If i"m mainly using Logic Pro X, would that restrict me to its plug-ins? If so, that wouldn't be bad – they're what I'd started with, and they've improved over time. If not, I'd have to agree with a lot of people here that FabFilter would be the one – though Waves has everything in the world covered, no?

 

Sonnox

 

You can do a lot of things with STOCK plugins and freewares.
What those plugins CAN'T do ? That's the question.

There is no free/stock equivalent to Nebula/Acqua
Same with most AudioDamage
Fabfilter suite is very nice too, but i don't think sound is so "unique".
Soundtoys, Softube ... can be partialy replaced by Nebula/Acqua.
Waves : a lot of plugins ... very redondant
Valhalla : no equivalent price/quality because reverbs are a very different animals

One "suite" ?
None so far ... i picked individual plugins ;)

 

Stock plugins are perfectly fine. I used the Cubase stock plugins for years before I started really getting into third-party plugins and they always did the job, especially bread and butter plugins like their eq and compressor.

 

I was on the fence with Audio Damage, especially since Dubstation is one of my favorite delay plugins. They really so make excellent plugins but fall more on the unique/creative spectrum for me. Not a bad thing mind you, but for an all in one package, I think theyd need to create more workhorse plugins to fill the gap.

 

I've never used Acustica plugins... are they really that CPU hungry?

 

For digital stuff, iZotope or Fabfilter.
If you mind about analog stuff Slate Digital or Waves.
If you mind about CPU resources Overloud or Fabfilter.

 

Hello @aymat

For composition & music making the Spectrasonics Team is my first choice Top class & from a team with a great story behind them.

For mixing/mastering i would say FabFilter all the way,but since you're using Soundtoys you are all good imho

also please consider Psp audioware & everything from pluginalliance

 

I find the tuner very useful

 

Reaper's stock plugs are good. They might not suit your needs or blow your mind but they do what they need to do and they have a lot of options that most plugs don't.

I'd be unoriginal and say Waves, they have everything.

 

myself, I exclusively look for ease of use and intuitiveness today. chasing "sound" as in inherent "sound quality" I dont care about anymore, I dont see any point with todays software.

on the other hand, the ease of use! the well thought out gui! features in a intelligent context! that will have real significance, that will make me use it. its the only factor nowadays, at least for me.

im at it looking and testing to get a "perfect" set.

 

Meldaproduction Total Bundle

 

Waves

Melda would be alternative choice.

 

interesting, when there are plugins that make things you simply cant do with stock plugins then I think for me it would be justifiable to use third party stuff.

so im very curious and would love to read more here from anyone about plugins within "normal" use with features/functions that "cant" be done with regular stock plugs

 

Last edited: Jun 7, 2018

Spectrasonics for sure would be in the running as one of my choices for comp/prod, although UVI wins for me since I use their libraries a bit more.

Fabfilter is definitely a winner. I personally use Pro-Q religiously and its my favorite eq plugin, and although I agree with a lot of people with regards to the quality of their plugin suite, I don't use anything else from them... although may I should start

PSP, also a great plugin suite. They've been around for so long though that their plugins have gotten a bit stale for me. There's only a handful of plugins I really like from them, the 608 Multi-tap delay (probably one of the best multitap delays available IMO), the 2445 EMT, and Nitro filter.

Pluginallience is unique in that its a bunch of developers under one roof. If I had to pick one for them, it would probably be the Brainworx stuff just because they have pretty much every angle covered.

 

Last edited: Jun 7, 2018

This x1000

Ive been down that road before and its just and endless circle, and getting caught up in whether one plugin sounds better than another really restricts creativity. These days I just stick to a handful of plugins that I use pretty regularly and its rare that I venture outside of that selection. I do from time to time still check new things if they seem unique enough in some way, but generally most plugins do the same thing. You might have a delay plugin that has one feature or differs slightly from another delay plugin, but at the end of the day, they pretty much do the same thing.

The most important thing for me is how useful a plugin is. My favorite plugins are the ones that do one thing extremely well. Secondary to that is how quickly can I dial in the result I'm looking for with that plugin. If a plugin can do both those things perfectly, I'm sold. Plugins don't have to have a million features to be useful, they just need to get the job done and done right with the least amount of work.

 

Last edited: Jun 7, 2018

As far as stock plugins go, I think most daws these days have just about every angle covered and anything outside of that falls under creative plugins.

Also, there's a lot to be said for stock plugins, especially if you're looking at midi. Cubase has some of the most useful midi processing tools available and only until recently have third party developers really started to ramp up creating plugins that are as comprehensive and useful. There's a good chunk of chord generator plugins now that weren't on the market a year ago, and those type of plugins are incredibly useful for someone who maybe isn't a classically trained musician or simply wants to experiment with chord progression ideas outside their normal spectrum.

 

Last edited: Jun 7, 2018

now, I must recognise there is a value in "new" we cant deny. lol. i mean if you sit for hours daily with your daw "new" starts to have certain appeal like in other aspects of life, a bit of nerdy excitement, it can cause a needed spark just as updates, so i fully understand why we test "new" even having already a plug, unless one is very controlled and serious about a workflow and sure, if your livelihood depends on your setup i understand one would handle it with care and restrictions.

also, some plugs i simply ignore, you simply dont want to use them, and end getting another that essentially does the same..it must depend on small details that make them cluttered or simply ugly? and that certainly has affect on the use. but again easy of use and then I must admit knowledge of what the hell im trying to do helps, a plug that "you" love I may hate because I simply dont know the thinking and the logic behind it well enough, that still happens to me with certain proggies.

well well, anyways, super interesting thread.

 

Last edited: Jun 7, 2018

[Edit]

Changed my mind. Now it's iZotope. Yeah, I like iZotope. I guess.

 

Last edited: Jun 8, 2018

If I really had to choose, I would right Fabfilter, Brainworx, iZotope and maybe Acustica Audio on a paper, put those in a hat and let the chance choose for me.
I use them all, sometime for the same thing, each brand have its own speceficity and it depend on the job. If it's more the artistic side of production, then Fabfilter or iZotope are great tool to build sound (they also have synth in their bundle, but I don't use them). If it's more the engeneering side of production, then Acustica Audio and Brainworx are great (but the other one too), maybe Brainworx would be the better choice cause it have some emulation in its suite but also more modern and transparent plugin (but the Acustica gave a better color when it's time to make artistic choice)

UAD suite would be nice too if this "restriction" give me the full access to their plugin, but not sure if we can consider this a brand suite, as most of their plug are made by other brand and adapt to the UAD platform (like Brainworx), so it's kind of like plugin boutique in a way