Xilentch has launched Xhannel S, a free channel strip plugin and the primary devoted mixing instrument within the XM household.
Till now, the XM Collection has principally centered on mastering instruments. The primary Xilentch plugin I attempted was XMLimiter final 12 months, and it rapidly grew to become one in all my go-to limiters to be used throughout mixes and masters, alongside LoudMax.
I like XMLimiter as a result of it’s simple to make use of and really clear. Positively beneficial when you haven’t tried it already.
We later coated the up to date XM Collection mastering bundle, which introduced a recent interface and several other adjustments to the free assortment. Xhannel S now strikes the identical thought into mixing.
Briefly, Xhannel S may also help you form and clear up each channel in your combine. It consists of an enter stage, EQ, dynamics, filters, and output degree management in a single interface.
There’s nothing particularly wild or groundbreaking about that on paper, however that isn’t actually the purpose. For me, a helpful channel strip is all about pace, structure, and whether or not the person sections sound good.
Xhannel S covers the same old cleanup and shaping jobs. The EQ could be adjusted with knobs or instantly by way of the spectrum analyzer, and the filter part is there to rapidly take away pointless low- or high-frequency content material.
The dynamics part handles compression and gating, and I believe it sounds superb. It really works properly as a glue compressor, however it will possibly additionally get more durable when you push it.
The Drive knob might be essentially the most fascinating a part of the plugin. Xilentch says it makes use of a customized curve relatively than typical digital clipping, behaving extra like the way in which a console channel will get progressively stronger when pushed. You’ll be able to drive the sign more durable with the Enter management or flip up Drive itself for a smoother tone.
I additionally just like the interface. Channel strips can get cluttered quick as a result of all the things has to slot in one window, however this structure is sensible. It took me lower than 5 minutes to start out utilizing it as if I had identified it for ages.
Xhannel S is free to obtain from Xilentch’s Patreon, with non-obligatory donations out there. Out there for Home windows and macOS.
Obtain: Xhannel S (FREE)
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Final Up to date on June 6, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
