xKnuckles Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 I have some limited experience of making home recordings, but that was years ago and all of the things I used then are totally incompatible with what I have now. I currently have a nice DAW, as - I am sure - do many of you. What I am wondering though, is do any of you have a favourite plugin(s) which you purchased (ie. one not included with the DAW), which you find yourself using again and again and which you really feel was worth the extra cost? I am not looking for anything specific; I am more interested in broadening my knowledge of what is available and worth exploring.... Thank you. "Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" Bluzeyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomKittel Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Here are the VSTs I am using regularly: Pianoteq 5, Arturia Mini-V 3.0, XHun Audio Little One, Sonicprojects OP-X Pro II, Addictive Drums 2.0 The Mai Tai synth included in Studio One 3.0 is also a very capable virtual analog synth plugin. LIFE IS SHORT, GO GET THE GEAR YOU WANT ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobP2 Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 I use Izotope Ozone 5 for almost everything and Nomad Factory studio pack a lot too Remember - you can make a record without an organ on it, but it won't be as good www.robpoyton.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BbAltered Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 The term "plug-in" is pretty broad, and you will probably get answers more specific to your interests if you could specify a bit: - Mac or Win? - stand-alone functionality or strictly functioning within a host program? - instrument or effect? I use Spectrasonics Trillan a lot (my go-to app for any bass needs), and Kontact 5 as a sampler app: both are not strictly plug-ins I use JamStix + EZDrummer to do most drum tracks. As a drum composition tool, JamStix is amazing; it is strictly plug-in. J.S. Bach Well Tempered Klavier The collected works of Scott Joplin Ray Charles Genius plus Soul Charlie Parker Omnibook Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life Weather Report Mr. Gone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xKnuckles Posted December 8, 2016 Author Share Posted December 8, 2016 Thanks very much Tom & Rob. Good point BbAltered. In answer to your questions: 1. Windows 2. I don't really understand the stand alone question. I want something to use in to my DAW.... so am assuming that it is not a standalone thing... 3. I am less interested in instruments, simply because I know a bit more about them. What I am particularly interested in is things which you can use on your audio mix to create a touch of magic and bring the sounds and/or mix to life. The options available are overwhelming, hence my interest in other people's favourites........ Also mastering tools.... "Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" Bluzeyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BbAltered Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Thanks very much Tom & Rob. 2. I don't really understand the stand alone question. I want something to use in to my DAW.... so am assuming that it is not a standalone thing... 3. I am less interested in instruments, simply because I know a bit more about them. What I am particularly interested in is things which you can use on your audio mix to create a touch of magic and bring the sounds and/or mix to life. The options available are overwhelming, hence my interest in other people's favourites........ Also mastering tools.... 2 - OK. A "plug-in" is a piece of software that only works within another piece of software. The "plug-in" cannot be used alone; it can only be used in conjunction with another piece of software. In the world of audio software, "plug-ins" typically run inside your DAW software. 3 - A lot of "plug-in" software works inside a DAW to mimic real-world effect devices: reverb units, delay units, compressors, EQs, etc. So, all of these things can be used in an audio mix "to create a touch of magic and bring sounds and a mix to life". BUT....to make any magic, you have to know what you are looking to do: add reverb, roll of bass frequencies, add distortion, etc. Having a great tool kit is only good if you know what tool is needed for which job. For me, I typically use the mixing effects (the "plug-ins") that came bundled with my DAW (I use Sonar). The bundled "plug-ins" are of decent quality, have been tested to work with the DAW, and Sonar comes with a broad selection of "plug-ins" that cover almost everything I want to do. You can of course buy additional software if you want, and there is lots to choose from. But I suggest first you explore the capabilities of your DAW (i.e. in Sonar, the EQs are built right into the DAW, so most equalization tasks do not require that I start up a plug-in). You will probably find that your DAW already has a lot of functionality to add some of that missing magic to your mixes J.S. Bach Well Tempered Klavier The collected works of Scott Joplin Ray Charles Genius plus Soul Charlie Parker Omnibook Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life Weather Report Mr. Gone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 I have Logic, so it has many useful plugins built in. Alchemy is a pretty nice addition! Recently I've been having problems finding reverb in the built-in Logic reverbs