FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Crystal Clear
Ultra Transparent Master
Very gentle, slow control that evens out a finished mix without changing its tone.
- Best on
- Mastering acoustic, jazz, classical or any mix you want left untouched.
- Starting point
- Lower the threshold until you see about 1 dB of gain reduction on the loudest parts.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Glue Pass
First Stage Master Glue
Classic bus-style glue that makes the whole mix feel like one performance.
- Best on
- Mastering pop, rock and hip hop.
- Starting point
- Aim for 1 to 2 dB of reduction. Past 3 dB it starts to flatten the groove.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Silk Press
Smooth Mastering Glue
Soft, rounded compression that smooths level jumps without dulling the top end.
- Best on
- Vocal-led songs, singer-songwriter, R&B.
- Starting point
- 1 to 2 dB of reduction. Put it early in the mastering chain.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Tube Hug
Warm Vari-Mu Master
Slow tube-style squeeze that adds gentle warmth and harmonics.
- Best on
- Soul, R&B, indie and anything that needs warmth.
- Starting point
- Set it for 1 to 2 dB of reduction, then raise the Tube drive for more colour.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Analog Dream
Vintage Warmth Master
Vintage optical feel with tube colour for a rounder, older sound.
- Best on
- Lo-fi, indie, retro pop and soul.
- Starting point
- Start with the drive as set. Back it off if the top end turns fuzzy.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Air Cushion
Light Airy Master
Light control with a touch of top-end sheen from the Bright character.
- Best on
- Pop, acoustic and dance music that needs to sparkle.
- Starting point
- Watch the hi-hats and S sounds. If they get spiky, lower the Bright drive.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Punch Card
Impactful Dynamic Master
A slow attack lets drum hits punch through while the body of the mix gets denser.
- Best on
- Hip hop, rock, EDM and drum-heavy mixes.
- Starting point
- 2 dB of reduction is plenty. A faster attack loses the punch.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Thunder Grip
Bold Powerful Master
Firm, forward compression with a little diode grit.
- Best on
- Rock, hip hop, EDM and trap.
- Starting point
- Listen for pumping on the kick and bass. If you hear it, raise the threshold.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Transient Preserve
Master Attack Keep
Controls the sustain and body while leaving drum attacks untouched.
- Best on
- Mixes that sound flat or squashed, live drums.
- Starting point
- Push for 2 to 3 dB of reduction. The slow attack keeps the hits intact.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Density Builder
Add Master Weight
Upward compression that lifts quiet detail for a fuller, denser master.
- Best on
- Thin or sparse mixes, ambient and acoustic.
- Starting point
- The lift is capped at 6 dB so it can't run away. Listen for noise and reverb tails coming up.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Pre Limiter Catch
Before Limiter Stage
Catches only the loudest peaks so your limiter has less work to do.
- Best on
- The last compressor before the limiter on any loud master.
- Starting point
- It should only flicker on the biggest hits. Reduction is capped at 3 dB.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mastering
Parallel Master Push
Mastering Parallel
Heavy compression blended in at 30% for weight without losing dynamics.
- Best on
- Masters that need more energy, EDM and hip hop.
- Starting point
- Set the Mix knob by ear. 20 to 40% is the usual sweet spot.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
SSL Snap
Console Style Bus Punch
Console-style bus compression with punch and snap.
- Best on
- Mix bus and drum bus in rock and pop.
- Starting point
- 2 to 4 dB of reduction on the loudest parts.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Pop Bus
Modern Pop Mix Glue
Polished, controlled glue for the whole mix.
- Best on
- Mix bus for pop, hip hop and R&B.
- Starting point
- Put it on early and mix into it. 2 dB of reduction is a good target.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Gossamer Hold
Barely There Glue
Very gentle glue for any bus or the whole mix.
- Best on
- Mix bus, instrument groups, acoustic mixes.
- Starting point
- 1 dB is enough. You should feel it more than hear it.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Vari-Mu Hug
Warm Tube Bus Glue
Thick, slow tube glue with warmth.
- Best on
- Mix bus, keys groups, backing vocals.
- Starting point
- Let it work slowly. Raise the Tube drive for more colour.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Aggressive, punchy bus compression.
- Best on
- Rock mix bus, guitar bus, live drums.
- Starting point
- 3 to 4 dB of reduction gives that driven, forward rock sound.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Parallel Bus Push
Bus Parallel Blend
A heavy squeeze blended at 35% for energy without flattening.
- Best on
- Mix bus, drum bus or any group that needs excitement.
