Like someone said on this forum, you need to learn professional tools to be professional.
To me, "industry standard" is bullsh*t : Reaper vs Protools, a compressor is a compressor...

But like Sky stated, when you search a job : Protools and Waves (to name a few) are mandatory. Who can buy them, before being ALREADY pro ?
Even Waves know it, that's why even being the most used in studios and most cracked, they didn't changed their protection. They know ppl use without paying, but they know future pros need to start on something...and pay latter when they CAN.
I'm for freeware/cheapware too, but it is NOT what audio industry use...sadly.
Nice posts Sky ! I wish you luck and happiness

 

Thats exactly the point, let me complete part of the history that i kept to my self on the post, in 2010 i tried the same job that i have now on the radiostation , i was working in a lanhouse making 250 dollars a month, i live alone and this is to little to do anything, i was 20 years old at the time, at the time i was using free plugins and a copy cracked of reaper. and i tried to take the job, i was basically trow out the door for the same guy that give me the job now. the reason was that i need to master the use of fabfilter, waves and izotope, it doesn't matter if a said that the controls is all the same on all plugins and i would learn really fast, he said that he have no time to teach somebody and kick me out.

In that moment i comeback to the lanhouse and start to download the plugins from air and R2R, its like the other guy said in this thread, if you know how to use the parameters like release, lookhead, and everything its all the same, and i agree, but what this guys from the radionstation want is somebody with deep knowledge. that can make the job fast,

I'm 25 years now, and took me 4 years to pass the basic and test every possibility that i know on the plugins. even working hard, on this same 4 years is impossible to make enough money to buy even one plugin, the 250 that i make that time was nothing, a normal person in brazil make at least 600 dollars,

Imagine, 120 dollars for rent, the house has 1 rooms that has kitchen, bathroom and bedroom in the same space, 25 dollars of water, 45 of energy, and the rest is bus and food, survive 30 days in brazil with 60 dollars for food is almost impossible, the jar thing doesn't work with this little per month, we dont make money by day, we make by month, this was the minimal salary in 2010. now to complete your imagination, take the 60 dollars, and imagine that every food on the united states costs 5 times the normal price, thats the value that the REAL our money has.

Thats way i am so grateful by the teams, if was not for them, like many other brazilians i would give up this dream to work mastering.

 

Internet is changing our society. I hope it will be like native Indians society where nobody keeps knowledge for themselves, everybody knows everything they need and share new discoveries. This would be much more human.

I´m from Brazil too, but I have a much more easy reality then Sky. But I can tell you that I did spend a lot of thousands of dollars with music already and earned very very little. My main function in music is to do recordings, mixing and mastering for small local bands for free. I´m not complaining (just my ex wife ), I don´t need the money and is a pleasure, I do this because I want to help them. Not easy to live with music here and we have a lot of talents around.

About releases and teams I am very very thankful to them because I downloaded everything they shared with the large public. Many of them I bought after a while, just what I really needed, and still someones on my list to buy. Other things I will never buy. I think teams work is very important for the world. And I know they could do even better some times. But I understand.

As a community and intelligent beings we could find a solution for that, we have a lot of people just ready to help in any possible way.

I think sharing knowledge and help people must be our target, always.

 

Last edited: Sep 6, 2015

Nice of you to record bands for free!

 

Couldn't agree more Artic

I myself was guilty of collecting plugins at one time. It took me a while to realise lol but i got to the point where I had 15 different compressors, 10 different versions of this & that & as you mentioned never used DAW plugins which sadly seem to be substandard much of the time for some reason.
It was mind boggling and totally counterproductive. Sure maybe some engineers need a zillion different plugins but that sort of setup was no use at all 4 me.
I have drastically cut back on the plugins I use and found that it has not only increased my creativity but got me to a point whereby I feel comfortable with the few I use and given me a much better insight into how to use them and what else they can be used for.
As they say "Too much of a good thing" and all that.
I plan on cutting back further still to hopefully gain even more insight with regards to the ones I do use

