Hey y'all.
So recently Got a huge whooping 27 inch widescreen of a relic Mac desktop from back in the past!
4-core Intel CPU, 2TB Storage, running High Sierra! I stopped myself re-clunking plugin bundles that I don't even use anymore from my old devices.

Ive thought to myself, "Do we overwhelm ourselves with plugins just because? Is it even necessary to make the music we love?"

...or should I take on a different philosophy and just use stock (or nothing at all, just hard automation and panning)? Im using that and Melda plugins exclusively, pretty much.

What are your thoughts on this?​

 

I personally get rid of all plugins and use computer as a tape machine, mix on analog hardware only.
Less distracting.
No overprocessing.
No Nyquist bullshit (Aliasing, Cramping, etc).
No need to run high latency buffer and buy a super-computer each few years!

Real audio (AC voltage) got that depth.
Not just left and right like digital mixes.
Gear gives you closer/ further planes.
Specially analog compression!
So, no more digital flatness and transient smearing.

 

For me it's a big question, if you work on your own projects, I think it's normal to have a workflow with tools that you use constantly and, above all, that you know how to use. In that case I think there is no objection about what one should have, whether it is a bundle or a couple of plugins, it is more than clear that with the native ones it is enough to produce music, with certain exceptions of the Of which an external plugin gives you something that you can't do natively or It takes longer to make or that solves a specific situation for you.
Now, on the other hand, if you're a person who works for others and makes a living from that, and you get projects from producers (for example), you have to adapt to what they use and have those tools.
For me personally, there are very few plugins that are worth it. In my personal opinion, the rest are tools and it is up to each person to decide whether to have and use them. It all depends on one's needs, the work perspective and (marketing) It is the reason that I always ask myself these questions:
What advantages does this plugin give me that native plugins don't? Does this plugin solve any problems more efficiently? Can I get my work done faster? And etc etc etc, among other questions, at least I for my part have never touched hardware of any kind so it is an area that I cannot comment on and And I don't think I'll ever try it for economic reasons and where I live, but plugins in general seem like good tools to me, they're useful, you can use 10 compressors from the same plugin without needing 10 analog devices, you can make music anywhere, That's why I try the demos, compare and choose my favorite plugins to what I hear and how each one affects what I'm working on, of course I don't disregard the analog equipment.I would love to try, hear and have some of it but for me it is something that will never happen.
By the way, for me it's UA, Sonnox, and Fabfilter. ✋

 

I think most people are fully aware of what they actually need, amidst all the wanting and the searching for something else, and none of it has anything to do with plugins. But it's fine, enjoy the journey, you'll reach the destination when you're ready.

 

They do not matter at all. Audio software did an approximate $1+ billion in 2023 sales, just because we all have very active imaginations. Look at how much fun everyone has with these meaningless software trinkets.

 

I use stock plugins and a few others, but I love downloading and trying out new plugins, just because...

 

Not every plugin is a bunk ass analog emulation, companies are still pushing the limits of what is possible sonically and visually.

I started doing pro video work a couple years ago and, dear god, some people have no idea how to record good audio for their videos.

Some of the newer noise reduction, rev reduction, declip tools are an absolute lifesaver. I can make the most horrendous audio sound quite decent to the average person using these tools.

Software will improve and the results we can get with said software will improve in quality.

 

nobody cares it's the result that matters
and how much original is you work

 

I'm a writer producer, not an engineer, why would i attempt to use plug ins?

Writing music is best done speedily, just find the right sound, piling plugins on each track is unecessary and very time consuming, very, i send my untreated stems to my engineer, then it goes for mastering, my stuff charts with Kylie, Calvin, Guetta etc.

 

I like to try things, and I do collect more plugins than I need. But to me, the template is still king. If it's in my template, I don't second guess it unless something sounds very wrong. That, and a more minimalistic approach to my chains, helps me keep my head in the game. I might have 38 compressors (that's the exact number), but none of them are in the way of how I work.

 

At the beginning of the internet, there were few plugins, and the quality was usually not that great. Then new CPUs were invented, and eventually we had a whole lot, and there were actually enough plugins. Then in recent years, CPUs have become even faster, and global software manufacturers have released even more sophisticated and high-quality plugins.

Now we have far too many, and we should only buy what we use and invest more time in making music instead of collecting plugins.

Many of us are curious about technological advances and test plugins. Some think, "Who knows what tomorrow will bring?" and download everything that's available; the plugins can be passed on to our descendants. It also makes a difference how much time they have per day; many are employed, some are retired.

Take a look at a studio from the 90s. What equipment is there, what effects does the console have? Since all analog hardware has now been digitally recreated, simply use the effects that the pros used back in the day for great musical productions.

Remember that technological progress is still underway, and some innovative, great programmers are giving us top-notch, high-quality plugins—why should we ignore that?

 

As a rule of thumb, you should listen to what you’ve created as little as possible, because if you keep listening to it over and over, you’ll most likely start clinging to ideas that should have been trashed after half an hour. That’s why you need high-quality, well-tested plugins that are already established in the given genre.

 

I came to the bittersweet conclusion that one could live without analog emulation plugins (except those ones that you like for how they usually sound and, most important, the workflow that they give, which is the most overlooked thing despite its importance).
Go for a (i.e.) Neve 1073 emulation because you came to the conclusion that you like how it sounds and that the workflow fits your way to work, not just because "it's been used on countless records!".

I also think that we underestimate the power of digital nowadays. Yes, one could mix and master very well with stock compressor, but plugins like TDR Kotelnikov (especially GE), FirComp2, Relief Compressor, TB BusCompressor or DirectAp LimitX (and all of these are free, except for the GE of Kotelnikov) do things that are almost impossible, something that feels like cheating (and they are very clean, LimitX even gives you distortion free limiting).
Stuff like Airwindows slew related plugins give you control on brightness like nothing else, and I'm stopping myself from going further telling.

In conclusion, searching for options could definitely be useful but, as a rule of thumb in a capitalist society, always beware of marketing!

 

Last edited: Aug 21, 2025 at 9:52 AM

That Neon on the Sister Site...

 

Yeah, same here. It can be inspiring, it can be a rabbit hole... And you got so much to choose that i don't know yet if it's a bless or a curse.

 

Putting UAD and FabFilter in the same answer is definitely a choice.

 

This is a dangerous poll… The entire audio plugin industry will come for you for this and crush you like poor AP Mastering.