What's the one Plugin you can't live without?

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Golden said:
I heard somewhere that 9 out of 10 Americans have a gun...
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I think that might have been a misprint...I think it meant to say that 9 out of 10 Americans have a multiband compressor. ;)

I sometimes think I'd feel safer if they had the guns...

:D

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
I sometimes think I'd feel safer if they had the guns...
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Yeah, at least the gun only has a couple of parameters they can fuck with without knowng what they are doing.

I'm pretty sure with the horrible noises I have heard coming out of a poorly used MBC's, firing a gun next to your ear would actually be a good idea in comparison.

But really, I was lying in my previous post. Here's what I really do.

Fuck thinking about what the mix needs. The mix needs plugins! This much is clear even in writing. In fact, it doesn't just need plugins, it needs compression. I know this before I have written the tune because every mix needs compression. Lots of it. So my first port of call is to put MBC's on every track, BEFORE I HAVE TRACKED ANYTHING. I know what parameters to put, because someone on HR.com told me what they should always be.
Then (again before I have tracked anything)(. I set the parametric EQ on every track with boosted bass and treble and pull down the mids for that smiley face. That must be the standard EQ for a metal tune at 250bpm, because it has a smiley face on it, and smiley face means good.
A good mix needs reverb right? Well I cram my reverb on there also. I figure that it's best to do that before tracking also to make a more efficient use of time. Always making sure that the snare will have a nice reverb sound to it. I know before tracking what reverb settings to use, because someone on HR.com told me.
Next I hard liimit everything track by track. Why? Because the word limiter is intriguing to me and you need it for a good mix.
I then slap a de esser, a noise gate, and a stereo widener on all tracks. The trick is too make sure you have all you parameters perfectly set up on your plugins before you do any tracking whatsoever. It's a more efficient use of time. What with there being such clear cut well defined rules as to what comroession and reverbs settings each instrument uses, of course we already know what our mix needs before we've even tracked it. So it makes more sense this way.....

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. IT IS A JOKE.

In all seriousness there is one 'plugin' I couldn't live without, but it's more of a VST instrument anyway really. NI Battery, Without it I would have no drums.
 
I think it meant to say that 9 out of 10 Americans have a multiband compressor. I sometimes think I'd feel safer if they had the guns...
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Not everyone who uses a multiband comp uses it badly, or as a bandaid over badly done tracks. It's a valuable tool. Of course any tool can be misused.

Only bringing this up because every thread that disusses compression in the mixing forum seems to get the same "maul-the-band" jokes.

Broadband compression is a worse culprit IMO.
 
Timothy Lawler said:
Not everyone who uses a multiband comp uses it badly, or as a bandaid over badly done tracks. It's a valuable tool. Of course any tool can be misused.
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No you're right, not everyone. Maybe 1 out of 10 of those 9 out of 10 actually know how to use an MBC properly. I'm not blaming the MBC. It's not the tool's fault, you're right. I'm blaming the 90%.

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
I think that might have been a misprint...I think it meant to say that 9 out of 10 Americans have a multiband compressor. ;)

I sometimes think I'd feel safer if they had the guns...

:D

G.
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:D :D :) That's funny, Glen... Got me chucklin' over here... :)
 
xfinsterx said:
Waves C4.

My second cant live without would be drumagog.
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Is it possible to explain how you go about using this/adjusting the settings? I can seem to wrap my head around multi-band compression except for like deessing type tasks, but I would like to learn.

Haven't seen you here in what seems like years. Cool that you're back.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Plugin: Nothing
Primary use: Full mix
Why?: Two reasons. First, there's no such thing as a plugin I can't live without. Second, there is no substitute for performing a first-iteration faders up mix with zero processing in order to know just which plugs, if any, I'll need for any given track in the mix. *That* is far more valuable for getting the right sound than the actual plugins themselves, IMHO.

G.
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EQ. :)
The most important plug-in in anyones tool box.

Eck
 
BRIEFCASEMANX said:
Is it possible to explain how you go about using this/adjusting the settings? I can seem to wrap my head around multi-band compression except for like deessing type tasks, but I would like to learn.

Haven't seen you here in what seems like years. Cool that you're back.
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Thanks gald to see you too.

I couldnt imagine how to tell you to use a MB in a text message Brief....sorry.
Just experiment i suppose.
 
as a guy with only 4 mics that are really low budget...i MUST use plugins.

but i really don't over use them. i use EQ on every track....but usually only 1 or 2 bands on my parametric are used. usually with a large q/small bandwidth, cutting frequencies that i've found crapping up my sound.

i use compression on things, but usually just strings and voice. maybe accordian if i'm looking for that sort of sound. not too crazy though. voice is at 3.4:1, strings higher depedending. i don't like it on acoustic or piano.

so basically i use, acid's 4 band para, waves c1, and waves realverb, on every project. and i could probably say i will use them on the next song i do. i just know because i don't have the greatest mics, and i don't have a reverby room to record in.

i could live with those 3, though i use an L1 limiter, C4 multiband, and a voxengo rms reader at times.(the c4 has 1 band working, 3 bypassed) i wish multi band compressors were just called frequency compressors. it makes people think they have to have all 4 pumping when using it.
 
ecktronic said:
I listened to the samples on the website and I wasnt impressed
They do not sound very real. If you listen carefully you can hear the very processed sound of them.

Eck
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Agreed.
Quite corny sounding sims.
 
:D :D :D :eek:
 

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xfinsterx said:
Agreed.
Quite corny sounding sims.
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Hey there Finster.
Not seen you on hear for ages!
Your studio still up and running?

Got any new mixes you can post? Not heard some of your stuff for ages and enjoy it.

Eck
 
ecktronic said:
Hey there Finster.
Not seen you on hear for ages!
Your studio still up and running?

Got any new mixes you can post? Not heard some of your stuff for ages and enjoy it.

Eck
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Good to see you too Eck.
I posted a recent mix over at the clinic.
Its entitled "Rock Mix".

-Chris
 
xfinsterx said:
Agreed.
Quite corny sounding sims.
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You always judge things by samples on websites, do you? I prefer getting my hands on stuff and try them out for myself before passing judgements.
 
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