The Best FabFilter Plugins for Modern Metal Mixes

When you’re staring down a 100+ track metal session, the plugin choices you make can either speed up your workflow or bog you down in a sea of options. The name FabFilter consistently comes up in conversations about the best tools for the job, and for good reason. Their plugins combine insane power with clean, intuitive interfaces that just make sense.

But let’s cut through the hype. Do you need them? The truth is, your skills as a mixer matter far more than the specific brand of EQ you use. You can get a killer mix with stock plugins if you know what you’re doing.

So why do so many pros rely on FabFilter? Because for certain critical tasks in a dense metal mix, they offer a level of precision and visual feedback that lets you work faster and solve problems more effectively. It’s not about plugin acquisition syndrome; it's about finding the right tool for a specific, difficult job.

Here are the FabFilter plugins that consistently prove their worth in modern metal production.

FabFilter Pro-Q 3: The Surgical EQ

If you only get one FabFilter plugin, this is it. Pro-Q 3 has become the industry-standard surgical EQ for a reason. In metal, where layers of high-gain guitars, screaming vocals, and explosive drums fight for space, precision is everything.

Taming Guitar Fizz and Whistle Tones

High-gain guitar tones are notorious for generating unpleasant high-frequency “fizz” or piercing “whistle” frequencies that can make a mix fatiguing. Simply shelving down all the top end will make your guitars sound dull and lifeless. The real solution is to find and remove only the offending frequencies.

This is where Pro-Q 3 shines. Its high-resolution spectrum analyzer lets you visually identify those nasty peaks, often lurking between 5kHz and 10kHz. You can grab a node, use the Spectrum Grab feature to pinpoint the exact problem area, and make a deep, narrow cut. This cleans up the harshness without sacrificing the aggressive bite and air of the guitars. For more on this, check out our deep dive into EQing modern metal guitars.

Dynamic EQ for Taming Cymbals and Sibilance

Pro-Q 3’s Dynamic EQ mode is a game-changer. Think of it as a super-precise de-esser or multi-band compressor.

• Actionable Tip: On your drum overheads or room mics, find the frequency range where the crash cymbals are overwhelming (usually 6kHz and up). Instead of a static cut, make it a dynamic band. Now, the EQ will only dip that frequency when the cymbals are hit, leaving the air and detail intact the rest of the time. This keeps the cymbals from washing out the entire mix without making the kit sound dark.

Linear Phase Mode for Parallel Processing

Anytime you use an EQ, it introduces a small amount of phase shift. This is usually fine, but it can become a problem in parallel processing. If you have a parallel drum crush bus and you EQ it differently than your main drum bus, the resulting phase shift can cause weird filtering and a weak low end when you blend them.

Pro-Q 3’s Linear Phase mode solves this by applying EQ without altering the phase. It uses more CPU and adds latency, but it’s invaluable for parallel chains or on the master bus to ensure everything stays perfectly in phase and your kick drum continues to punch you in the chest.

FabFilter Pro-C 2: The Versatile Modern Compressor

While there are tons of great analog-emulation compressors, Pro-C 2 is the ultimate digital workhorse because it can do almost anything. It can be transparent and clean or aggressive and colored, all in one easy-to-use interface.

The ‘Punch’ Style for Drums

Modern metal drums need to be punchy as hell. Pro-C 2’s “Punch” algorithm is designed for exactly this.

• Actionable Tip: Slap Pro-C 2 on your snare top mic. Select the ‘Punch’ style, set a medium-to-slow attack (around 20ms) and a fast release. This allows the initial crack of the transient to pass through untouched before the compressor clamps down, bringing up the body and room sound of the snare. You’ll get a fat, powerful snare that still cuts through the mix. Learn more about how the pros get this sound in our guide to metal compression secrets.

Mid/Side Compression for Stereo Width

Here’s a powerful trick for your guitar bus. Instead of compressing the whole stereo signal, switch Pro-C 2 into Mid/Side mode. You can now compress the "Mid" channel (everything in the center, like the core punch of the guitars) differently from the "Side" channel (the wide, panned information). This lets you control the dynamics and add sustain to the guitars without affecting the stereo width, or even enhance it.

FabFilter Pro-MB: The Multiband Problem Solver

Sometimes, a static EQ cut is too much, and a full-band compressor is too broad. This is where a multiband compressor like Pro-MB becomes your secret weapon for solving common problems in metal mixes.

Controlling Palm Mute ‘Woof’

You know that low-mid buildup that happens on heavy, chugging palm mutes? It’s often around 200-400Hz and can make a mix sound muddy and bloated. An EQ cut here can fix the palm mutes but thin out the rest of the guitar tone.

• Actionable Tip: In Pro-MB, create a dynamic band right on that "woofy" frequency range on your main rhythm guitar bus. Set the threshold so it only activates and compresses during the loud palm mutes. The rest of the time, the EQ curve is flat, and your guitar tone remains full and powerful. It’s the perfect solution.

Taming an Unruly Bass

A metal bass guitar needs to be consistent, but sometimes certain notes jump out way louder than others. Instead of automating volume for hours, you can use Pro-MB to lock it in. Create bands that cover the fundamental ranges of the bass and apply gentle compression to each. This evens out the performance, ensuring the low end is rock-solid from start to finish.

FabFilter Pro-L 2: The Loudness Maximizer

In metal, loudness is not optional. Your master needs to stand up against commercial releases without turning into a distorted mess. Pro-L 2 is widely considered one of the best and most transparent limiters available.

True Peak Limiting & Loudness Metering

Pro-L 2 includes essential features for modern mastering. Its True Peak Limiting prevents the inter-sample peaks that can cause audible clipping on playback systems, even if your DAW meter isn’t showing red. It also features comprehensive LUFS metering, allowing you to easily hit the loudness targets for Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms.

Using the Limiter Styles

The different limiting algorithms are key. For a punchy and aggressive metal master, the ‘Modern’ or ‘Aggressive’ styles work wonders. They can achieve incredible loudness while retaining the transient impact of your kick and snare. This level of control is what separates a great master from a squashed one.

What It All Means: Tools vs. Technique

While FabFilter makes some of the best plugins on the market, remember that they are just tools. The real magic comes from your decisions. Two producers with the exact same plugins will create wildly different mixes because it all comes down to taste, experience, and skill.

The **world-class producers who teach for Nail The Mix**—engineers like Jens Bogren, Joey Sturgis, and Nolly Getgood—use tools like these because they allow for ultimate speed and control. But their mixes are great because of the thousands of hours they’ve spent honing their craft, not because they own a specific plugin.

The takeaway? Don’t chase every new shiny object. Instead, invest in a few powerful, flexible tools that solve the real problems you face in your mixes, and then spend your time mastering them.

Reading about these techniques is a great start. But what if you could watch the pros use these exact plugins on real multitracks from bands like Periphery, Meshuggah, and Trivium?

With Nail The Mix, you can. Every month, you get the raw audio from a massive song and watch the original producer mix it from scratch, explaining every single decision they make—every EQ cut, compression setting, and mastering move.

Check out the full catalog of past sessions and see how the best in the business build groundbreaking metal mixes from the ground up.