I am quite sure if a few more contribute here, this thread will contain almost all plugs known to mankind
I was very close in writing an academic size essay of why all that i see written here is pointless without actual music examples you guys done using those lists showcasing your fav plugs but i 'll save you the space and time.
If there is a piece of code written that happens to be a plugin too and can qualify for God Tier level it's Melodyne. It has actually changed not only my workflow, but the whole music industry as we know it. Melodyne's polyphonic intonation is probably the biggest innovation in music tech for the 21st century, unsurpassed so far. The rest of them and allow me to remain adamant on this, fall under the "interchangeable" category therefore no God Tier to anything else for me.
Thanks for listening,
Cheers

 

OTTO Audio II II II II - this is just amp sim without hundred of effects but you can tweak every sound, with exceptional amp feeling, tightness and sound.

BFD3 - this is the most realistic acoustic drums ever. Difficult, aged but you can’t compare the sound to any other drum software.

Ayaic Mix Monolith - this little piece of shit premix (or pre-balance) your whole project with seconds and it’s lightweight and straightforward.

airwindows Consolidated - in space nobody hear your scream… I mean nobody hear what plugin or hardware you used. Chris from airwindows made hundreds of useful plugins, generic gui but useful as fuck. Can’t live without them.

Three Body Tech: Cabinetron, Cenozoix, Kirchoff EQ - no one can beat them. Period.

MeldaProduction - x96 oversampling.




All of this shit runs flawlessly on Linux on WINE.

 

EQ: FabFilter - Pro-Q3, Maag - EQ4, Oeksound - Soothe 2, UAD - Pultec EQP-1A

Compression: UAD - LA2A, UAD - 1176, Cytomic - The Glue, Empirical Labs - Arouser/Distressor, FabFilter Pro-C2/Pro-MB, Kazrog - Avalon 747, Lindell - 254E/354E, Shadow Hills - Class A, PSP - Vintage Warmer 2, Slate Digital VBC FG-MU, Softube - TubeTech CL-1B, UAD - Fairchild 660/670, Waves - API 2500, UAD - dbx 160, Kiive - XTComp, Brainworx - Townhouse Bus Compressor, SPL - Iron, Purple Audio - MC 77

Reverb: Liquidsonics - 7th Heaven Pro, Liquidsonics - Cinematic Rooms, Liquidsonics - Verbsuite Classics, Liquidsonics - Lustrous Plates, Valhalla DSP - Vintage Verb

Delay: Soundtoys - Echoboy, AiR - Delay Pro, FabFilter - Timeless 3

Limiters & Clippers: Sonible - Smart Limit, FabFilter - Pro L2, Kazrog - KClip3

Saturation & Distortion: Soundtoys - Dacapitator, FabFilter - Saturn 2, FabFilter - Volcano 3, Kazrog - True Iron, Black Box - Analogue Design HG-2/MS, SSL - Fusion Vintage Drive, Slate Digital - Virtual Tape Machine, Soundtoys - Devil Loc Deluxe

Restoration: Izotope - RX 11, Accentize - DX Revive Pro

De-Essers: Sonible - Smart De-Ess, Lindell - 902 De-Esser, FabFilter - Pro-DS, SPL - De-Esser

Pitch Correction: Antares - Auto Tune Pro, Plugin Boutique - Scaler 2

Gates: Sonible - Smart Gate, FabFilter - Pro-G, Black Salt Audio - Silencer

Metering: SPL - Hawkeye, ADPTR - Metric A/B, TB Pro Audio - mv Meter 2, Melda Productions - MLoudness Analyzer, Sonible - True Balance, Klanghelm - VUMT

Guitar & Bass: Chandler GAV19T, Ampeg - SVTVR Classic, Neural DSP - Take your pick!!!, Bogren Digital

Synths & Generators: Spectrasonics - Omnisphere 2, Spectrasonics - Keyscape, Spectrasonics - Trillian, Native Instruments - Kontakt 8, XLN Audio - Addictive Drums 2

Honourable Mentions: Izotope - Ozone 10, Cradle - The God Particle, Slate Digital - Virtual Mix Rack, Sonarworls - Reference ID, Synchro Arts - VocAlign 6 Pro, UAD - Sound City Studios, XLN Audio - Addictive Trigger, TB Pro Audio - ISOL8............





I'm sure there's loads I haven't mentioned, but I only listed plugins I've used and loved. Writing this list helped me simultaneously clear out my plugin database and uninstall the ones I never use. This should help speed up my workflow by sticking to tried and tested plugins that I know and give me much more screen real estate. Hopefully this list comes in handy for anyone that's struggling to find a particular plugin as I tried to cover most bases. Keep creating and don't get caught up the manufacturer jargon saying you need this new one... These are simply very useful tools and not for building a collection. I found the more I have, the more it slows my workflow.