that I like. Space Designer is a convolution reverb, with "real room" sounds from IRs, but for the electronic stuff I'm doing it often sounds too....rough, maybe? Anyway, I am trying out the demos for four Valhalla reverb plugins: Room, Vintage Verb, Plate, and Shimmer. Holy cow do they sound good, so my biggest decision is which to get out of the first three...probably VV, since it has a plate verb in it, but the Plate-only plugin is way cool. Each of them is $50, that is not bad for a pro-quality (IMO) reverb. Seriously try the demos, they are full-featured but have dropouts every so often. edit: I did find some free lexicon IRs, made to emulate a 480L hardware unit, that I loaded into SD. They do sound good but still I'm finding the Valhalla stuff a bit smoother. My only recent instrument plugin purchase has been Addictive Keys. It was cheap (50% off) but so far I haven't got the sound out of it that I know it's capable of from demos. I put this down to lack of tweaking (EQ etc) mostly. I definitely like it better than the built-in Logic pianos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 I have Logic, so it has many useful plugins built in. Alchemy is a pretty nice addition! Recently I've been having problems finding reverb in the built-in Logic reverbs that I like. Space Designer is a convolution reverb, with "real room" sounds from IRs, but for the electronic stuff I'm doing it often sounds too....rough, maybe? Anyway, I am trying out the demos for four Valhalla reverb plugins: Room, Vintage Verb, Plate, and Shimmer. Holy cow do they sound good, so my biggest decision is which to get out of the first three...probably VV, since it has a plate verb in it, but the Plate-only plugin is way cool. Each of them is $50, that is not bad for a pro-quality (IMO) reverb. My only recent instrument plugin purchase has been Addictive Keys. It was cheap (50% off) but so far I haven't got the sound out of it that I know it's capable of from demos. I put this down to lack of tweaking (EQ etc) mostly. I definitely like it better than the built-in Logic pianos. You might also look at the Lexicon plugins which are on sale. http://lexiconpro.com/en-US/promotions/lexicon-2016-holiday-offer-60-off-all-plug-ins Does require iLok2. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xKnuckles Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 Many thanks Bb, Stokely & BurningBush. You have given me plenty to consider. I do find that I love both playing and playing with sounds .... :-) "Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" Bluzeyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 I use the Waves API 550 emulations quite frequently (just putting them on a channel and not even making EQ moves adds some sort of colour to the sound that I like). I would suggest either Waves H-EQ or FabFilter ProQ2 for your character-less, surgical EQ. FabFilter is way more precise; I like H-EQ for having a piano keyboard on the bottom corresponding to frequencies - that tool alone has enhanced how I mix - as well as the different characters per EQ band (UK vs US vs digital). If you are working with acoustic drum multitracks at all, Sound Radix Auto-Align is a must have. My Site Nord Electro 5D, Novation Launchkey 61, Logic Pro X, Mainstage 3, lots of plugins, fingers, pencil, paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iconoclast Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I just got the Arturia V collection and other than the pianos I think it's a steal for $399. Something like 5000 presets. Haven't had a chance to use it live yet but the synths sound fantastic. The pianos are actually usable but I'm getting some latency that I can't figure out. On the pianos only. Everything else is running smooth. You want me to start this song too slow or too fast? Forte7, Nord Stage 3, XK3c, OB-6, Arturia Collection, Mainstage, MotionSound KBR3D. A bunch of MusicMan Guitars, Line6 stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xKnuckles Posted December 10, 2016 Author Share Posted December 10, 2016 I use the Waves API 550 emulations quite frequently (just putting them on a channel and not even making EQ moves adds some sort of colour to the sound that I like). I would suggest either Waves H-EQ or FabFilter ProQ2 for your character-less, surgical EQ. FabFilter is way more precise; I like H-EQ for having a piano keyboard on the bottom corresponding to frequencies - that tool alone has enhanced how I mix - as well as the different characters per EQ band (UK vs US vs digital). If you are working with acoustic drum multitracks at all, Sound Radix Auto-Align is a must have. Cheers David. I have tried some waves plugins in the past and they are superb. Thanks for the info - I will check your ones out. "Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" Bluzeyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xKnuckles Posted December 10, 2016 Author Share Posted December 10, 2016 I just got the Arturia V collection and other than the pianos I think it's a steal for $399. Something like 5000 presets. Haven't had a chance to use it live yet but the synths sound fantastic. The pianos are actually usable but I'm getting some latency that I can't figure out. On the pianos only. Everything else is running smooth. Thanks Iconclast. "Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" Bluzeyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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