Mastering with Infected Mushroom Pusher: Tips & Tricks

This Israeli musical duo has gained recognition for their distinct style, characterized by a fusion of psytrance, electronica, dream trance, and psychedelic elements. Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani blend diverse musical influences, incorporating analog synthesizers and guitars to craft their signature drum beats and infectious melodies during live performances. Their creativity extends beyond traditional methods, as they utilize a range of custom-made plugins, such as Wider, Manipulator, I Wish, and their latest addition, Pusher. Touted as an instant sonic enhancer for mastering and mixing, Pusher adds a new dimension to their arsenal of tools.

This comprehensive mastering plugin provides all the tools you need to achieve professional-grade results with just a few clicks and adjustments. Here are five tips for mastering with the Infected Mushroom Pusher.

1. Clip/Limiting modes

By activating the Clipping mode, you can push the incoming signal to its maximum without compromising the transients or introducing unwanted artifacts. This mode is particularly effective for the overall track or sections with heavy drum usage, ensuring everything remains crisp and dynamically powerful. The clipping mode preserves the transients, and the high end of the sound is not significantly affected.

The Limiting mode is ideal for instruments like pianos and synthesizers, as it imparts a desirable level of softness and warmth to the signal. Make sure to automate both modes for seamless switching to suit your preferences throughout the track.

2. Gain staging indicator

The input dial features a gain staging indicator, indicating the optimal incoming volume for maximizing the plugin’s potential. Adjust the signal volume to your preference, paying attention to the middle dot, which turns yellow for a consistent signal or red for an excessive one. In addition to trusting your ears, this helpful tool guides as you feed signals into the plugin.

3. Stereo Imaging

You can enhance the overall sound with added stereo imaging, resulting in a pleasing expansion of the signal’s width. This subtle effect gently spreads elements across the stereo field. An additional indicator visually displays how the signal is being positioned on the spectrum as you adjust the amount. This effect synergizes seamlessly with the main Magic button, particularly useful if you’re aiming to broaden the focus of your mix.

4. Low-end control

Enhancing and managing the low-end has been enhanced through two features integrated into this plugin. Firstly, you can effortlessly amplify the low-frequency range using the dial. Additionally, you can introduce an extra layer of harmonics by clicking on the middle section. From there, you have the option to select the appropriate harmonics that match the key of your track. This feature is particularly useful for adding warmth and depth to the low end of your track.

5. Automation

Every feature in this plugin can be automated. Imagine you’ve finely tuned your settings for the busiest segment of your track, but other parts lack detail. Instead of employing multiple instances of Pusher, you can automate any desired feature to meet your preferences. Easily adjust the effect’s intensity across the track, ensuring every section benefits from Pusher’s touch. Moreover, you can record your manual automations, adding a final human touch to your track.

Infected Mushroom Pusher is currently discounted to $29.99. You can grab the plugin here.