This may be covered already (If so I apologize and just delete the topic) Was curious if you guys would do a top 5 can't live without these plugins or tools? Or if you could only pick 5 plugins or tools for mixing and mastering what would they be? I'll start
1.Tie between EZmix2 or Waves Bundle
2.Klanghelm DC8C2
3.FL Convolver (For reverb ir's)
4.DMG Equilibrium
5.Tie between FabFilter Timeless 2 or Psp 85 or 608.

I use way more for specific things but I figured I'd list just mixing and mastering plugins and I know there's a go to plugins thread already but I figured I'd give this a try anyway.Look forward to seeing everyone else's top 5.

 

Yeah I love these topics!

1) Fabfilter Pro-Q
2) Voxengo SPAN
3) Smart Electronix S(M)exoscope
4) Ableton Live Native EQ
5) Ableton Live Native Compressor

I'm a huge fan of native plugins, using them makes my workflow much faster and I'm much more focused.

 

Hmmm: - Fabfilter Pro-Q (i've got used to it from a long time and now i work super fast with it but i mainly use it only when it comes about surgical tweaking)
- Fabfilter Pro DS (best Deesser in my opinion and i just can't live without it with when it comes about mixing vocals)
- Echoboy (as well as the first, i've got used to it too much)
- VolumeShaper (happens often to get EDM songs to mix or requests to compose and i already made some presets for this VS which helps me to get the job done faster than a traditional "compression method".
- Nebula Stuff.

I use other plugs as well, even some stock ones, but not that frequently, just depends on what i'm workin' on and what i need to achieve.

 

- UAD G master buss
- UAD ssl e-channel
- Ableton EQ8
- Sonnox eq-filters (or UAD cambridge)
- Waves L3 multimaximizer

(but also : Ozone imager, UAD 1176SE, Ableton Limiter, DMG Equity, DadaLife Sausage Fattener (only 1-3% fat though))

 

I haven't reached the mastering stage so these are just the first 5 favorite mixing plugs/tools I come to think of.

1 - Izotope stuff (all and anything but mainly Nectar, Alloy, Insight)
2 - Fabfilter Pro-Q and Pro-MB - I think I love these, even though I'm still just in the process of learning how to use them really well
3 - Valhalla VintageVerb
4 - Klanghelm DC1A and IVGI - great freeware plugs for comp n sat
5 - BBE Two Timer - gotta have some simple n odd ones for sth xtra here n there, this for cool echo fx

Since I'm gonna work a lot with vocals now I gotta check this puppy out *yes*

 

01 - Studio One Native Plugins
02 - D16 Group - Sigmund [Delay]
03 - 2cAudio - Aether or Wizoo - WizooVerb W5 [Reverb]
04 - DMG Audio - EQuilibrium [EQ]
05 - iZotope - Ozone 5 Advanced [Mastering]

 

Never forget the native tools of your DAW !

-Ableton 9 EQ8
-Ableton 9 Glue compressor/Classic One
-Ableton 9 Simple Delay
-Ableton 9 Utility
-Brainworx Meter

This is the straight classic tools i can't compose and mix without.
But i like colors so that i use a lot of stuffs from Audiodamage,D16 and so on...

 

Pro Tools Stock EQ

DMG Equilibrium

Native Instrument's Supercharger GT (quick favorite)

Stereo Tools

L2

 

1. Izotope stuff (Insight, Ozone 5/4)
2. Reaper/audition builtin stuff
3. Flux Stereo tool (free)
4. Voxengo stuff (SPAN Plus, HarmoniEQ, etc)
5. Bluecat meters (FreqMeter, Oscilloscope, etc)

 

In no particular order:

- Fabfilter ProQ
- AOM Invisible Limiter
- Nomad Factory's Pultec emulation
- Waves CLA-76 (I'd actually put all 3 CLA comps but I don't want to be "that guy" lol)
- Waves J37

 

-NuGen ISL
-Nebula (Different library)
-Waves SSL Master buss comp

 

Currently all of the top 5 spots would go to AOM plugs. I can openly say I get horny just thinking about them.

 

Five "desert island" plugins? Or five bundles of plugins? ;) I think it's the former. Saying you can't mix without the Waves bundle is saying you can't mix without some 200 plugins or more?!

