# The best plugins. EVER.



## mbeckler (Jun 2, 2009)

Alright, I don't have the answers, but I was wanting to know what plugins everyone prefers.
Of course, none of them sound better than real outboard gear, and I think Waves and Universal Audio has some pretty good stuff, but what else is there?


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## Ziga (Feb 23, 2009)

hi!

i've been updating my vst folder recently, and right now my preferences are something like this:

EQ
- Sannox Oxford EQ for drums and bass. I like precison in the all important low end for those instruments and this plugin has it, plus the filters are nice and accurte.

- Waves SSL G-EQ for el.guitars and acoustic. This EQ just sounds like rock'n'roll! I honestly don't know why, but I could immediately get the guitar to have the bite that I wanted.

- Nomad Factory Blue Tubes EQ for acoustic and vocals. This is a more gentle one, so I use it when I only want subtle changes.

DYNAMICS
- URS 19x [x=70,75,80] compressor for drum spot mics. I like it because it has enough flexibility with the controls, and with drums I need the long attack time.

- Stillwell Rocket and Event horizon are both basicly limiters, the Rocket being sort of a 1176 guy that I use on sources that need fast attack times and the Event horizon being a clipping limiter that I use as "surge protection" on drums and sometimes on vocals.

- Waves SSL Bus Comp is in my opinion the nicest, smoothest comp. I use it on vocals, bass and drum bus, compressing around 2-3dB on the last. When it gets to vocals and bass, I'm more heavy-handed and get it working up to 10dB sometimes. The best thing is that it still stays clean, even at such extreme levels of compression.

- Sannox Oxford Dynamics for gating/expanding stuff like snare and tom tracks. I don't particulary like the comp on this one, it sounds harsh to me.

- SPL Transient Designer on drums and cymbals. When you have a track that was played by a not-so-perfect drummer and the hits vary in level so much, the treshold independent processing is a gift from above! 

MODULATION/SPATIAL FX
- Reverberate convolution reverb for plates and natural reverbs. It has the "realness" of the convolution reverb and the flexibility of an algorithm based ones.

- GS-201 tape echo for dub-style fx. I like to pan say a guitar hard right and the delay hard left to get a nice dreamy slapback and it sounds great! It has that nice hi-cut and easily blends into the mix.

* I use a TC Gmajor a lot for modulation and delay, but that's not a plug in... 

OTHER
- SPL Twin Tube is by far the best saturator/harmonic generator that I've had. I love it on drums and cymbals if they sound dull, it does miracles on vocals and I'm pretty shure it works great on anything you throw at it.

- Tessla pro/SE is another saturator, but this one works in a more subtle way. I use it if I just need some extra feeleng of loudness, but you have to realy crank it up if you want obvious distortion.

-Camel Crusher distortion for the in your face, screaming distortion. This one can get seriously mean! 


aaaaaand that's about it for now  I will let you know if I forgot about something.

aii


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## perritterd (Mar 11, 2010)

Ziga said:


> hi!
> 
> i've been updating my vst folder recently, and right now my preferences are something like this:
> 
> ...


ziga, you don't mess around! Good job...:bigsmile:


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## Ziga (Feb 23, 2009)

I'm not much of a spammer, but when I write something, I try to make it count  And by the way, I've forgot about the PSP Xenon limiter on the master bus, but I havent done any mastering since the change of my OS so I havent tried any new mastering plugins yet. Soon to come...


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## immortalgropher (Feb 16, 2010)

It depends.

EQ: Waves SSL/focusrite D2

Dynamics: 1176/digi comp/sonalksis

Verb- 112dB Redline Reverb (so super awesome it's ridiculous)

delay- stock pt delay


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## DragonMusic (Apr 6, 2009)

Massey plugins (all of them)
Softube Tube-Tech CL 1B
Waves SSL
Breverb


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## biigniick (Jan 26, 2010)

i really have taken a liking to the Flux EpureII EQ recently. it is very transparent and has all but replaced my Z-Sys hardware EQ.

also, the brainworx bx_solo is awesome and free. it does several useful monitoring tasks like solo left, solo right, sum (L+R), difference (L-R), and swap. and you can't beat FREE

- nick


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## ngarjuna (Mar 29, 2010)

Nebula 3 has unbelievably good:
-EMT plate
-Lexi 70s and 91s
-Tape emulation
-Console emulation
-EQs and filters
along with other goodies. The programs are sampled from actual hardware though it's not exactly dynamic convolution per se, but actually captures the non-linear behavior of said analog machines. Every category listed above have commercial programs which are absolutely top notch. Other than dynamics (which isn't really implemented into the sampling side so people haven't yet been able to add great compressor programs) you will be hard pressed to find any algorithmic or convolution models that nail the hardware sound and behavior like a well sampled 10 kernel Nebula program.

