Let me know your favourite plugins

    I've started to run into the limitations of the existing plugins that came bundled with my DAW, particularly in the mastering stages.


    I am considering the idea of buying some good plugins for things like limiting, compression, and EQ. But if I can get them in a suite bundled with other plugins at a good price, that would be my first option.


    I've heard good things about Ozone, and Waves has always been highly recommended.


    Would I be better off getting a bundle or individual plugins?


    Let me know what you guys use. I'm really interested in plugins that can make my recordings brighter and louder.

    Jarvind, nowadays, when you run 'out of plugins', I wouldn't recommend buying new ones at all.
    Instead I'd recommend you hav a look at http://www.slatedigital.com
    They have a subscription model which is incredible value for money IMO.
    For an annual fee of $ 299.- you get everything.
    They also have a monthly model that you can pause in-between.

    I second Slate. I hate Wave's subscription model, although they don't require iLok anymore whereas Slate does, if that bugs you for any reason (never had a problem with it, myself).

    Another vote for Slate here, nightlight.


    You want compression and EQ? Check out what you'd get in the bundle, and prepare to be floored. I haven't bought it yet as I'm hanging out 'til I'm fully geared-up to record, but sure didn't expect to be able to use such quality emulations of outboard EQ and so on. The Waves, Oxford, SofTube and other companies' offerings in this regard are just so damned expensive that they're way out of my league; I figured I'd have to settle for a lesser-quality, more-utilitarian bundle for sure. I hope the revelation of Slate's offerings has the same effect on you as it did on me. Can't wait for the day when I'm finally able to buy the bundle!


    Oh, and the excellent Lexicon 480L emulation that you get too will likely be the only 'verb I use, such is my love for the Lex approach to 'verb. Simply cannot wait!


    Quote from Ingolf

    Jarvind, nowadays, when you run 'out of plugins', I wouldn't recommend buying new ones at all.
    Instead I'd recommend you hav a look at http://www.slatedigital.com
    They have a subscription model which is incredible value for money IMO.
    For an annual fee of $ 299.- you get everything.
    They also have a monthly model that you can pause in-between.


    In fact, you can pause the yearly one too at any time.

    Quote from Ingolf

    Jarvind, nowadays, when you run 'out of plugins', I wouldn't recommend buying new ones at all.
    Instead I'd recommend you hav a look at http://www.slatedigital.com
    They have a subscription model which is incredible value for money IMO.
    For an annual fee of $ 299.- you get everything.
    They also have a monthly model that you can pause in-between.


    Thanks for the information. How good are Slate products? Would they be comparable to Waves or the Ozone stuff? I know they make a drum VST, but not much else about them. I also prefer the option of owning the plugins if I am paying $200, suppose I have to revisit a project in future and do not have the plugins with me?


    Quote from MentaL

    http://www.waves.com/plugins/api-2500


    That seems nice, but really expensive. Is it worth $299? I think I can get the Isotope advanced bundle for $599 total.



    EDIT: Just noted the wave of support for Slate. Seems very promising! But I'm still a bit leery about a license model, I'd prefer to own my plugins.

    Quote from nightlight


    Thanks for the information. How good are Slate products? Would they be comparable to Waves or the Ozone stuff? I know they make a drum VST, but not much else about them. I also prefer the option of owning the plugins if I am paying $200, suppose I have to revisit a project in future and do not have the plugins with me?


    Slate plugins certainly are among the best.
    I also own quite some UAD stuff and slate definitely is not inferior.
    Also with the license model comes the possibility to own some of the plugins after a certain time of subscription.

    You can buy the slate plugins also. I use VTM and VBC which are very good. Only thing with slate is that he gets very good at promoting new stuff before alot of his other things are not finished and time lines etc are never met. FG-X 2.0 this has been on the horizon for almost 2 years and its still not out yet. I know a lot of customers who refuse to buy his plugins because of this.

    Quote from Ingolf


    Slate plugins certainly are among the best.
    I also own quite some UAD stuff and slate definitely is not inferior.
    Also with the license model comes the possibility to own some of the plugins after a certain time of subscription.


    That's interesting. What do you mean, after a certain time of subscription? Are these the plugins that are superseded by newer versions?

