Let's talk about plug-ins...

Vocals too high in the mix? Too low? Not even sure? Snare sounds wonky? And how do I make everything louder than everything else? Step in, step in, for your mix Viagra from people who know the secrets.
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Greg_L
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Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Greg_L »

I'm not much of a plug-in jockey. I use some basic shit and that's about it. I have a handful of go-to things for certain things. Let's share our lists and maybe get some ideas from each other. I'll start.

Compressors/Limiters:
Density MK III. - I use this on the drum bus. It's easy to use and does a good job of gently "gluing" the drums together. I'd say this compressor on the drum bus might be my secret weapon.
Black Rooster VLA-2 and 3 - These are "vintage" compressor/limiters. I like them a lot on vocals. I don't even know how or where I found these things, but they're fucking great.
Antress Modern Series - The Modern Compressor and the Lost Angel. Again, modeled after famous analog shit, the LA2A. Good for damn near anything. Easy to use.
ReaComp - stock standard Reaper compressor. Works good, looks terrible. I'll use this whenever for whatever, but not that often.
Blockfish - No idea where I got this goofy thing, but it works great on kicks and snares.
Waves V-Comp. Good for bass or drum overheads/room mics, don't use it for much else.
Waves L3 - Basic transparent brickwall limiter
Voxengo Elephant - Another brickwall, pretty good mastering limiter. Quite transparent.

EQ:
ReaEQ. Another stock standard Reaper plug-in, and honestly, I don't see how an EQ can be any better than this thing. Good parametric EQ.
Kjaerhus Classic EQ - This is a basic graphic EQ. Not too useful, but I put it on the master bus and work the sliders to see what, if any, ranges need to be addressed in the mix.

Reverb/Delay:
I use convolution reverb impulse files almost exclusively. I have tons of them.
Reaverb - Stock Reaper convolution reverb host. It also works for cab sims, or any impulse file.
SIR - Convolution reverb host, looks terrible, very functional and tweakable.
Glaceverb - The only stand-alone reverb plug I use, and I love it for percussion like tambourines, handclaps, foot stomps, etc.
Kjaerhus Classic Delay - Good for vocal slap-back, tempo matching, very adjustable, sounds and works good. Good for automation too.

Other shit I sometimes use:
Voxengo Span Spectrum Analyzer. It is exactly what the title says.
Waves MetaFlanger. Great flanger for guitars, bass, or across anything in a mix. Don't use it often, but it's a cool effect sometimes.
ReaGate - Stock Reaper noise gate for when I don't feel like snipping out lip smacks or tom-tom rumbles.
Antress Modern Analoguer - A "tape saturation" plug in. Not my favorite effect, but it sounds good on vocals or bass.
Transient Monster - I have no idea where I got this, but I've had it a very long time. It's a transient shaper, kind of like a weird compressor. I only use it on snare drum close mic tracks. It really helps bring out attack or body in a snare drum track. It's good for bottom snare tracks too to help with some snare snap and sizzle.


And....that's really about it. If you went in to one of my mixes, this is about all you'll ever see. :wank: :biggrin:

Let's see what yall got. I'm open to try some new stuff out.
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Armistice
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Armistice »

I use the same basic Reaper ones - EQ / Compress and convolution reverb.

Blockfish, Spitfish (although not much these days) and other other Fish (can't remember) get a run every now and then.

I also use Glaceverb as a separate reverb but rarely on a send bus.

The Voxengo Span thing at "mastering" time, along with GClip, Event Horizon, Basslane (no idea if it's doing anything) and one of the M series EQs.

Other than that, I have a couple of tape saturation plugs which I'll put on things from time to time, a few "preamp" plugs which are also occasionally useful as softeners - where I've decided that single coil guitar tracks are a bit strident and the like, and a handful of general guitar effect things if I want to add vibrato, tremolo, delay and the like in post rather than re-record with it on via a pedal, but with delay and reverb, on guitars at least, I'm heading towards recording with it via a specific pedal and working everything else around it.

I have heaps of stuff I've downloaded and never used, as probably we all have. I should have a bit of a clean up, I guess.