I would also mention that my go to buss compressor is Cytomic's the Glue, I like it much better than the waves SSL thing for that style of buss comp. Stillwell's new Bombardier does a nice job as well for a non-SSL buss comp.


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## chonc (Jun 9, 2009)

I absolutely love Altiverb and Speakerphone (convolution reverb and convoluting speaker emulation).

Those are tools that I use on my everyday work as a postproduction sound designer. Although I've mixed music using these two and sound great.

Recently I've had the chance to work with wave's SSL eq and comp and they rock!

For sound design I used a long ago a plug in named Freeze (not sure about the vendor) I had it as a RTAS running on Mac OS9. I got these amazing sounds from it, but I don't think they sell it anymore... There's riverun from Audio Ease, but it's not quite the same. 
Does anybody knows any alternative?


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## 0bazooka_joe0 (Mar 22, 2010)

Betabugs have a bunch of free and very useful plugins. 
Also, for those native users who are worried about plugin delay and dont want to futz around with calculating it yourself (many third party plugs give your DAW a false time delay anyway) mellowmuse makes ATA. It's a plug-in that you put on all your tracks. then you just hit the "Ping" button and it shoots a signal through all your channels to your master buss and it automatically adjusts for latency. All you have to do is remember to ping everytime you throw another heavy plug on a track. I think its about 50 bucks. They've got some cool tutorials on the site too.


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## marco_ktl (Sep 6, 2009)

Have you ever tried the Anechoic Room Simulator by Smartelectronix? It's the best room simlator around, in my opinion!:heehee:


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## Recordman (Apr 23, 2010)

The ones with no latency . oh to be a native user. but seriously im a protools users mainly but i also have logic and it kills me because logics stock plugs blow protools' out of the water! they're very good i sometimes import tracks into logic for processing.


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## Kirill (Apr 14, 2010)

mbeckler said:


> Alright, I don't have the answers, but I was wanting to know what plugins everyone prefers.
> Of course, none of them sound better than real outboard gear, and I think Waves and Universal Audio has some pretty good stuff, but what else is there?


Check also:

*Soundtoys* - Crystallizer, EchoBoy, FilterFreak, PhaseMistress, Tremolator. A bundle of sick plug-ins! A must to own if you like to experiment and break sound in to ionic particles. Just try them once you'll definitely fall in love. Chech it *HERE*

*Sonalksis* - Has a bunch of awesome plug-ins. Such as Compressors, EQs, Gates, Maximizers and much more. Check their staff *HERE*

*iZotop RX* - is great for audio cleaning procedures. Such as Declicking, Declipping (Removing unwanted distortion on a recording), Hum Removing, Noise reduction, Spectral Analysis and repair, EQ, Gain control, Resampling and Dithering. It comes in Standalone version, as well as VST and AU. Not sure about TDM/ RTAS. Great plug-ins. Check for more info *HERE*

Of course there is more to it. But sometimes there is way too much from what you really need. Gotta love Waves and UAD plug-ins. We got a UAD-2 for now in our studio. Awesome staff as well. 

Kirill

:T


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## Darnstrat (Jan 9, 2010)

DragonMusic said:


> Massey plugins (all of them)
> Softube Tube-Tech CL 1B
> Waves SSL
> Breverb


+1 on the Massey plugins.

The Nomad Factory Blue Tubes Analog Trackbox is really fantastic, especially on vocals.

http://www.nomadfactory.com/products/bluetubes_v3/blue_analog_trackbox/index.html


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## tehguit (Jul 19, 2009)

I'll put another +1 on the massey plugs. Wish i got in while he still had DTM available.

I'd have to say melodyne. I know auto-tune is sort of the staple, but i think melodyne just sounds so much more natural, i don't want to know there is pitch correction going on. Some people say they hear high end smearing from melodyne, but i doubt anyone is going to hear it in the mix. Thats not an excuse, its like very low headphone bleed, its there but once you turn anything else up, not any more its not. Pitch correction is essential in this day and age unfortunately.


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## marco_ktl (Sep 6, 2009)

tehguitarist said:


> Pitch correction is essential in this day and age unfortunately.


Quote you on this... yes, unfortunatly... :sad:

At least the guys at Antares are funny people!:mooooh:


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## Darnstrat (Jan 9, 2010)

tehguitarist said:


> I'll put another +1 on the massey plugs. Wish i got in while he still had DTM available.
> 
> I'd have to say melodyne. I know auto-tune is sort of the staple, but i think melodyne just sounds so much more natural, i don't want to know there is pitch correction going on. Some people say they hear high end smearing from melodyne, but i doubt anyone is going to hear it in the mix. Thats not an excuse, its like very low headphone bleed, its there but once you turn anything else up, not any more its not. Pitch correction is essential in this day and age unfortunately.


Yes, the Melodyne stuff is really, really good. Especially since DNA has come about. Amazing capabilities. I have some of the Antares products too, but the Melodyne ends up so much more natural sounding.

