If you want your EQ coloured, you are right and Kirchhoff is not that convenient.
The thing for me is, that it instantly replaced Pro-Q3 as my go-to eq plugin. The reason is simple as it gets: in every scenario I tried it, Kirchhoff gave me better sounding results.

 

Right, I didn't realize it's a Dyn EQ..
I will have to check it out, as it seems to have so much praise.

I always had Redline EQ as the go-to Dynamic, as it's got good range and offers Great precision/control,
but it's kind of a buggy plug which you can only load a couple or three instances without crashing.. (or that's how it used to be..)

 

Last edited: Dec 28, 2022

VST:
Kelvin - Tone Projects (most analog saturation i've come across to date)
Kirchhoff EQ (better sounding and more functionality than Pro-Q3)
Quantum 2772 Evolution - Savant Labs (beautiful reverb)
Dist Coldfire - Arturia (super rich distortion with heaps of options. The germanium module sounds mint)
P42 Climax - Pulsar Modular (high quality Neve transformer emulator)
BB.N105 - KIT Plugins (Awesome Neve EQ emulation. It made me sell my Acustica Gold4 plugin)
Needlepoint - Unfiltered Audio (it just sounds cool. I love pitching down drums using this, and the compressor in this sounds great too)
Xtressor - Kiive Audio (probably the best Distressor emulation now)
Firechild - Tone Empire (awesome Fairchild emu. One of the better ones i've found. Their OptoRED comp sounds very analog too. Tone Empire are underrated)

VSTi:
Ondine - Teletone Audio (beautifully rich, spacious, tasty analog synth sounds, with an interface that allows for inspired flow)
Tympo - Teletone Audio (awesome sounding vintage drum sounds, with an interface that allows for innovative beat creation)

Software:
RipX - Hit'N'Mix (for extracting stems from 1 master song. Better results than RX Music Balance)

 

I do really like Kelvin.

 

Edited my first post. New no. 1 VST this year changed!

 

Overall I think it was TONEX.

+1 for Unfiltered Audio Needlepoint. The pitch thing is a gem. Don't understand how PA can sell pretty much all Unfiltered Audio plugins for so cheap. I got it with Bass Mint for like 10 USD.

Also +1 for Kirchhoff, although I'm gonna wait until PA put it for 29 USD. I jut need the match EQ/Frequency clashing thing that FF has and I'm good to go, but they are probably working first on the saturation/non linear thing for the next update.

 

For me its Space Control from Acustica Audio.. that shit is crazy good! Worth every penny.

 

Facts! Glad someone else agrees. I prefer many comps over Unisum

Kelvin though is a real beast. As good as analogue for me - along with my Nebula collection

 

your own mind and ears.

 

Those aren't plugins released in 2022

 

Owned

 

I am just happy to see others confirming what my ears have been hearing and my mind not believing.

The Kirchhoff EQ almost restores my faith "the magic plugin" everyone always hunts for does actually exist. We have had Mac release for some months now and it's nothing short on quality vs a UAD option.

"There once was an EQ in the North Atlantic".

 

Damn, after all these years I finally cave in and buy some hardware, and BOOM, next thing I know someone starts this thread

Ummm... I guess Serum?

As far as I was able to demo it, definitely one of the best amp sims I've ever used

 

Last edited by a moderator: Dec 29, 2022

Aly James Lab's Samplight.
(Oops! Sorry, going back to 2023...)

 

There are so many areas you can divide an ambiguous word like "BEST" in plugins into. As a small example, The best in these categories:

• Distortion
• Equalization
• Phase correction
• Spectral analysis
• Modulation - subgroup this into to Wah, Autowah, Flanging, chorus, Phaser etc etc etc
• Tuning
• Pitch correction / Pitch altering/shifting
• Harmonizer
• Dynamics - Subgroup into Limiting, Upwards/downwards compression (passive.active)
• Loudness plugins.......
• Delay.....
• Reverb................................

You can keep going with categories then do the same with VSTi instruments...........

There is no best. There are definitely some that are much better than others and some that are consistently good in plugins and some with big names that occasionally turn out absolute shit.

If you asked me "The most consistent" I would say Fabfilter. They seem to consistently put out quality plugins that only get a little better with each release.

 

DSP56300 (virus synthesis)
Korg Modwave (wavetable synthesis advanced layered patches)
Cardinal with Surge Module support (abstract sound design, can become extremely surgical and detailed)
Kiive Xtressor (best distressor to date)
Pulsar Modular Climax (outstanding analog flavor tape emulation)
RIFT (xtreme distortion and fx module, can be used as sound deesign source)
Coldfire (distortion, mostly saturation, less diverse and extreme than RIFT)

 

Last edited: Dec 31, 2022

I thought BIOSTFU was an abbreviation of Buy It Or Shut The F*ck Up. I guess I was wrong.

 

When ever we come across threads like these, ppl always talk about fancy EQ, emulated compressors/Dynamics plugins and all other crap, which they have seen in a fancy plugin store. But the problem i see with that is whenever there is an upgrade for a plugin, they just claim just its better than the previous versions, and that makes me wonder what was wrong with the previous version or didnt they want to add all those features in the first release itself. I mean programmers working for the developers must have invested a hell lot of time and effort and brain power to write the program. One thing most of these upgrades does perfectly is drain the juice of the computer than the previous one ( i really dont want to mention any name), but i just respect the people who worked for and usually dont upgrade unless if its utmost necessary.
It has become a commercial cesspool just like everything else, but just happened so fast.

There wasn't anything to my interest Cherry Audio GX 80 was good but there are other CS 80 emulations though.
Anyway, to my point, like i said no one talks about midi effects, or songwriting tools or music theory tools.
Midi Mutator from MusicDevelopment was nice addition, as i own RC it came in as an free upgrade inside RC itself, but there is just the plugin without RC

 

And where are the hits you promised? ))

 

I've mentioned it before in another thread, but it'd have to go to Kazrog's True 252. That thing is delicious.
Honorable mentions go to NEOLD's U17, SPL's PQ, and Gforce Software's Oddity3 (and I'm not even a "synth guy.")