Slate Digital VMR is out!

Quote from sambrox

I recommend using your stock plugins until you reach a point where you feel your mixes can't get any better with the tools at your disposal, or where you feel you could benefit from different flavours or colours. Both of these stages of course come after you understand what the plugins do and how and when to use them. The mistake that a lot of inexperienced users make or have made, myself included, is slapping plugins on a track just because 'the pros do it that way', not necessarily because the track needs them.
Cheers,
Sam

This is great advice and 100% agreed with. As for me, I invested in the UAD because I absolutely WANTED the Neve RS88 desk emulation and an EMT250 reverb. Plus the Studer tape emulation..
I try to mix and record with as few plugins as possible.

Quote from nightlight

Question is, what's the compelling reason for many of you guys to buy new plugins? Much better than the bundled stuff, with more features? Is it stuff you can't find in most DAWs anyway? Did you attain a level of proficiency before buying, or is it something that comes with acquiring such plugins?

Part is no doubt due to those natural human disorders:
1) Curiosity
2) "the plugin is greener on the other side of the fence"
3) Faux Happiness from buying newer stuff
4) Looks: who wants to work with sterile looking plugins?
5) Fun: I ideally like to work with cool looking and fun manipulating plugins, not sterile, boring or lack of UI. As this IS a hobby not a job for me.

But a LOT has to do with saving TIME, reducing CLUTTER and reducing CPU usage:
1) Usable Presets: This is rare, but wonderful when a preset is actually a great starting point.
2) Modern Interface: I LOVE classical interfaces. But if that can be married with a TRIM or INPUT, OUPUT and some freaking METERS, I love it more because I don't need 1 or 2 other plugins to do this for me. Levels going in and out of plugins are key, and older plugins which can sound great often also don't let you handle these things within them.
3) Sweetspot: Some newer plugins, like Boutique amps, narrow in on Sweetspots rather than give you so much sonic-carving room you get lost in the room. Pro's love that sort of flexibility, but for those of us who don't do this for a living, it's a distraction to getting on with the creativity.
4) Bundle: If one plugin can do the work adequately of several other plugins, this is worth it to me as it reduces plugin clutter.
5) CPU Efficiency: I have a newer PC that can handle a lot of plugins, but I often mix on my Macbook which is 2009, so anything that is efficient on CPU usage helps. I do make use of rendering FX in place when I have to. But sometimes I don't want to make such a mess when I'm toying with a new approach to mixing a song and need lots of plugins at once without freezing them.

Quote from Ingolf

This is great advice and 100% agreed with. As for me, I invested in the UAD because I absolutely WANTED the Neve RS88 desk emulation and an EMT250 reverb. Plus the Studer tape emulation..
I try to mix and record with as few plugins as possible.

I really liked your recommendation for The Recording Revolution because despite many books on mixing, not having ever learned from anyone directly, much less a professionally, it helps to actually hear and see someone mixing and giving you right-to-the-point tips.

You can learn all the ins-and-out of an EQ, but unless it's your bread-and-butter job, it gets in the way of this hobby for me. For a budding pro, a solid foundation from the start may be key, but for an amateur like me, when it starts becoming a chore, it becomes an ex-hobby.

Quote from db9091

I really liked your recommendation for The Recording Revolution because despite many books on mixing, not having ever learned from anyone directly, much less a professionally, it helps to actually hear and see someone mixing and giving you right-to-the-point tips.

Very true. Mixing Secrets has a LOAD of online demonstrations, examples and resources, luckily
Click

Cheers,
Sam

Oh cool, awesome! Thanks sambrox!

Wise words all!

I was going to get VMR, but I ended up going with softube's Console 1, and several of their plugins. I may still get VMR just to compare.

Waves had a quite reduced upgrade to Horizon's for my Diamond. I wasn't going to get it, but I did. I dig the vocal rider and bass rider sometimes when I'm doing dynamic singing/bass playing that are a bit out of my comfortable element. I find they use much less compression than dedicated compressors like these.

I am thinking of reserving these for background vocals, electric and acoustic. Maybe drums, but VI drums often are just fine with compression.

Funny Amateur Mistake: When I first listened to these, I didn't think much of them. But the project I used to test them on had a plugin on the Master track that was masking much of what these do! Once I took that off, I brought each track down to a properly trimmed -18, these plugins SAILED! Slate plugins have been subtle, but these most certainly are NOT subtle. But they are Natural (good sweet spots)

The general advice of "You can drop thousands on plugins, but if you don't know what the hell you're doing, it doesn't amount to anything" smacked me right in the face!!

I thank Ingolf with pointing me in the direction of seeking more knowledge and simplicity in mixing. I've not hit 5% into his advice and it's really a noticeable difference.