Reamping softsynths. Left channel through Focusrite ISA One, right channel through Ampeg PF20t tube amp. Sometimes I like to live on the edge though, and just switch the channels. So left channel through Ampeg PF20t tube amp and right channel through Focusrite ISA One. But only on special occasions.

 

I don't know what my secret weapon would be, but I can say for sure one of my friend's secret weapon is ShaperBox2.

 

In my opinion some plugins definitely help making your workflow faster and better, but it's all about the knowledge on how to make things work. You can achieve similar results using many different ways. Using both inside and outside the box thinking.
And that's the beauty of music (and also music production) in general...

The truth exists somewhere in the middle, like in real life most of the times... (The whole plugins comparison thing.) But I have to say, it leans more closely towards to the knowledge factor in this case.
There's not really a magical plugin out there, but some tools are slightly better than others indeed, however the differences most of the times will be barely noticeable.

Whether you use your DAW's built in tools or an expensive plugin you can achieve similar results... You can always do a test with the same effect chains exactly and everything (settings wise) that you would use with the plugin of your choice.

(At least that's if it's about plugins mostly related to mixing and mastering and not plugin instruments like Superior Drummer 3 for example to name 1).

Moreover, I would also add that, it's always good to learn by questioning things and improving by your own experimentations, as well as being open-minded by exchanging ideas (Teaching and learning at the same time.) with other people. Preferably humble ones that appreciate all plugins in general and avoid comparing and talking shit about them too much... In the end, a tool is better than having nothing at all in your tools arsenal. Sometimes, we maybe forget to appreciate that we are living in an era where we have lots of useful tools in abudance, where most of them can get the job done.

(I am sadly one of those kind of people. I would say a bit greedy, but well we are a bit spoiled because of the times we are living in and you know the other reason... Always wanting to try out a new plugin, when we already have an existing one that already works pretty well.
Ok, that might not be that bad, but it definitely limits your music production time.)
But generally speaking there's always room of improvement, again like with everything else in real life...

But thankfully there also logical people like him out there, the likes of whom can restore back everyone's mental health.

 

No secret weapon as such. For me it is all about understanding any given plugin's strong points, and utilizing it to it's fullest.

 

TDR stuff recently

 

What they are not going to tell you is that by 2035,plug-in developers will be emulating aliasing, which is infact our secret analog weapon today
Happy new year looooooser

 

I could tell you but then you'd have to sign the NDA. OK, I'll give you a clue. It's from TDR and it is a limiter with a °6 in the name.

 

made my own

 

Tapedesk is a 2 in 1 solution, with very low cpu. My goal isn't to have the best but to have a consistent sound. I have limited my plug-in chain and consistently mix with the same plugins. In that way I get similar sounds across the board. It's not a matter of genre but workflow. I usually don't mix with meters but ears. If I could get other better options with low cpu (tape machine and analog console, irrespective of developers) that are both good sounding and low on cpu enough for me to put on all tracks to simulate a near perfect analog workflow, then I'm in.

 

Instrument? : Art Vista Grand Piano (https://www.artvista.net/vgp3.html) for ALL of the libraries I poke at, this one feels and sounds so natural it's a delight.
Plugin? : FabFilter Q3 or Wavesfactory Trackspacer ... bit of a toss up.

 

Electronic music here : Izotope Tonal Balance 2 with reference tracks from stuff u know & like its tone, to get a similar freq spectrum. My translation got way enhanced thru this.
Working with voxengo span (or any spectrum analyzer) i can quickly recognize peaks & resonances and quickly tame them with pro q 3 dynamic eq (plus using pro q as a dyn eq plus upward expander at the same time works wonders for flesh & clarity).
Fircomp2 on pretty much everything, so transparent & great sounding.
Canopener for working on headphones.

 

Hey, thank you for this. Makes a lot of sense.
I was just wondering if Tape would lend itself to pretty much any genre and anything. It would basically emulate the experience of working in an analogue environment from the 70s or 80s, right?

 

I didnt explained myself very well, since english its not my first language.
What i meant its that nice looking graphics give the placebo effect to the ignorant user that it will sound more "analog".

Of course i dont want stick figures lol but for example Fabfilter plugins managed to do a nice looking UI while not trying to "emulate" an old compressor from the 90´s that no one cares about.

 

Exactly, however, that tape sound is meant to be a subtle thing, which when on all individual tracks could give a "tape sound". This sound doesn't necessarily need to be pleasantly sounding, it's just a characteristic sound just like on old systems. Remember it is a work flow and not necessarily a good one. Even in the 80s, using this work flow doesn't always guarantee a positive sound. It should rather be a habit u cultivate when working. Pick ur best tools, learn them perfectly and develop a workflow best suited for you to be flexible and faster in delivering great mixes

 

nimble kick

 

noiseash need84 recently..

 

These days it's Adptr Audio Sculpt. It's like a dream come true: Gullfoss, Soothe2, Spiff and C6 all rolled into one.

 

*Secret plugin*

 

IMO a very ignorant statement.

 

Soundtoys Crystallizer is no joke. I use it very often to give a granular delay/reverb type of effect. I typically only have it at 33% or lower.
I like to transpose a melody one or two octaves higher than I want it to play. I create a chord progression and arpeggiate it. I put Halftime on it somewhere between 50 and 100 %. This pitches the melody down and slows the rate of the notes. I EQ the low end which is typically heavy after the application of Halftime. After all of this I apply Crystallizer at a 33% or less setting (usually with the reverse setting FYI).
Give this a shot, it produces interesting takes on your progression.