Anyway. So I can't make anything without a good EQ, compressor, reverb, some multi fx plugin for delay, chorus, phaser etc and an analyser. I could also do everything with hundreds of Reaper's native plugins, but let's think broader than that. Five "don't make me do it without them" plugins. No bundles.

- DMG Audio EQuality
- DMG Audio Compassion
- ValhallaRoom [although I prefer the sound of VintageVerb a bit more, but the Room is far more versatile]
- IKM Amplitube for all the FX
- Voxengo SPAN

In reality, I did purposefully constrain myself to a limited number of plugins like that because it does have a very positive influence on your workflow. There is *not* so much difference between the plugins as there is between hardware "plugins", so there's no need to be very picky, but I am.

OT: However, I choose what I think is the best for me and stick to it. Like Windows XP, for example, that I'm still going to use for audio for a long time to come. But Linux won my heart, literally I got in love with it . Now I only wonder why the fuck have I been waiting for so long to use it as my main OS?! [I used it in VM] Gosh it works so fast and smooth! And it looks like whatever you want it to look like. Particularly Debian with LXDE window manager or Mint Debian with LXDE or MATE... man, I so wish to use it for audio but I also love DMG, Valhalla, IKM, Voxengo, Toneboosters, Klanghelm, Fabfilter, Sonimus and HoRNet plugins. So fookit, eh? You can't polish a turd, but at least it can be a shiny turd, eh? [regarding Microsoft OSes] For as long as I can run my plugins with it and it's stable, everything is just fine.

Cheers!

 

Always in the mix-master

Sonalksis free G (each track)
Brainworx Meter
Fabfilter ProQ
Izotope alloy and ozone
Tonebooster barricade (or AOM Invisible Limiter)

Then.......all the other

 

Liquidsonic Reverberate
Soundtoys echoboy
UAD La2a
Brainworx Bx-digital
Waves C1 comp

I would really miss em if i didn't have em.
But i could come up with at least 5 other plugs i also need as much.
A De-esser for example and Limiters by Waves or T-racks......etc. etc.

 

Always in mastering (digital stage):

* Voxengo CurveEq (only for surgical cuts)
* DDMF LP 10 (only for surgical cuts)
* A.O.M. Invisible Limiter
* A.O.M. TranQuilizr
* iZotope MBIT+ Dither

... but the chain goes on with (analogue stage):
* Lawo W990 VS (Volume
* WSW DIA (Line driver)
* HiPassFilter (Custom made Class A)
* SSL 4000 (comp)
* Neumann W 492 (Eq - gain stage modified)
* Gyraf Pultec (Eq)
* Tubetech SMC 2b

For the kind of music I'm working on (modern classical and acoustic music, some jazz, prog & rock) it's quite impossible to gain a decent quality with only digital mastering ...

 

T-racks metering
Fabfilter simplon
Studio one stock
Waves
Gclip

 

1 - FabFilter Pro-Q and Pro-L ( they count as 2, sorry )
2 - Maag EQ-4
3 - LiquidSonics Reverberate with some nice IRs
4 - Cytomic The Glue if I mix in Logic - Ableton's Glue comp while composing, same algorithm btw
5 - TDR Feedback Compressor (free)

For metering the oldie-goldie great Dynamic Range Meter (free) & PSP VU-2 from time to time.

That's a must, I use it a lot to bring down the level after pushing hard to saturate
on plugs with emulated output stages, and is an essential tool for Nebula gainstaging too!

I use some more 3rd party but not so much, recently felt in love with T-Racks UREI compressors emu.
For everyday eq and compression duties Ableton's built in, for sidechaining always Live's compressor, to me it is pretty good for that.
Then for FX other 7-8 3rd party plugs, that's all.

And last but not least some Nebula too, when CPU power permit!

:dancing:

 

Sorry i don't use tools I Mix with high Quality Samples(192Khz & 32bit floating point) and tracks Masters themselves

 

1 Nebula (cabs, EQ boosts, console, reverb... )
2 Softube CL1B (or FET )
3 Elephant or Pro-L (sorry again ) brickwall limiters
4 Decapitator
5 Alloy 2 (all-in-one mixing tool)

I'm more and more looking into Native Instruments mixing tools with Softube engines