No particular use for the standard amp sim plugs - don't think I've ever got a decent sound from one, but I probably lack the patience to tweak them - but being in an apartment, it's difficult to get decent volume going to get good crunchy and distorted noises from my amps, to which end I have a (gasp) Kemper which is not actually a plug in, so I'll leave that for a separate thread.
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by WhiskeyJack »

What is that voxengo span thing? I have that. Ive never used it amd hardly know what ot does? Ya'll got a coles notes version of what it does?
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Greg_L
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Greg_L »

WhiskeyJack wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:43 am What is that voxengo span thing? I have that. Ive never used it amd hardly know what ot does? Ya'll got a coles notes version of what it does?
It's a spectrum analyzer. It's mostly useless as far as I'm concerned. It's akin to mixing with your eyes, which we all know is not the best thing to do. I suppose if you're way out in left field it can be helpful in some way. I really only use it to check RMS levels.
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Armistice
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Armistice »

Greg_L wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:48 am I really only use it to check RMS levels.
Yep - the same basically. Comes out at mastering time only. Can't say I've particularly ever looked at it as an EQ analyser.
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Greg_L »

Armistice wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:04 am I have a (gasp) Kemper which is not actually a plug in, so I'll leave that for a separate thread.
Damn really? Let's hear it. As much as I despise the slow death of real amps, I've always been intrigued by the Kemper's witchcraft voodoo.
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Roman »

I love real amps. The problem however is you have to have lots of them. For myself anyway. I can buy them but I seem to have trouble with selling them. :D Even when I decide to sell one to finance another, somehow I'll pull off getting the new one, and won't be able to part with the previous one. Oh well, they all have their own unique character.
I guess this is where the Kemper is cool, in that it can get those different "characters " in one box.

Anyway, plugins;

In Protools, I'm more than happy with the factory stock plugs.
Wirh reaper, those plugs are cool too, but I dont like the layout or the goofy extra window shit. Im always shrinking down the excess.
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by ocnor »

This is mainly what I use:
Stock Reaper plugins
Density MKII
BootEQ MKII
Modern Lost angel
Modern Seventh sign
Classic Delay
Easylimiter
UD Flange
Another toy that helped destroy the elder race of man..forget about your silly whim it doesn't fit the plan.
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Armistice
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Armistice »

Greg_L wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:16 am
Damn really? Let's hear it. As much as I despise the slow death of real amps, I've always been intrigued by the Kemper's witchcraft voodoo.
LOL - the only time I actually posted in the original HR New Tone Thread was with the Kemper - wanted to see if anyone would pick me up on it.

I'll actually have a bit of time tomorrow for the first time in ages, so I'll knock a couple of clips up and post them, maybe - I was doing some for JD a while back but I got sidetracked.

I don't particularly "do" high gain tones much in this particular path of my musical journey, so any deficiencies might be me rather than the machine, but I've been going to start a thread about it anyway, with the aim of getting some help on the higher gain stuff. Might be a good time.
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Greg_L »

Armistice wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:42 am LOL - the only time I actually posted in the original HR New Tone Thread was with the Kemper - wanted to see if anyone would pick me up on it.

I'll actually have a bit of time tomorrow for the first time in ages, so I'll knock a couple of clips up and post them, maybe - I was doing some for JD a while back but I got sidetracked.

I don't particularly "do" high gain tones much in this particular path of my musical journey, so any deficiencies might be me rather than the machine, but I've been going to start a thread about it anyway, with the aim of getting some help on the higher gain stuff. Might be a good time.
Awesome, yeah do it. I'm never gonna buy one, but I'm interested in hearing some real results from someone using one.

What do you consider "high gain" though? I think that term is relative. Compared to Jazz, I do high gain tones. Compared to Pantera, I'm pretty mild.
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by HatfieldCreek »

I find I'm using plugins less and less these days, but when I do it's usually stock DAW options (Logic, Reason, PT, Ableton), or the waves complete pack. For a few years the SSL channel was on every track of every mix, but I've been playing around with printing my effects to the track. It's not something I would do for a normal studio session, but for my own stuff I've been liking the limits it puts on me (I'm notorious for changing the effects on vocal/guitar tracks to the point that nothing is right anymore).
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Greg_L »

HatfieldCreek wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:57 am I've been liking the limits it puts on me
I'm with ya there. I put a lot of emphasis on the tracking stage and do my very best to not become a slave to plug-ins. I adopted a "track it and live with it" mentality a long time ago, and my mixes are better, and no one fucking knows or cares that I'm not stressing over tenths of a db on a compressor threshold setting.
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Armistice
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Armistice »

Greg_L wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:52 am
Armistice wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:42 am LOL - the only time I actually posted in the original HR New Tone Thread was with the Kemper - wanted to see if anyone would pick me up on it.