 

Totally agree with Clandestine and Artic.... less is more, less of "better" is more, and narrowing it down is great... and the quality of most DAW's built in stuff these days is pretty fantastic. My problem is that I have so many legacy products with stuff that I kind of have to keep them on hand... and whenever I get a new "toy" I immediately try and figure it out and learn it, and then of course end up writing something (even if just a brief idea)... and thus it becomes a boat anchor on my system! Probably the best way for me to deal with that (I'm on OSX) is to make some "unused" component/vst folders etc and offload to there what I am not using in most situations... then I could always just drag them in in the once in every 4 month scenario in which they may be needed...)...

but you guys are so so so right... learning a few pieces of quality, well thought out plugs, really clears your mind from the paralyzing struggle of deciding on yet "another" compressor or delay etc... when knowing just a few really well enables you to work far more efficiently, and without the mental clutter...

 

sisyphus you are spot on as usual

As for OSX i have zero knowledge but the idea is the same.
My problem is that primarily I am a musiscian/guitarist that dabbles in other fields lol.
Therefore many of the plugins on the market are of little use for me personally in achieving the sound I want. My sound is purely external & that's the way it will remain. That's why 4 me personally hardware is always a better option.
Like yourself I have loads of Old Skool gear & some of it is invaluable.
For me things plugin effects like phasers, chorus, delays, reverbs & just about all time dependent effects are of little use though I do try some and purchase the odd one. I must confess I do like the eventide plugs but give me the eventide space reverb pedal over the black hole plugin any day. For others though the plugin possibly more use.
The sound needs to be right before it goes in. However I am guilty of seeing a new pedal box & going wow I need that Much of the time I am disappointed. I started with a simple amp and a guitar & that was it. Nothing else. It does give you a good grounding though.
The plugins I mainly use are simply for trying to mix and master both of which I do badly lol!
Other plugins come in useful in terms of sound design etc but am a bit old skool in that give me a pedal board, tube amp and an sm57 with a good audio interface and i'm happy.
Of course mix engineers & the likes are going to need a whole lot more plugins but that's what they do so is best imo to focus on what you really need and then build.
The OP saved hard for Reaper 5 & so cool as fantastic DAW for the money and also has some great DAW plugins etc
I look at the price of Samplitude & compare it with Reaper and think wow where do they get that price from?
Of course we all have different ways needs etc but a good de-clutter often works miracles and helps focus at least till the tubes on my amp blow

 

Big thank you to all contributors and hard working teams.

Go V.R. and R2R!

 

thanks for your testimonial

I wish you good luck and a better life

 

Man... still better than 185.100 USD per month. Yes, people like me exist here.

 

Eastern Europe? I bet I can tell where exactly in eastern Europe)

 

personally im sick and tired of the relativism and arguments "defending" and accusing the release-phenomena.

don't like the "morality" of it?
don't use them and shut up!

you like them?
use them and shut up!

specially this never ending whining in every other thread of "this one is cheap, buy it", "this one is this", "this one is made by two", "i know the guy behind this one, support it and buy it", blah blah blah.

spare us your pompous thoughts on what is "right", when its right or when its not, the third world perspective, the "struggling corporation" and the rest of bollocks. from your bedroom you dont have a freaking clue on how others think or what situation they are in. see, there are people living in the "first" world that live worse than many in the "third", the variables are infinite.

behind there is always an attempt to limit and sanction the use of the releases to certain areas or certain situations. its an overall irritating futile discussion because its not up to you to decide the whos and hows

the ONLY ones that are able to do the distinction and have any credibility and say in this matter are the ones releasing the proggies. and they have already spoken, loud and clear

so keep your cheap shot morals to yourself and pls shut up

 

Last edited: Nov 21, 2017

Nice one from you sky. A touching story you gat there.Good to know that there are still people like you out there man.