Suggestions for native plugin equivalents [Mastering related]

[fllr]

You can use Carla to connect plugins as you want.

Use the LSP crossover plugin to split the spectrum and then feed each band to your desired plugin. So you can make any plugin a multiband plugin.

Hi bluebell, thanks for chiming in! Yes, I've read about carla since it comes preinstalled with my distro. Before I start daisy-chaining processors I wanted to explore what equivalents are out there (if any). Thanks for the tip, though!
I am looking for a way to blend clean 2nd and/or 3rd order harmonics into the signal, preferably in different frequency areas.
Those Calf saturators/exciters look like they have that functionality, but they seem to be unsupported and not working well in current DAWs...

[sysrqer]

I've just given Anina a try and it also seems to work ok for me, at least with the clap version in bitwig. I'll have to compare it directly with gullfoss but it seems to work surprisingly well and in quite a similar way from what I've seen so far. Very pleased to have found it.

[bluebell]

You can use Carla to connect plugins as you want.

Use the LSP crossover plugin to split the spectrum and then feed each band to your desired plugin. So you can make any plugin a multiband plugin.

Hi bluebell, thanks for chiming in! Yes, I've read about carla since it comes preinstalled with my distro. Before I start daisy-chaining processors I wanted to explore what equivalents are out there (if any). Thanks for the tip, though!
I am looking for a way to blend clean 2nd and/or 3rd order harmonics into the signal, preferably in different frequency areas.
Those Calf saturators/exciters look like they have that functionality, but they seem to be unsupported and not working well in current DAWs...

Ardour has problems with plugins that use gtk2 (like CALF) for their UI because Ardour uses a modified version of gtk2 itself.

It might be possible to use the DAWs' generic UI to set the plugins parms.

I use Qtractor that I compiled myself and can run CALF plugins with their UI.

[sunrat]

CRQL Anina (https://crql.works/anina/)

I tried this one. It loads and GUI shows up but output was extremely distorted, both standalone and VST3 in Ardour.

That's odd, working here as expected as VST3 in Mixbus 10 and my Ardour 9.0 demo.

Interesting. No idea why it's not working here. I have Lens so won't be spending much time trying to make it work.

Edit (half an hour later): Well whaddyaknow, I tried the clap in Reaper inspired by @sysrqer comment above and it worked. So tried VST3 again in Ardour 9.2 and it works now too. Computers got a mind of their own sometimes!
Seems to be pretty good at what it does so I might give it more of a workout in future.

[novalix]

CRQL Anina (https://crql.works/anina/)

This looks interesting though, thanks.

I tried this one. It loads and GUI shows up but output was extremely distorted, both standalone and VST3 in Ardour.

I had the same effect in Ardour but only on a mono track. On stereo tracks/busses it worked.

That is a somewhat "better" behaviour as spectral-compressor shows, which crashes Ardour (and reportedly some other daws) completely when applied on a mono track.

[novalix]

I have to disagree with some of the things you mentioned (although I don't think you are wrong), not all of us have the ability or objectivity to hear what the problem is after working on a mix for goodness knows how many hours/days/weeks, no matter how much control we still have over it.

Yeah, i know what you mean. And you can easily put me in that "all of us" group too.

So, my comment/rant should really be read as somewhat tongue in cheek but also as a reminder to myself to develop my critical listening abilities.

And of course i use a "secret-sauce" bettermaker on the twobus, too.
U-he Satin is living there (allthough with the slightest effect preset ("Mastering Tape") dialed in. At a certain point in the mixing stage i turn it on and mix into it. What it does is subtle, though. It only applies very gentle amounts of saturation and soft clipping which thickens and glues the mix ever so slightly. After that there is solely the peak limiter doing its work (usually without any further loudening). All other processing on the mixbus like eq, compression (possibly in various stages and with some mid-side distinction) lies before that.

That said, one can make more heavy use of Satin's features. It can also compress and expand at the same time (compounder, they name it) and apply heavier doses of saturation.

[fllr]

I have to disagree with some of the things you mentioned (although I don't think you are wrong), not all of us have the ability or objectivity to hear what the problem is after working on a mix for goodness knows how many hours/days/weeks, no matter how much control we still have over it.

That said, one can make more heavy use of Satin's features. It can also compress and expand at the same time (compounder, they name it) and apply heavier doses of saturation.

I have no qualm with people suggestion caution for such tools, neither on a song nor on a single track. Especially since users of all variety are participating here.
Soothe can turn something exciting into a boring recording pretty quickly. SpecCraft on the other hand is able to target very specific problems quite transparently.

Satin is a unique plugin, I also want to shout out U-He for being very helpful in getting their products up and running on my Linux machine!

[bluebell]

I want to mention the old but good Jamin. It's a standalone software containing Multiband-Compressor, EQ, Saturation and Limiter.

[fllr]

I want to mention the old but good Jamin. It's a standalone software containing Multiband-Compressor, EQ, Saturation and Limiter.

Hi bluebell,
thanks, I first heard about JAMin in this old SOS article: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... -mastering
As you said, it is standalone but I'm on the hunt for native Linux plugins (hence the thread title)

[novalix]

Regarding the multi band distortion thingy:
I just waded a bit through the Toneboosters plugins which are linux native for some month now. They have a multi band compressor with additional "Saturation" and "Drive" (idk, what the difference should be) sliders per band.
And they have a multi band enhancer.

Played with both for a few minutes to apply some additional saturation on the high mids of a bassdrum in a WIP project.
I was not overly excited of the results, but this can be just me being terrible with "modern" guis.