    Quote from nightlight

    That's interesting. What do you mean, after a certain time of subscription? Are these the plugins that are superseded by newer versions?


    Sorry if I was unclear about this.
    When I made my annual subscription in Jan 2016 I got a $99.- coupon that I can use to buy a license of my favourite pluging of slate "forever".
    I don't know if this sale is still valid though.

    All compressors have their own charateristics. Some people add these to a mix just for the colour that they bring and dont even use then to compress at all. Things like 1176, LA-2A can be set to limiter mode. If you are thinking about a master buss limiter like the waves L2 then slate has the FG-X 1.0 which is a mastering comp/limiter. This is what i use for getting my levels loud and without losing the pucnch of the track.

    Quote from nightlight

    Just looking through the list seems quite intimidating. Why on earth would I possibly need so many types of compressors?


    You don't, but you know they come in special flavours... Especially compressors do sound special and individual. Take your time and listen and find out what you like.

    Quote from nightlight

    I noted that there aren't any limiters in there... Or are there?


    Well, any compressor with an 1:indefinite ratio and a fast attack acts as a limiter.


    EDIT: Ninja'd by Raoul. ;)

    I've never used a subscription model, but it seems good to me if you are active in recording. When I was doing a lot of recording, money was flying out the door routinely on upgrades and crossgrades anyway. Many of the plugins I paid money for were basically rendered unnecessary by advances in DSP technology or by built-ins that were eventually bundled with a DAW upgrade. For example, the $500 I spent on Melodyne 1.0 is completely wasted now. I never upgraded, and now I just use the Cubase pitch editor because it is so much easier in terms of work-flow.


    Now I only do the occasional recording project and the only plug-ins that I am glad I spent money on and still have are the basic stuff, compressors, EQ, limiters, etc. Besides the Cubase built-ins, I'm mostly UAD at this point. A good 1176 model will never get stale. A secret-sauce mastering bundle from 2003 on the other hand...

    I hate emojis, but I hate being misunderstood more. :)

    There is some GREAT stuff for free or for lower costs (support your indie-developers!)
    Aside from Reaper stock-plugins I use:


    Free:
    Tokyo Dawn Labs - SlickEQ, Kotelnikov, Nova (and sometime even Proximity) (paid versions available)
    Shattered Glass Audio - Code Red Console
    Airwindows (Mac only) - Channel 4 (has some good paid plugs)
    Vladg/Sound - Molot Compressor, Limiter No6 (still one of the best limiters!)
    Ikjb - Luftikus (Nice analog EQ)
    Acustica Audio - Ochre Free (nice analog EQ)
    Ignite Amps - Gread Guitar Pedals, Very good VST Amp (okay, no need here), Best Impulse loader and an awesome Pultec EQ (PTEq-X)


    Paid:
    Sknote - Disto (first Distressor Plugin), SDC (Shadow Hills Mastering Comp), SAT-Limit (Sta-Limiter)
    Overtone DSP - DYN500
    Goodhertz - Faraday Limiter (Was free, not any more. Such a great saturating compressor)


    My UAD Satellite Duo is collecting dust (It's for sale actually) and I have not used more than 3 Plugins from my Waves Platinum Bundle.

    I own a lot of the slate plugins.
    I have vmr on every track on every session.
    Vcc, vpc and the vmr eq's and comps are the starting chain.
    I love my la2a comps for most non percussive material, so I use the ik multimedia "white 2a" after the vmr.
    There a three or four basic compression cirquits used in hardware for achieving gain reduction and each of them has a sonic character, so it's horses for courses.
    I rate the slate plugins very highly and have most of the hardware to compare it to.
    I don't think you can go wrong by starting with vmr, then adding modules as you feel the need.

    These days I don't use very many different brands/types of plugins. I used to have a massive list by lost of manufacturers and I sold pretty much all of them. I've actually found over the years that a lot of the Waves plugins look better than they sound!


    For general mixing - Equilibrium EQ on everything, Slate VMR, UAD and Cubase's included plugins (which are surprisingly useful).


    That's all I ever use no matter the genre, other than effects stuff.


    There are plenty of things plugins can't do - none of the Pultec EQ plugins (even UADs) come close to the real thing ... but they're good enough for some things buried in the mix. But that also doesn't mean that the plugin versions are no good - just not the same :)