- Starting point
- Set the Mix knob anywhere from 20 to 50%.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Stem Glue
Subgroup Cohesion
Gentle glue that helps instrument groups sit together.
- Best on
- Guitar, keys, synth or backing vocal groups.
- Starting point
- 1 to 2 dB of reduction.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Rhythm Lock
Tight Rhythm Guitar
Evens out strummed and chugged rhythm guitars.
- Best on
- Electric rhythm guitar and power chords.
- Starting point
- Aim for 3 to 5 dB of reduction on the loudest strums.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Clean Strum
Gentle Acoustic Ride
Smooth optical levelling that keeps strums even.
- Best on
- Acoustic guitar, ukulele, mandolin.
- Starting point
- 2 to 3 dB of reduction keeps it even without killing the life.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Piano Hold
Gentle Keys Leveler
Natural levelling for keyboard parts.
- Best on
- Piano, Rhodes, organ and pads.
- Starting point
- 2 to 3 dB of reduction. Lower the threshold for more sustain.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Pump Machine
Tempo Sync Pump
Pumps in time with your song on every beat. No sidechain routing needed.
- Best on
- Pads, chords and basses in dance music.
- Starting point
- Your DAW needs to be playing so it can follow the tempo. Lower the threshold for deeper pumping.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Mixing
Distort Squeeze
Saturated Crush FX
A hard squash with diode grit.
- Best on
- Drum loops, synth basses, vocal effects on a send.
- Starting point
- Use it on a send or blend it in with the Mix knob. It is meant to be extreme.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Only touches the loudest syllables.
- Best on
- The first compressor on any lead vocal.
- Starting point
- It should only grab the shouty words. Follow it with a smoother compressor.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Opto Glide
Smooth Optical Vocal
Smooth, musical levelling.
- Best on
- Lead vocals, ballads, R&B and soul.
- Starting point
- 3 to 6 dB of reduction on the loud phrases.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Vocal Clamp
Tight Pop Vocal
An upfront, controlled vocal that sits on top of the mix.
- Best on
- Pop and dance lead vocals.
- Starting point
- 5 to 8 dB of reduction is normal for modern pop.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Silk Thread
Transparent Vocal Ride
Light, invisible control.
- Best on
- Delicate vocals, spoken word, podcasts.
- Starting point
- 2 to 3 dB of reduction. Pair it with Peak Shaver for more control.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Rap Clamp
Hip Hop Vocal Squeeze
A dense, in-your-face rap vocal.
- Best on
- Rap and hip hop lead vocals and ad libs.
- Starting point
- 6 dB or more of reduction keeps the level steady across the verse.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Warm Embrace
Vintage Vocal Warmth
Vintage-style compression with tube warmth.
- Best on
- Soul, indie and retro vocals.
- Starting point
- Raise the Tube drive for more grit.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Iron Throat
Aggressive Vocal Squeeze
A hard, gritty squeeze.
- Best on
- Rock, metal and screamed vocals.
- Starting point
- Hit it hard. The diode grit is part of the sound.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Breath Control
Natural Vocal Dynamics
Keeps the natural feel while smoothing level jumps.
- Best on
- Acoustic, folk and jazz vocals.
- Starting point
- 2 to 4 dB of reduction.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Parallel Lung
Vocal Parallel Crush
A crushed, bright vocal blended in at 30%.
- Best on
- Lead vocals that need presence and air.
- Starting point
- Raise the Mix knob for a more aggressive vocal.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Vocals
Sustain Bloom
Vocal Upward Lift
Upward compression that brings up quiet words and tails.
- Best on
- Breathy vocals, quiet verses, spoken word.
- Starting point
- The lift is capped at 8 dB. Watch for breaths and room noise coming up.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Bass
Low Grip
Tight Bass Control
Locks the bass level steady under the kick.
- Best on
- Electric bass and synth bass.
- Starting point
- 3 to 5 dB of reduction.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Bass
Warm Bottom
Vintage Bass Opto
Round, warm optical bass.
- Best on
- Fingerstyle and upright bass, soul and funk.
- Starting point
- Raise the Tube drive to add harmonics that help the bass show up on small speakers.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Bass
Synth Bass Lock
Synth Bass Leveler
Flattens synth and 808 bass to a constant level.
- Best on
- 808s, synth bass, trap.
- Starting point
- Heavy reduction is fine here. Check that long 808 tails don't distort.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Bass
Funk Snap
Funky Bass Attack
A slow attack lets the pluck snap through.
- Best on
- Slap, funk and picked bass.
