My thoughts on the Masterdesk: I have studied advanced mastering in school (Berklars ago and have been doing it professionally for the past four years. With that
One of the best new features of the Brainworx plugin Masterdesk True Peak is it now offers Mid/Side processing along with True Peak Limiting. Being able to master with Mid/Side is a must for most Mastering Engineers. Now you have about 85 percent of everything that you need in one place. Even if your mastering skills are marginal at best, you can still put together a decent master using MasterDesk True Peak. However, with the proper mastering skills you could do more with a surgical style EQ placed prior to it in your DAW, one like the Fabfilter Pro Q3 which we use A LOT at MusicMixPros.
Plugin Alliance also has some beautiful equalizers to pick from. Two of my favorite mastering Equalizers at Plugin Alliance is the SPL Passeq and the Knif Audio Soma. I love their EQ curves a lot!
The Masterdesk True Peak uses fantastic algorithms which can deliver high quality clean masters. This beast can really sweeten a mix, creating a stunning analog feel and vibe. The Mid/Side section is worth its weight in gold alone. In my opinion, the algorithm sounds a bit different from the ones used on the other Brainworx plugins and it is much more suited for mastering. This was confirmed to me by Dirk Ulrich himself, the mastermind of the Masterdesk True Peak. He indeed created a new algorithm specifically for it. Sometimes simplifying things is a good thing, it gets you listening to what you are doing as opposed to analyzing it.
My clients at MusicMixPros mostly listen and rarely, (if ever), analyze what I did. Some people get bogged down with too many approaches during a typical mastering session. Without having the proper mastering skills needed, these extra approaches can often work against each other doing more harm than good.
Yes, it’s mostly all there for a quick basic master, however adding a surgical equalizer prior to the Masterdesk True Peak and a ADPTR Metric AB plugin after it for easy referencing will get you a lot closer. I recommend that you play with it. Get to know it and start listening to your mixes instead of analyzing them. Check Plugin Alliance, and perhaps find some fantastic deals we love their gear!
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