9 Best Reaper VST Plugins For Mixing!

9 Best Reaper VST Plugins For Mixing!

Reaper is a highly flexible and powerful DAW that comes with a solid set of stock plugins. While it’s well known for being lightweight and customizable, Reaper’s built-in effects are more than capable of handling professional-level mixing. Additionally, Reaper supports third-party plugins, so if you're looking to expand your arsenal, there are plenty of great options. Below are some of the best stock Reaper plugins for mixing, along with a few third-party suggestions to elevate your mix.


Best Stock Reaper Plugins for Mixing

  1. ReaEQ (Equalizer)

    • Purpose: EQ
    • Overview: ReaEQ is a powerful and flexible 8-band parametric equalizer. It offers precise control over the frequency spectrum and supports both high- and low-pass filters as well as bell-shaped EQ curves.
    • Why It’s Great:
      • Highly customizable with linear phase mode.
      • Easy-to-use interface for surgical cuts or broad tonal shaping.
      • Ability to adjust Q-factor and frequency points smoothly.
  2. ReaComp (Compressor)

    • Purpose: Compression
    • Overview: ReaComp is a very transparent compressor, allowing you to apply dynamic range control without altering the character of the sound too much.
    • Why It’s Great:
      • Fast and efficient for transparent compression.
      • Includes sidechain support for ducking effects.
      • Adjustable attack, release, ratio, and knee for fine control.
      • Offers excellent value for a stock plugin with few artifacts.
  3. ReaDelay (Delay)

    • Purpose: Delay/Effects
    • Overview: ReaDelay offers a variety of delay types, from classic tape delay to more modern styles. It includes a built-in feedback network that allows for more creative sound design.
    • Why It’s Great:
      • Very flexible with multiple delay taps (can be used for creating multi-tap delays).
      • Fine-grain control over delay time, feedback, and modulation.
      • Easy to sync to tempo with adjustable host synchronization.
  4. ReaVerb (Reverb)

    • Purpose: Reverb
    • Overview: ReaVerb is a highly customizable convolution reverb plugin, capable of recreating real-world spaces using impulse responses (IRs). It can also work as an algorithmic reverb for more creative uses.
    • Why It’s Great:
      • Offers realistic reverbs using high-quality impulse responses.
      • Capable of loading custom IRs, giving you access to a wide variety of spaces.
      • Includes parameters like early reflections, damping, and decay time.
  5. ReaTune (Pitch Correction)

    • Purpose: Pitch correction/Auto-tune
    • Overview: ReaTune is Reaper’s answer to pitch correction. It provides both manual and automatic pitch correction modes, allowing you to fine-tune individual notes or use more traditional auto-tune effects.
    • Why It’s Great:
      • Accurate pitch correction with low CPU usage.
      • Can be used for subtle pitch adjustments or extreme auto-tune effects.
      • Great for vocals or any melodic instrument.
  6. ReaGate (Noise Gate)

    • Purpose: Noise Gate
    • Overview: ReaGate is an easy-to-use noise gate that can help eliminate unwanted background noise or provide more precise control over dynamics in your tracks.
    • Why It’s Great:
      • Extremely flexible with adjustable threshold, attack, release, and hold times.
      • Can be used for side-chain gating effects in drum buses or other dynamic arrangements.
      • The interface is clean and simple to understand.
  7. ReaFIR (Dynamic EQ/Spectral Editing)

    • Purpose: Spectral EQ and Dynamic EQ
    • Overview: ReaFIR is a versatile tool that can be used as a dynamic EQ, notch filter, or noise reduction tool. It works by analyzing incoming audio and applying EQ or filtering based on frequency content.
    • Why It’s Great:
      • Dynamic EQ allows for frequency-based compression or expansion, which is useful for complex mixes.
      • Great for de-essing, removing unwanted resonances, or performing spectral compression.
  8. ReaXcomp (Multiband Compressor)

    • Purpose: Multiband Compression
    • Overview: ReaXcomp is a flexible multiband compressor that allows for precise control over specific frequency ranges. It splits the audio into multiple frequency bands and compresses them individually.
    • Why It’s Great:
      • Perfect for controlling specific elements of a mix (e.g., tightening the low end, controlling sibilance in the highs).
      • Includes all the standard multiband compressor features such as attack, release, threshold, and ratio.
      • Very low CPU usage and a simple interface.
  9. JS: Plate Reverb

    • Purpose: Plate Reverb
    • Overview: A simple but effective plate reverb with the characteristic metallic reverb sound.
    • Why It’s Great:
      • Perfect for vocals or drums when you want a smooth but dense reverb.
      • Adjustable room size and decay time, making it versatile for different genres.

Best Third-Party Plugins for Mixing in Reaper

While Reaper’s stock plugins are solid, you may want to add some third-party tools to further enhance your mixing capabilities. Here are some of the best third-party options:

  1. FabFilter Pro-Q 3

    • Purpose: Equalizer
    • Why It’s Great: FabFilter’s Pro-Q 3 is often considered one of the best EQs out there. It features a dynamic EQ, spectrum analyzer, and the ability to do mid/side processing. It’s also incredibly intuitive, with an easy drag-and-drop interface.
  2. Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor

    • Purpose: Bus Compression
    • Why It’s Great: The SSL G-Master Buss Compressor is a legend in the mixing world, offering smooth and gluey compression for bus tracks. It’s perfect for gluing elements of a mix together, especially on drums and the mix bus.
  3. Soundtoys Decapitator

    • Purpose: Saturation/Distortion
    • Why It’s Great: A go-to plugin for adding harmonic saturation and character to individual tracks or groups. It has a wide range of distortion options, from subtle warmth to heavy overdrive.
  4. Valhalla Room

    • Purpose: Reverb
    • Why It’s Great: Valhalla Room offers high-quality reverb algorithms with a focus on algorithmic reverbsthat sound smooth and natural. It’s perfect for adding atmospheric depth and can be used on everything from vocals to entire mixes.
  5. iZotope Ozone 10

    • Purpose: Mastering
    • Why It’s Great: If you want to get into mastering, Ozone is a fantastic all-in-one suite for finishing your tracks. With tools like EQ, multiband compression, stereo imaging, and maximization, it can help you polish a track to perfection.
  6. Slate Digital Virtual Mix Rack (VMR)

    • Purpose: Channel Strip/Compression
    • Why It’s Great: VMR provides a collection of high-end analog gear emulations in one plugin. It's great for adding warmth and character to individual tracks or buses, with features like EQ, compression, and saturation.
  7. Tokyo Dawn Labs TDR Kotelnikov

    • Purpose: Compression
    • Why It’s Great: TDR Kotelnikov is a transparent compressor with an excellent low CPU usage. It’s great for mastering and subtle dynamic control, offering precise adjustments to the attack and release.

Conclusion

Reaper’s stock plugins provide a solid foundation for mixing, with ReaEQ, ReaComp, and ReaVerb standing out as the primary tools for EQ, compression, and reverb. For those looking to expand their options, third-party plugins like FabFilter Pro-Q 3, Soundtoys Decapitator, and iZotope Ozone 10 offer additional flexibility and creative possibilities.

Whether you choose to stick with the stock plugins or explore third-party options, Reaper provides a flexible and powerful environment for mixing, and with the right tools, you can achieve professional-sounding mixes.

By the Stealify Team! 

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