
In the 1960s, Abbey Road engineers created the first equalizers solely in-house, and they immediately became a studio secret weapon. They had never been available outside of Abbey Road Studios before the plug-in version was published. Component by component, Softube has precisely reconstructed the passive circuitry of the three original machines.
The grey RS127 Rack is the first treble equalizer from Abbey Road Studios. At 2.1, 3.5, and 10 kHz, it provides a boost or reduction of up to 10 dB. (or kilocycles per second as they used to be known). The portable green RS127 Box was developed when more units were required in the studio. The original RS127’s circuit was used, albeit with the addition of an audio transformer. The engineers rapidly determined that the transformer had a significant impact on the RS127’s sound quality and operating frequencies. The frequencies have been pushed somewhat higher, which is also true for the plug-in model. Finally, the RS135 was developed to bridge the frequency gap left by the RS127 units. It has an 8 kHz fixed frequency, boost only, and is as sweet and silky as its siblings. This is the best Exciter plugin in 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an exciter plugin?
An exciter plugin is a type of audio processing tool that adds synthesized harmonics or harmonic distortion to an audio signal. This can enhance the clarity, warmth, and presence of the signal, adding a certain sparkle and brilliance to the mix.
How does an exciter plugin work?
Exciter plugins work by adding harmonic distortion or synthesized harmonics to the original signal. This can help to bring out the detail and character in a mix, making it sound more vibrant and lively.
When should I use an exciter plugin?
Exciter plugins can be used whenever you want to enhance the clarity, warmth, or presence of an audio track. They are particularly useful for adding sparkle to dull-sounding mixes, enhancing the detail in individual stems, and bringing focus to busy mixes.
What is the difference between an exciter plugin and an EQ?
While both exciter plugins and EQs can be used to adjust the tonal balance of an audio track, they do so in different ways. EQs work by boosting or cutting specific frequency ranges, while exciter plugins add harmonic distortion or synthesized harmonics to the original sig
Can exciter plugins be used in mastering?
Yes, exciter plugins can be used in mastering to add clarity, warmth, and presence to the final mix. However, they should be used sparingly and judiciously to avoid over-processing the audio.