brainworx have now released three free plug-ins. Yes three, I was surprised too. First there was bx_solo which is an MS plug-in….
bx_solo is a nice little tool that we have designed to get you STARTED with and used to the way we approach the M/S technique – be it for recording-, mixing- or mastering purposes. The “heart” of our M/S tools are our unique SOLO BUTTONS that allow you to actually LISTEN to all components of a stereo mix / stereo signal individually:
L(left channel), R(ight channel), M(ono sum) & S(tereo difference signal) – and all this PHASE CORRECTED (when needed) and mono-ed out on BOTH SPEAKERS of your system. This is very helpful when working in M/S modes (because especially listening to only the S-signal of a stereo mix is not so easy to do with modern DAW stations) and to check your signals / mixes for errors, noises, clicks, whatever…
bx_solo also contains a STEPPED M/S STEREO WIDTH CONTROL, so you can get an impression about what you can actually do with ist. Do try it out on subgroups (makes ROCK GUITAR subgroups jump out of your speakers at about 150% !!!), FX returns, keyboards / samplers, etc.
Recently they announced the release of another free plug-in cleansweep….
bx_cleansweep is a new Hi-Pass filter and Lo-Pass filter plug-in from Brainworx, introducing the new “Anti Crush Technology”:
Analog style filter curves without the typical Nyquist problems, in a new great sounding filter design (taken from our pro mastering EQ bx_digital V2!)…
Ffirst order filters (6dB) guarantee an extremely musically sounding filter set, and unique joystick control (taken from bx_hybrid) gives you fast and intuitive control.
bx_cleansweep is the plugin that should go into EVERY mix channel as the first plugin. This way you can filter out any unwanted hi-end and lo-end, and the result is a clean and tight mix.
Ever thought about why there are Hi-Pass and Lo-Pass filter in EVERY channel of the most expensive analog consoles (SSL, NEVE, etc.), but why most EQs are missing this feature??
>>> Clever shortcuts (alt/shift/ctrl) allow for detailed control over the X-axis and Y-axis of the joystick, and the EQ knobs can be set to precision mode by shift-click as well.
But on the newsletter and the free plug-in download page there is a third plug-in Dynamic 
Range Meter but there seems to be no info on the brainworx site about it. So I downloaded it. It is actually a plug-in from the Pleasurize Music Foundation and brainworx have been involved in writing the code for this plug-in. Their aim is to..
The Pleasurize Music Foundation began operations in January 2009 and is a nonprofit organization based in California, USA.
Our aim is to improve the sound quality of music in its various recorded formats – including data compression methods such as MP3 – as well as music destined for radio broadcast.
Only music that provides a positive musical listening experience has real market value. The Foundation’s aim is to increase the value of music within the creative production process for the entire music industry.
The objective is to revive the willingness to pay for music and therefore to create a healthier basis for all creative participants within the music industry.
It is an interesting plug-in and the centre bargraphs came colour depending on the dynamic range of the content. Green is good (wide) amber is medium and red is very compressed.