I'll actually have a bit of time tomorrow for the first time in ages, so I'll knock a couple of clips up and post them, maybe - I was doing some for JD a while back but I got sidetracked.

I don't particularly "do" high gain tones much in this particular path of my musical journey, so any deficiencies might be me rather than the machine, but I've been going to start a thread about it anyway, with the aim of getting some help on the higher gain stuff. Might be a good time.
Awesome, yeah do it. I'm never gonna buy one, but I'm interested in hearing some real results from someone using one.

What do you consider "high gain" though? I think that term is relative. Compared to Jazz, I do high gain tones. Compared to Pantera, I'm pretty mild.
Good point. I normally stay in the clean to crunchy zone and layer multiple guitars playing different things, the cumulative effect being reasonably noisy - gets mushy very quickly if I have too much gain.

The clip I posted at HR had a metal-ly sort of riff just repeated L/R, so I picked what I though was an appropriate Marshall profile (think it was an 800) and played it. You commented on it when I posted it, as did Miro, SBL and Lt. Boob, from memory.

But it's nothing like as "high gain" as modern metal etc. The tone would work just as well for hard rock stuff. It was sort of "early Aerosmith" levels of gain, I guess.

I'll dig it out tonight when I get home from work and put it in the Tone thread here, but I'll start a specific Kemper thread tomorrow and put up a few different tones there for the guys to have a listen to.

Thing is, I do want to actually make a song out of that original clip, as I like the riff, so I was going to put it up again to get some tips anyway.
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by raphazzz »

So far just Addictive Drums 2... lol
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Tadpui »

I'm not a huge plugin junkie myself. I have my favorites and I tend to just keep coming back to them. Let's see...

- ReaEQ - I use this on just about every track of every project
- ReaInsert - for looping in outboard gear. I use this a ton, even though it can be a little quirky
- Lexicon MPX Native - it's their entry-level reverb plugin, and I use it a ton
- Waves L1/L2 Ultramaximizer - this is basically the only step in my idiot-proof "loudifying"/mastering process
- Waves H-Comp - nice analog-sounding compressor for those times when I want to ruthlessly crush something or can't be bothered to hook up a hardware compressor
- Waves H-Delay - another cool analog-sounding unit, nice flexible delay with mono and stereo options
- Kjaerhaus Classic Master Limiter - I love this on kick and snare when using drum samples. Adds some nice beef when cranked and blended in via wet/dry control
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by Tadpui »

raphazzz wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:44 pm So far just Addictive Drums 2... lol
Nothing wrong with that! They're very nice sounding drum samples.
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by rammer24 »

Tadpui wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2017 5:57 pm I'm not a huge plugin junkie myself. I have my favorites and I tend to just keep coming back to them. Let's see...
I am. But only in the the sense that, as soon as I see a new free plug in, I have to have it and I download it. But I still probably only really use about 3% of the plugs I have. :D
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by JD01 »

rammer24 wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2017 6:11 pm
Tadpui wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2017 5:57 pm I'm not a huge plugin junkie myself. I have my favorites and I tend to just keep coming back to them. Let's see...
I am. But only in the the sense that, as soon as I see a new free plug in, I have to have it and I download it. But I still probably only really use about 3% of the plugs I have. :D
Where do you find out about all these free plugins? I only have EZ Drummer, a few free Focusrite ones that came with my interface and a few EQs and compressors that Greg pointed me to.
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by rammer24 »

JD01 wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2017 6:16 pmWhere do you find out about all these free plugins?
Besides coming across people talking about a certain plug, the 3 main places I've found most of my plugs are here:

http://www.vstwarehouse.com/

http://www.vst4free.com/

https://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/downloads/
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Re: Let's talk about plug-ins...

Post by JD01 »

rammer24 wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2017 6:22 pm
JD01 wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2017 6:16 pmWhere do you find out about all these free plugins?
Besides coming across people talking about a certain plug, the 3 main places I've found most of my plugs are here:

http://www.vstwarehouse.com/

http://www.vst4free.com/

https://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/downloads/
Cheers, will take a look. I'm after a really specific vocal distortion effect.
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