And I love Massey's DTM - so awesome!!


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## tehguit (Jul 19, 2009)

Kinda sad that autotune isn't even used what it is supposed to be used for anymore. Its now just a cheesy effect.

I wonder if there are any rnb singers who can sing anymore? Or pop singers. They must sit there and go... ok this guy/girl looks good, they have a messed up personal life so its good for the press... but they can't sing... hmmm.... ok lets destroy their voices! Yeah that'll do it.


Also have to put a plug for all the McDSP plugs, awesome, awesome stuff there. Adds a nice bit of colour.


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## bassman17 (Jan 24, 2010)

Didn't see PSP.... Great sounding stuff, my goto mastering EQ in the digital world. Lex 42, MasterComp and Vintage Warmer.... gotta luv em.

UAD of course. Melodyne is always good. Cubase's pitch stuff works well also.... easier certainly in the workflow. Its all good....:bigsmile:

-ashley


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## acegunn (Jan 10, 2010)

Stillwell Rocket, Bombardier for compressors and Stillwell 1973 for the 12k eq boost. Haven't really found my go to eq and reverb yet...


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## acegunn (Jan 10, 2010)

Oh, and I'm amazed at the free guitar amp sims available:
Le Pout, i really like the Engl clone and IR cab plugin (it lets you blend 2 IRs, great for the Redwirez IRs)
TSE X30
Nick Crow 6505


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## Peter Simonsen (Jun 22, 2008)

mbeckler said:


> Of course, none of them sound better than real outboard gear


That is a statement that imho is very hard to deside...The George Masseburg stuf sounds just as good to me digital as analog ;-).

UA makes some very intersting stuff that even the "big name" producers seem to agree that it very, very dificult to hear the difference among the digital vs analog units ;-) Eddie Kramer for one comes to mind here..*S*

Kind regards

/Peter


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## DIGIT (Aug 19, 2008)

What sound 'better' is a matter of personal taste. As for hardware vs software the point is moot. They sound different but the 'better' one will be whichever works best for you and the project your are working on.

I do everything in the box now - I have sold most, not all, my outboard gear and couldn't be happier with the result as well as the much improved workflow.


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## cdavis6406 (Sep 13, 2009)

Thats correct fella, there is no best plugin ever. There will be a best plugin ever for say that particular bass track, or best plugin ever for the DW Cust set I tracked for Tom S. and an mixing, etc. 

If the point is to see who prefers what, or just general info, Ive found that generally plugs and hardware are a "you get what you pay for", sort of thing. "most of the time". With exceptions like massey and a few others. But most plugs that come with DAW software are more than adequate, like Ptls stuff. 

Theres never really a silver bullet plugin, only someones knowledge of the ones they have, or heard and were it would sound the best.

I regularly use Mercury, MCDSP, MELDA, DUY, and the bundle stuff with PTLS(RTAS,TDM), Seqouia(for Stem Mixing and Mastering", and those also sound good. It boils down to knowing what the track needs sonically. And matching it up to a particular character that a plugin imparts to the source.

Use what you have untill it sounds good! Then at some point youll be able to say, "That vocal needs this plug or that, out of many plugins you have. Like hardware, I know when to go to the 1176, or LA2A or thorug the 747, or when it just wants to be left alone.

Best plugin in you can ever have is in stereo and attached to your head.


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## Darnstrat (Jan 9, 2010)

mbeckler said:


> Alright, I don't have the answers, but I was wanting to know what plugins everyone prefers.
> Of course, none of them sound better than real outboard gear, and I think Waves and Universal Audio has some pretty good stuff, but what else is there?


Here's a great deal - the Blue Tubes plugins are very, very good, and for what the price is here, there's no reason not to get them!

http://www.audiomidi.com/cust_search/Blue-Tubes-Effects-Individual-No-Brainer-Deals-P13938.aspx


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## bantam (Oct 25, 2009)

my list goes like this

EQ - nebulas eqs. closest to good hardware ive heard. analog in the box makes great ones.
UAD Pultec
Softube Trident A range
Verb - again nebula - vxt plate reverb sims are amazing
UAD plate 140/ space echo
TL space with some good ir's
Comp - softube FET
UAD La2a
SPL transient designer
mastering - psp xenon and neb eqs

plenty more but im using those now.


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## ejbragg (Dec 13, 2009)

I'm with bassman on my favorite plugs.

I love the UAD-1 plug-ins - especially the LA2A, 1176, & the Pultec.

I also happen to love my PSP plug-ins - they've some powerful, very clean stuff: The vintage warmer, the Master Q (a parametric)- can't live without that one, and some others they make which do everything from mimic valve & tape compression to creating low-end extension.

Also, as small and inexpensive as they are, David Brown plug-ins (if they are still available) actually have some pretty darned good stuff. I still use the master limiter, which is quite effective and relatively transparent, as well as the sidechain compressor.


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