@ 8:41 of this video:

1. Apogee Clearmountain's Domains
2. Apogee Clearmountain Phases

Jeff says that they're insane, and nobody's using them.

I'd never even heard of these plugins. After doing some research after i saw this video, it turns out they get a LOT of praise from the mixer community. Up there with UAD quality as far as i can tell.

Thought it was interesting enough to share

Has anyone used these plugins? What's your thoughts?

 

Woulda laugh my ass off were it not for people actually genuinely having this belief.
You have to mix your whole life with something like Slate Digital or cheap analog gear to think of UAD's mediocrity as quality. They are overpriced hardawre-exclusive (up to recently) and never cracked, this lets UAD users feel Elite™
They're nothing special. I worked at the studio with Apollo Twin and quite a bunch of UAD plugins, and they're nothing special. Better than Slate or Acustica (which also were there and are just bad, you have to fight them and undo what they're doing to the sound if you're mixing with them), I guess, but that's a low bar to clear.

As for Apogee I've been curious to try them out for quite some time. But they are also never cracked and have the same fleur of elitism around them, so I'm cautious. Soft Limit was rather nice, but it didn't exactly blow my mind.

 

I'm genuinely curioius to know, what do you regard as the top quality sounding plugins if not UAD or Acustica?

 

I don't know if these are good but they're certainly expensive.

 

Still with the "secret weapon" magic formula? Come on guys, you should know that the secret is all in the composition, arrangement and promotion

 

They are insane because nobody's using them.
Imagine everyone would use them. I dont think they'd be insane then.

 

Knowledge is the real key.
All the GAS pushed by plug-ins companies is out of control and the affiliation between educational channels and commercial brands is something that can't be trusted 100% for a real uncompromised result.
In real life, an audio professional figure, such as a mix engineer, is not spending the time searching for new plug-ins every single day, that's a pathology called GAS.

 

Meanwhile, I'm here laughing out loud while watching Jaycen Joshua and Luca Pretolesi's tutorials, where they consistently praise UAD and Waves. Perhaps you should reach out to them and advise them on which mixing plugins they should use? It seems they're clearly missing out.

On a more serious note, I've watched numerous tutorials and I've always seen Waves or UAD being utilized in mixes. They are widely popular and trusted tools in the industry. All the hate against these plugins comes only from non professionals. There are plenty of other amazing plugins though.

 

In any case, they are still tools. But the most important thing for musicians is to make money, have a worthy, healthy and satisfying life, and possibly be happy even spiritually and artistically with the music you make. Grab the essential tools and go and make music and money. You need to bulk up your wallet, not that of the audio companies that sell you plugins.

 

Why, this is obvious. FabFilter, some Softube stuff (haven't tried all of it), sonible, PSPAudioware (again, haven't tried all), Audio Damage, Newfangled, airwindows, iZotope, SIR Audio Tools, apulSoft, u-he aka Heckmann Audio.
When it comes to creative modulation plugins - UVI, Baby Audio (not their compressors or saturators, those are toys), Eventide, Polyverse Music, zynaptiq more than pull their weight.

 

Doode they're getting paid for that. Also half of them think they're missing analog hardware while not wanting to touch it with a ten-foot pole anymore.

 

Yes, the ones you list are excellent plugins. But to me it just seems like you use the ones that have been cracked, because you know them well and R2R has given you the ability to work with them. But they don't sound better than others, definitely not better than UA and Sonnox. No need to ask others, just try them

 

Mixwiththemasters pays them to promote UAD and waves? Pretolesi has his own website where he teaches stuff. I am subscribed and he opens Drake and Major Lazer mixes he has done full with waves and UAD plugins.

 

These hacks are most definitely getting paid. Please don't get me involved with your own sunk cost fallacy and buyer's remorse.

I did have an opportunity to use UAD and Acustica, as I mentioned. UAD are just basic. They simply recreate the sound and interface of analog gear and don't go any further in functionality or usability. It's not DSP, it's selling prestige and nostalgia.

Also we're supposed to talk about Apogee here and there's not even a single opinion about their plugins. Did nobody buy them?

 

Choosing Waves is the preferred and most effective choice due to its low cost. And for the quality-price ratio, it's a win-win. If they still didn't live up to the top nowadays, they wouldn't have survived to this day after decades of great success. You can work well with them, they never shine in emulations, but they're damn effective in mixes, so you can make money and upgrade if it is deemed necessary.

 

I'm telling you, the best mixes in the world are achieved using UAD, Waves, and other plugins. And here you are, trying to bring up some 'sunken fallacy cost' argument. Let's face it, if your mix doesn't sound great while using Waves or UAD, it's not the plugins' fault but your own. It's time to take responsibility and improve your mixing skills instead of trying to blame some shady marketing.

 

That argument doesn't quite hold up. Professional studios have all kinds of plugins and DAWs at their disposal. They deal with pre-mixed sessions regularly and need to be able to open them without any issues. Just look at what Dave Pensado said—he even mentioned that they have to shell out loads of cash to keep up with the plugin game. So, believe me, the pros know about the wide range of plugins available.

Look, I'm not saying Waves and UAD plugins are the absolute best at everything, but you can't deny they're pretty damn good.

 

Ight I'm not gonna start an involuntary psychotherapy session in an inappropriate place, although as far as I'm concerned the best mixes in the world are done using stock Live plugins plus some Soothe and FabFilter.

WHAT ABOUT APOGEE Y'ALL
Are they any good?