Please don't take this the wrong way, but you should really delete all your duplicate posts. Most of us have a tendency to read the same groups of forums, so it'll be read.
That being said, I'll repost my comments here, as this is probably the most appropriate forum for it anyway...
[From Recording Techniques Forum] The quick answer (IMHO) would be that hardware on the way to the software is ideal. My "usual" M.O. would be to shape in the hardware and tweak surgically in the soft. Not as a rule, but as a "rule of thumb" on a good portion of projects.
I don't think you'll get much better results with a 1046 or an RNP (or RNC) that you will with plugs, but it's certainly not illegal to try.
On the software question - Every other M.E. I know uses software (or at the very least, certain digital processors) to some extent. It's almost unavoidable. But again, the crucial shaping would in many, if not most cases, be done through analog gear. [/From Recording Techniques Forum]