After mixing a whole song using only stock plugins both in reaper and sonar. I realized that both of them sounds more professional than using third party plugin. I'm starting to think some third party plugin developers are scamming us lol

 

i know one at least that does but they made him a hero here while his plugs are empty shells

 

haha, at the end of the day, all eqs do the same job. ive got more eqs and comps than i can count and i still use abletons stock eq8 and comp. i mainly use the 3rd party ones for coloring/mood

 

Its not about the picture or text name of a plugin that counts, its about what the plugin actually does to affect the signal itself!

 

Why did you think stock plugins are not professional? 70% of my work is done by stock plugins. I use 3rd party plugins mostly for coloring/saturation.

 

*professional, albeit somewhat limited. Like having nothing but a $5 hammer and a rusty chisel in your $60 toolbox
I'm here all week. Try the veal

 

It doesn't surprise me. The stock plug-ins are probably better integrated with their DAWs, to begin with. I use mainly Logic Pro X, and use its stock plug-ins unless a third-party plug-in a) uses considerably less CPU/RAM, or b) does something that the stock plug-in does not or cannot. For example, Logic's EQ is too CPU-heavy, so I use a lighter-weight one similar in design; Logic's compressor is good, but for vocals and master buss, I prefer others' characteristics; Logic's stereo delay and echo are good, but Native Instruments' Replika XT hits the spot better for me. When using Bitwig, I use its plug-ins almost exclusively, because they work so well (and sound so good) with that DAW.

 

Well, when you compare your old mixes (3rdpartyplugs) with your new one that’s been mixed with stock plugins, don’t judge the overall quality of the mix just on the plugins criteria alone. There’s many factors that counts as well and that could make a mix better or lesser.

It’s also pretty much about the sounds sources, recording (chain AND enviroment) samples used, etc. If your previous mixes that didn’t do that well with 3rd party plugins had shitty samples, recordings, sounds, etc. then you know the same old rule: Not even hardware units can polish a turd if the sounds selected in the writing/production process were bad, draft-ish, unrealistically arranged and cheaply recorded through a lot of compromises.

If you’re talking about the same song that you’ve mixed but with different plugins (third vs stock) and you felt that you’ve done a better job with the stock ones, that’s not just down to what you use but also how you use it. There seems to be true when they say that the speed of your mixing workflow can impact the quality of the end result as well.

The simplicity and speed of the stock plugins which doesn’t confuses the user must’ve helped you make a better mix, not the plugins themselves.

That’s the downside with 3rd party plugins. You have to learn them inside out and to organise your preset chains in some ways that you won’t wind up too much in the process of using them, the easier/faster you reach for a tweak the more you’ll preserve your initial/objective perception upon what that track/channel needs in terms of processing. The more time you spend on the interface of a 3rd party plug-in hearing that track looping countless times before you actually reach for the right tweak, the more you become used to that channel/sound and your judgement will be less objective and forgiving which will lead to a less good mix.

It’s all about the time you allow your brain to deal with a particular sound. The purpose of an objective judgement is based on workflow speed. Stay organised my friends.

Evorax

 

Please, not the veal.
url=https://postimages.org/][/url]upload ima

 

Yes! We noticed the same with an artist I work with. We tried many plugins, Waves etc, but in the end, got the best results using the Cubase stock EQ and Compressor

 

I beg to disagree lol. Tell me what can a stock plugin does that a third plugin cannot do? in reaper you have both the reaplugs and js plugins. It has a comp, eq, saturation, reverb, distortion, limiter etc.

In sonar you have the stock plugins which also have a comp, eq, saturation, reverb, distortion, limiter etc.

Integrated in both daws are analyzers and meters aswell. And to be honest all daws have this. So now tell me. Is it limited?

P.S. your veal has been BURNED my friend lol

 

What can a 9' grand do that Fruity Keys piano can't? What can a GT LP do that a cigar box guitar can't?
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by these questions. Starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix

 

Last edited: Apr 18, 2018

Why live life in mono... When stereo is so much better...

 

You get the impression that @Lambchop just says things for effect. Water off of a ducks back for the cognocenti.

 

*that's cognoscenti, U clever cognoscente U
Of course I write for effect. Do you really need me to explain why a concert grand sound different from a spinet, or why a scripted multisampled multi-gig piano library might sound different from Fruity Keys?

 

nah.. but I'm sure that you could, and would, if you were once again prodded into to showing everyone what a genius you are...
( and in possession of a wicked spell checker )

agree that differences between plugins seem to be a lot about smoke and mirrors, and voodoo gris gris nonsense...
I just love how so many of the plug reviewers conclude their tweaking with the caveat comment.. "it's subtle"
if you have to struggle to hear a difference.. there probably isn't much of one.

Oh, and while you're at it.. plug this in your pipe and smoke it !

 

Last edited by a moderator: Apr 18, 2018

Im talking about stock plugins for "mixing" not instruments. So your argument is invalid lol.

P.S. your veal is still BURNING lol

 

VSTI are plugins. Surprise! But yeah, you can get decent results with stock effects. Just like you can get workable tone from a Mexican Strat through a $30 amp. Not necessarily the tone you want, but it'll do.

OP thinks that third party plugins are the . For those who, like yourself, struggle to hear the difference between GM piano and a concert grand, they most certainly are. Consider picking up a different hobby

P.S. If you're avoiding 3rd-party plugs because $$$ (& do't do warez), here are some free plugs: http://www.vst4free.com/index.php?m=VSTfx

 

Last edited: Apr 18, 2018

Haha

I stopped mixing all my beats like it was the final mix and started making draft mixes where the mix was still sounding pretty decent with mostly stock plugins (occasional Waves L2, The Glue comp, Valhalla Verb).

After about 2 months of doing this, I realised my beats sounded pretty much like they did before with proper mixing...

I've since then just stuck to using stock plugins most of the time. Now days with samples being so high quality, mixing most times with insanely expensive and fancy plugins just isn't needed.

In the end if it sounds right, it sounds right.

Of course stock plugins won't compete with sample libraries like a beast Kontakt piano, but mixing wise and even synth wise most times, it really doesn't matter anymore.

 

I said Third Party Plugins "for mixing" and of course I know that instruments (soft synths) are VST's (Hence it is called VSTi). Stop making your argument valid when it is not. Look at my sentence I said "mixing with stock plugins" not making sounds or music. The keyword is "mixing" lol.

(your veal is burnt and it will never stop burning lol)

Anyways, What does the word below the lamb in your profile pic mean my friend? The lamb is cute though lol