 

There is a whole category of humans who make music about how great god is.
Do you think that god makes music about how rubbish humans are?
Anyway, god uses FL studio and only the built-in plugins because he started with a pirated copy and just kinda stuck with it, even though he thinks the mixer is a bit sucky.

 

But your list, as an example; is still probably no more actual plugins (in number), than a full Waves installation. Installing bundles is how you really end up with "too many" plugins that you will never use. Everything in the Fabfilter bundle is great, but do you really use every one? And that is a bad example of a bundle you want to get rid of stuff from. The ones you do not even need are the ones that actually are "too many".
Maybe you really need 5 Waves plugins to complete your list, but you can just as easily add 60. They are easy to keep around after that, because "you may need them". But that is just a hammer looking for a nail.

 

That's why I didn't list any plugin bundles, I only selected ones that get daily or weekly use. The full Waves installation has over 250 plugins, my list has 80. The point I was trying to make was that too much choice kills creativity and slows you down, after all, what's the point in having a mountain of them that never see the light of day. I look at it like my mixing desk and environment... Keeping it tidy equals less distraction.

 

its true in some way. i just said recently less is more.. i gues gives more freedom to chose special plugins.. but it gets confusing i never used all waves plugins in my early days... and think about nexus has so many sounds fully expanded.. its like you could basically use it for 10000000 songs

 

Very interesting topic, I was thinking about making a similar thread. Not the "God tier" plugins but the question about which are necessary and how to not end up with five hundred plugins.

The more I have, the more time I spend organizing my plugins and with analysis paralysis. Always hunting for the newest end bestest releases. Every few weeks there is a new "best ever" saturation, distortion, delay and so on...
Biggest step so far was uninstalling waves bundle. Only one I used was RBass anyways. I'd love to uninstall Izotopes bundle but I use Stereo Imager a lot. Same for most other bundles, usually one or two plugins I use. I wish I could deactive certain plugins from a bundle, but my DAW can't do that..

I think about 40 or 60 quality plugins should be more then enough. If I imagine a hardware studio with 60 devices, that would be a massive room full of stuff already.

 

Last edited: Sep 28, 2024

Less is never more, more is more. Less can be a strategy, a learning opportunity, an impediment to failure due to the paralysis of too many choices; doing with less can be a positive thing- but it's never more. A wise man can learn to apply the principles that he learned when he had less and yet utilize the benefits of having more.

 

an graphic eq (no matter which one) straight to the point sound changing without 1 million different options and visual illusions.

 

It's exactly this. Once you have learned how to really use a certain processor type (reverb,compressor,whatever); there may be nuances from one unit to the next, but the same few main parameters you need for that unit are always there. Most of these things are all just variations on the same things. They may not be "the same", but they are similar enough to be relatively interchangeable.

When I read marketing from a developer of a plugin and it says, "Now, you are probably already thinking that this plugin is just another compressor....)". That's exactly what I am thinking, because that is precisely what their "new spin" on a plugin type is. Just some other digital EQ, etc.

Would someone take a car to a mechanic and ask why they need so many wrenches? Can a chef have too many spices in the rack?

 

Last edited: Sep 28, 2024

This. Having all the tools in the world is distracting and only hinders your ability to be creative. Putting yourself into a "box" creatively, by sticking to a specific genre, composing in a specific key, picking a limited set of instruments and plugins, takes your mind away from those distractions and focuses it on coming up with imaginative solutions to creative problems.

 

exactly what im thinking these days about all of these threads .

thats a real trap , most def is as producer

its easy and fast to find top5 of each ,choose 2 ,learn in and out , end of story .better get your endorphines elsewhere and more naturally.

 

Last edited: Sep 28, 2024

@Riddim Machine

you used to like AA and Nebula, what has made you move away from them ? just curious

 

theres a skrillex interview somewhere where when asked what his desert island plugins were, he said Pro Q 3, and Pro L.

 

- Waves Bus Compressor
- Fabfilter Saturn, C2, ProQ
- Synapse The Legend
- Softube Model 84
- TAL Sampler
- Xfer Records Serum
- AlySoundLab VPROM
- Soundtoys Echoboy, Decapitator
- Sir Audio Standard Clip
- Wavefactory Trackspacer
- Valhalla Vintage Verb

Many more...

One thing... Ableton doesn't have the Patcher, but his simpler and sampler knocks out completly Fl Studio's.

 

Last edited: Sep 28, 2024

thunderstorms?

I love them, 10/10 sound, perfect EQ and compression

 

Didnt move, it's because i put on the list the tools i NEED to make music. Acustica is still being used here on a daily basis and extensively, but i don't feel they are the most versatile tools to put on a 'god tier' or 'swiss knife' list.

 

The best plugin is what you like to use to obtain best results.
If you check the 4 pages of this thread and write a list of best plgz used you will have tons of names…in the end you will be still confused.
Good luck..try and try and try spend time and experience and you will know…for sure this list helps…but is in your mind and experience to choice your bests.

 

...Ok, i'll bite.

Will report back shortly w/ my list!