- Starting point
- 3 to 5 dB of reduction.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Bass
Growl Squeeze
Distorted Bass Tamer
Controls distorted bass and adds grit.
- Best on
- Distorted, overdriven or reese bass.
- Starting point
- Raise the Diode drive for more growl.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Bass
Bass Parallel Push
Heavy Parallel Bass
Crushed bass blended at 35% for weight and sustain.
- Best on
- Bass that disappears on small speakers.
- Starting point
- Set the Mix knob between 25 and 50%.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Drum Bus Glue
Kit Cohesion
Classic drum bus glue that keeps the punch.
- Best on
- Drum bus, full kits and drum loops.
- Starting point
- 2 to 4 dB of reduction.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Snap Attack
Punchy Kick And Snare
A slow attack makes the hits jump out.
- Best on
- Kick, snare, drum bus.
- Starting point
- More reduction gives more snap, up to about 6 dB.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Snare Pop
Snare Punch Enhancer
A fat, cracking snare with extra body.
- Best on
- Snare top and claps.
- Starting point
- 4 to 6 dB of reduction.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Kick Clamp
Low End Control
Keeps the kick level consistent without losing the click.
- Best on
- Kick drum and 808 kicks.
- Starting point
- 3 to 4 dB of reduction.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Overhead Glue
Cymbal Tamer
Smooths harsh cymbal peaks.
- Best on
- Overheads, hi-hats and cymbals.
- Starting point
- 2 to 3 dB of reduction on the crashes.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Room Squeeze
Drum Room Crush
Crushed, exploding room mics.
- Best on
- Room mics and drum ambience tracks.
- Starting point
- Blend the room track in underneath the close mics.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Parallel Smash
Drum Parallel Destroy
New York style parallel smash blended at 40%.
- Best on
- Drum bus and full kits.
- Starting point
- Set the Mix knob between 20 and 50% for more or less smash.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Loop Crusher
Sample Loop Smash
Dense, gritty loops and breaks.
- Best on
- Drum loops, breakbeats, lo-fi hip hop.
- Starting point
- Use the Mix knob to bring back some of the original loop.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Vintage Kit
Old School Drum Crush
A warm, squashed vintage drum sound.
- Best on
- Retro, soul, funk and indie drums.
- Starting point
- Lower the Tube drive for a cleaner result.
FabFilter Pro-C 3Drums
Pump Action
Drum Pump Effect
A breathing, pumping drum bus that follows the kick.
- Best on
- Drum bus in house, French touch and indie.
- Starting point
- The lower the threshold, the bigger the pump.
Valhalla DelayVocals
Lead Singer
Main Vocal Delay
A quarter-note tape echo that sits behind the lead vocal.
- Best on
- Lead vocals in any genre.
- Starting point
- Ducking keeps the echoes quiet while the singer is singing. Raise the Mix for more.
Valhalla DelayVocals
Whisper Trail
Subtle Vocal Delay
A faint, clean dotted-eighth trail.
- Best on
- Ballads, intimate vocals, spoken word.
- Starting point
- You should only notice it when you mute it.
Valhalla DelayVocals
Silky Smooth
Warm Vocal Slap
A short, warm slapback.
- Best on
- Lead vocals, rap verses, country.
- Starting point
- Pairs well with a longer delay on a send.
Valhalla DelayVocals
Backup Plan
Background Vocal Space
Ping-pong eighth notes softened with diffusion.
- Best on
- Backing vocals, harmonies, choirs.
- Starting point
- Raise the Diffusion for a softer, more reverb-like sound.
Valhalla DelayVocals
Echo Chamber
Vocal Throw Send
A dotted-quarter ping-pong throw, 100% wet.
- Best on
- Throws on the last word of a vocal line.
- Starting point
- Put it on a send and automate the send level on the words you want to throw.
Valhalla DelayVocals
Ad Lib King
Ad Lib Throw Send
A dark, tape-style throw, 100% wet.
- Best on
- Ad libs, hooks and hip hop vocal effects.
- Starting point
- Use it on a send and automate it for single words.
Valhalla DelayRhythmic
The classic dotted-eighth echo.
- Best on
- Guitar leads, synth arps, vocals.
- Starting point
- Sounds best on parts with gaps between the notes.
Valhalla DelayRhythmic
A clean quarter-note echo.
- Best on
- Any instrument or vocal.
- Starting point
- Lower the feedback for busy songs.
Valhalla DelayRhythmic
A long half-note echo with soft diffusion.
- Best on
- Slow songs, ballads, ambient.
- Starting point
- Adds space without clutter at slower tempos.
