Like many producers and mixers, I’ve got far too many plugins. As such, it’s rare that a new plugin comes along nowadays and genuinely catches me off guard for how good it is. But that was certainly the case when I first tried Gem Fuse.
A Modern Classic in the Making
Having had a long-term fascination with the hardware unit this plugin is inspired by (but always putting off getting my hands on it due to the cost), I was genuinely excited when the team at ILIO reached out to me to try a plugin version in the form of the Gem Fuse.
A Plugin That Feels Instantly Different
As a big proponent of being quite heavy-handed on my mix bus, I like things that truly make a difference at the top of the mix. Not only does the Gem Fuse offer so much, from satisfying saturation to a glorious EQ with mid-side capabilities—as well as a stereo-widening function that opens up a mix like nothing else I’ve come across—its strength is not just its versatility but its sound.
My position in the never ending plugin vs hardware debate is that, generally speaking, most plugins are capable of getting really close to the sound of their hardware counterparts. Where plugins often fall down is when they’re pushed hard. Pushing a software EQ beyond its ‘safe zone’ tends to produce brittle, harsh sounding results in a way that pushing a hardware EQ typically doesn’t.
That, however, is not true of the Gem Fuse.
Pushing Frequencies Without the Harshness
My first tests with this were on a work-in-progress mix where I threw it on the mix bus and pushed the EQ hard. Much to my surprise, even at the extreme ends of the low frequency shelf, the low end remained tight and deep, never sounding bloated or overinflated.
The same was true of the high frequency shelf. Pushing it beyond what would typically be ‘appropriate’ still produced smooth, open sounding highs much more akin to the kind of response I would expect from a hardware EQ.
Stereo Width and Saturation That Stay Musical
And this is true across the entirety of the Gem Fuse’s features. Naturally there are sweet spots with things such as the stereo widening and saturation controls, but if you want to be bold with it, you absolutely can.
The Gem Fuse works in a range of scenarios across all sorts of genres. There isn’t really a situation or a genre where I think it would be inappropriate.
Whether you want to use the Gem Fuse to subtly sweeten up a source or the entire mix, or you want to use it to completely shape the final master, it’s capable of so much and it always sounds good.
My preference is to use it as the final plugin on my mix bus chain — following on from some more typical compression and EQ. Gem Fuse brings clarity, excitement and depth to my mixes as the last stop on the way out of the mix bus.
A Plugin That Inspires Like Hardware, Without the Hardware Price
And I’ll come back to what I said at the top: I’m rarely impressed by new plugin releases these days in the way that I have been with the Gem Fuse. It genuinely sounds amazing and I recommend everyone at least gives it a go.
Written by Guy Britton
Guy Britton is a seasoned music producer, mixer, and mastering engineer from the UK, with a focus on pop and indie genres. Guy has helped independent artists achieve breakthrough success, with his work being featured on radio and TV in the UK and Europe, as well as major Spotify editorial playlists. His expertise lies in delivering a unique and commercially appealing sound, with a passion for combining modern and retro elements to create deep, exciting tracks.
