JD Factory, a French development team led by mixing engineer Joël Dollié (CEO and founder), released UltimUtility, a FREE stereo signal control plugin for macOS and Windows.
The developer’s team comprises a small group of self-confessed audio geeks, precisely the kind of geeks you want to make plugins.
JD Factory has three plugins available so far: RoomWidener, PanBox, and UltimUtility.
RoomWidener and PanBox are paid products, and both are currently on sale, so it’s a good time to check them out.
JD Factory UltimUtility
UltimUtility is a freebie and the focus of our attention today.
JD Factory is a developer committed to creating plugins that make mixing easier. This particular plugin makes mixing easier by giving you more control over your stereo signal.
UltimUtility is a plugin that falls into the simple but very effective category (simple in use, not in development effort) and could be a handy addition for users of all levels.
From left to right, the interface starts with UltimUtility’s Input Matrix. The Input Matrix allows you to solo left, right, mid, side, and the physical (dual mono) left or right of the mid/side.
In addition, the Input Matrix also offers independent left and right polarity controls and a Stereo Swap function.
Next up is the Balance and Width section.
Here, you get a combined, one knob, Balance, and true stereo panner. Beside the Balance knob is a stereo widening control with an integrated Mono Bass function.
The features included here come from PanBox, Ultimutility’s more versatile big brother, aiming to provide something better than traditional panning methods.
If you like UltimUtility but still want more, a demo version of PanBox is available (the same goes for RoomWidener).
There are quite a few free or cheap stereo imaging plugins around, like iZotope’s Ozone Imager; feel free to share your go-to plugin in the comments.
Free Download
Whatever you use (or if you don’t yet), it’s always worth trying a freebie, and, in this case, especially when it comes from a team who dedicate themselves to making plugins that let you focus more on creative decisions rather than convoluted processes.
UltimUtility is available in 64-bit AU, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS (10.13 upwards) and Windows (8-11).
Download: UltimUtility (FREE)
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8 Comments
mx
onvery nice plugin, good freebie! also their paid plugins look like interesting mixing tools.
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it seems that boz digital labs is giving away some plugins for free, maybe you want to have a look on their website.
right know they offer sasquatch, claps, stomps & snaps and manic compressor for 0$.
mx
onok sorry, found out that i was logged in already, and it was showing 0$ for plugins that i own.
never noticed that before.
Gordon
ondownload blocked
John Obvious
onOr you could just use, you know… your DAW’s basic track controls. Like a sensible person.
mx
oni think you are right in the sense that it is good to know the possibilities that are already there in the personal repertoire of tools and to use them in sensible ways.
but not every daw offers the same basic tools in the same ways, and sometimes it depends on personal workflows and preferences and also not everybody does the same job with a daw.
i use another plugin for the exact same purposes like ultimutility, because pro tools doesnt include a plugin or direct buttons for flipping the phase of just one side of a stereo channel. sure you could divide the track into two mono channels and flip the phase of one, but thats some more mouseclicks than my plugin and maybe i rather want to keep it one stereo track for some reasons.
nobody should get talked into needing plugins by marketing or things like that, but sometimes plugins do have a good purpose and reason which you just cannot see from your point of view, which is fine.
but a sensible person would go the easiest or most efficient or simply the best way and that is in some cases a plugin like this.
Bthelick
onHard to justify the existence of this with so many other free doing more with a better interface too. Like Alex Hilton A1 stereo control.
mx
onstereo widening often sounds very different from plugin to plugin, depending on how exactly it is implemented and on the signal you are processing, sometimes its substantially different.
and comparing this for a moment it sounded better than for example pa’s stereo maker on the source material i tried it.
when comparing a1 i in the past i found that it was rather not the best sounding widener on much material in general, i compared it to several other algorithms from izotope, plugin alliance, yum, audio fb, softube and others, paid and free.
ultimutility is really a stereo-utility toolbox with phase inversion and mutes, not just the widener.
i dont see what a1 could do more, or am i missing something? as far as i see a1 has the exact same nominal features but misses phase inversion for L or R.
also ultimutility is available in aax for mac with m1 compatibility which is not usual for freebies, and i find the interface quite good for its purpose.
would you name these other free plugins that are so much better?
Robin
onI downloaded this plugin, but forgot about it. Now I found it again while trying to fix a stereo issue. I must say this is just the perfect little utility plugin. It’s small and it contains everything I need, even a bass monoizer. Came back here because I had to know where I found it and it must have been here. It’s not a well known plugin it seems, but I would say it’s underrated.
I don’t really get the critique. Maybe some daws have this by default, but not mine. And considering brainworx sells an almost identical plugin for 10 bucks (when on sale), there certainly seems to be a market for it.