Valhalla DelayRhythmic
Trippy Drippy
Triplet Groove
A ping-pong triplet echo.
- Best on
- Hip hop, trap hats, plucks, vocal chops.
- Starting point
- Adds swing to parts played straight.
Valhalla DelayRhythmic
Eighth notes bouncing left to right.
- Best on
- Synths, plucks, guitars, percussion.
- Starting point
- Ping-pong disappears in mono, so check your mix on a phone speaker.
Valhalla DelayRhythmic
Triplets on the left, dotted eighths on the right.
- Best on
- Arps, pads, ambient guitar.
- Starting point
- Works best on simple, sparse parts.
Valhalla DelayRhythmic
Guitar Hero
Dotted Analog Guitar
A dark analog dotted-eighth with gentle movement.
- Best on
- Lead and clean electric guitar.
- Starting point
- Raise the feedback for big ambient leads.
Valhalla DelayRhythmic
A short eighth-note echo filtered for snare.
- Best on
- Snare, claps, percussion.
- Starting point
- Put it on a send fed only by the snare.
Valhalla DelaySlapback and Doubling
A single, clean slapback.
- Best on
- Vocals, guitars, drums.
- Starting point
- Shorter times sound tighter.
Valhalla DelaySlapback and Doubling
Sun Studio
Rockabilly Slap
A gritty fifties tape slap.
- Best on
- Rockabilly vocals, country, blues guitar.
- Starting point
- Raise the Drive for more tape grit.
Valhalla DelaySlapback and Doubling
A tight mono slap that keeps the image focused.
- Best on
- Rap vocals, snare, mono sources.
- Starting point
- Use it when stereo echoes make the vocal feel wide and loose.
Valhalla DelaySlapback and Doubling
A driven, distorted slapback.
- Best on
- Rock vocals, garage, punk.
- Starting point
- Lower the Drive if it gets too dirty.
Valhalla DelaySlapback and Doubling
Double Vision
Stereo Doubler
Two very short delays for a wide, double-tracked sound.
- Best on
- Single vocals and guitars that need width.
- Starting point
- Check in mono. If it sounds phasey, lower the Mix.
Valhalla DelaySlapback and Doubling
Thunder Clap
Big Room Slap
A diffused stereo slap that sounds like a room.
- Best on
- Drums, claps, vocals that need space.
- Starting point
- Try it instead of a short room reverb.
Valhalla DelayTape and Analog
Reel to Reel
Studio Tape Echo
Clean studio tape echo with light wow and flutter.
- Best on
- Vocals, guitars, keys.
- Starting point
- Raise the Age for a more worn sound.
Valhalla DelayTape and Analog
Dusty Grooves
Vintage Tape
Worn, wobbly ping-pong tape echo.
- Best on
- Lo-fi hip hop, soul, indie.
- Starting point
- Raise Wow and Flutter for a more seasick sound.
Valhalla DelayTape and Analog
A crunchy cassette-style echo.
- Best on
- Lo-fi beats, keys, vocal chops.
- Starting point
- Raise the Age for more degradation.
Valhalla DelayTape and Analog
Warm Hug
Smooth BBD Analog
A dark analog echo with gentle chorus.
- Best on
- Guitars, synths, vocals.
- Starting point
- Use it where tape echo sounds too bright.
Valhalla DelayTape and Analog
Tape echo with heavy wow and flutter.
- Best on
- Synth leads, guitars, effects.
- Starting point
- Turn Wow and Flutter down for a subtler wobble.
Valhalla DelayCreative FX
A long, washy ping-pong with high feedback.
- Best on
- Ambient, pads, transitions, build-ups.
- Starting point
- Feedback is high. Watch your levels and lower it if the echoes build too much.
Valhalla DelayCreative FX
Shimmer Town
Octave Up Delay
Each repeat climbs an octave higher.
- Best on
- Pads, ambient guitar, vocal effects.
- Starting point
- Lower the feedback to stop the octaves stacking up.
Valhalla DelayCreative FX
Each repeat shifts in pitch, spiralling up.
- Best on
- Sound design, transitions, synths.
- Starting point
- Small shifts sound like phasing. Bigger shifts sound alien.
Valhalla DelayCreative FX
Echoes that play backwards.
- Best on
- Vocal effects, guitars, transitions.
- Starting point
- Works best on sustained notes.
Valhalla DelayCreative FX
Broken Radio
Lo-Fi Destruction
A mono, narrow, crunchy echo.
- Best on
- Vocal effects, intros, breakdowns.
- Starting point
- Automate it in for a short section rather than the whole song.