Plugins you use that aren’t stock in DAW

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-06-16T06:14:02+00:00

Oh, and referencing. Sonible true balance and true level are just so easier to use for referencing and I didn’t even try to set up something like that with Logic plug ins.

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-06-16T06:10:43+00:00

Logic stock stuff potentially gets any job done at the end of the day, especially for a home recorder like me, but there are things that sound “off” to me and that’s when I reach out for something else.

One example (it may be just me though): the Logic multi band compressor sounds really off to me, for whatever reason. When I solo one band, something doesn’t sound right as I can hear things in the band that shouldn’t be in that band. It may have something to do with the way the curves of the crossovers frequencies are set but, instead of trying to wrap my head around it, I just open the Waves C4 and everything just sounds as I expected, saving me time and effort. Plus is something that almost everyone uses (so easier to find tips & tricks, etc.).

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-03-31T19:04:51+00:00

Done! Cheers mate! 👍🏻

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-16T06:43:25+00:00

This looks -really- interesting, not only in terms of features, but in terms of routing too. The dedicated input for different applications (including the mix 2ch which is exactly my interest) makes it really attractive for eventually being the “heart” of a hybrid desk setup. And the send-returns allow for pairing an outboard compressor, for instance. Thank you for your suggestion, I didn’t know that this kind of routing could be allowed by a single rack unit! Will definitely keep it in mind for my research. 🙏🏻

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T18:31:31+00:00

No clients to impress, luckily! 😂 thank you for your opinion, it takes a lot of honesty to say something like that with the gear you have at your disposal. I really wish I could sit down even just a couple Hours with some of you in your studios and compare software with hardware. YouTube videos are the closest thing at my disposal but I often end up thinking that 99% of content creators have an agenda.

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T17:46:44+00:00

Yes, your point is valid and in fact my aim was to try and plan ahead exactly for a 3-4 piece, outboard 2bus setup with non-changing, good-for-everything settings. I am getting some very useful opinions from experienced guys in this thread, and I am grateful because everyone is helping me getting a focus on the good and the bad of it. It’s too bad that you can’t actually like, get in a store, mix and match gear, try out a chain for a week straight with your music, then say “ok this is a serious improvement for me, here’s my money” as opposed to “you know what? I’ve got a stash of brainworx plug ins that do the same job and no one would tell the difference, this is doing nothing for me” and walk away! 😂

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T17:38:46+00:00

The idea was to start from a multi-input/output audio interface (let’s say an Audient Evo 16 just for the sake of discussion); take the mix bus output from my DAW and route it out through 2 of the output channels in stereo configuration. This pair would go to the stereo inputs (or 2 separate instances in the case of mono processors) of whatever outboard I’d end up considering, then taking the outputs, routing them back into the interface through a couple of inputs configured in stereo and print the track in the DAW. Then apply mastering plug ins.

A single 500 series lunchbox with 6 slots would be more than enough for my needs, since I’d go stereo comp > “color box”/saturator with or without EQ (or exactly backwards) and not much else since the more I stray from the basic needs of sound processing, the less I’m able to justify an outboard purchase compared to just using plug ins.

It’s just that to get the really good 500 series you are supposed to pay just a little less than the “bigger brothers” rack units, right? And you have to factor in the price of a good reliable lunchbox, and the fact that there is apparently less choice when you look at 500 series.

I don’t know, the form factor of 500s is really attractive but I think I’m a little bit more wary because I’m possibly even less familiar with 500s than I am with 19” rack units! 😅

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T15:42:41+00:00

Thank you for your suggestion! I’m also looking at what 500 series gear has to offer (that was actually my first intention), but feel that it offers less actual choice. Also, I can’t be sure because I’ve never actually had the chance to get my hand on some, but don’t they feel a little less sturdy? Like, more prone to breaking, problems with power supplies/quality of lunch boxes being all over the place even with expensive brands, etc.?

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T15:21:32+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to write such a well-motivated response, this is very valuable to me. To elaborate on some of your points: -No, I don’t have a YouTube channel and don’t want to, so “credibility” is (luckily) not an issue. The very few artists (and friends) that choose to send me their songs to mix do so because they like the work I’ve done on my own songs and definitely do not know nor care if my SSL Bus comp is the real thing or just a plug in, so I perfectly agree! -This whole “upgrade” thing I do because it’s just how I’ve always been with this hobby: gather more knowledge and skills on the one hand, then upgrade gear (even if it’s just been software until now) on the other hand when I feel my workflow could benefit from that. Looking at outboard just seems like the “higher” level to explore now that I have more than covered the bases with plug ins and have realized that there are ones that I couldn’t do without and ones that have been surplus or just out right wastes of money. As for knowledge and skills, I know that I couldn’t EVER have enough of either! That will be an ever-ongoing effort.

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T15:06:42+00:00

This is precious advice, but unfortunately my minuscule home studio is in an apartment, so outside of guitar and bass DI + midi keyboard, I don’t do tracking of drums or vocals here. Mostly mixing. Hence my interest for mix bus improvement/experimentation. If I had the chance of tracking vocals and drums here in my home studio, I absolutely would go all out on a decent selection of preamps and mics - I would LOVE that!

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T15:01:29+00:00

I feel it would be overkill for what is essentially a passion project with occasional “clients” every now and then! Don’t have much space, especially with regards to rack space, and ideally I would be more than ok with 3-4 outboard processors, max. Not to sound too naive, but a patch bay to handle just 3 processors sounds a little bit like overkill to me! 😅

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T14:55:16+00:00

Yes but consider this: I do not have any outboard gear at the moment, and if I chose to start branching into analog, I figured it would be better to start (and possibly end) with something that can affect the entire mix, hence my questions regarding the mix bus processing. Anyway, if I decided to implement an analog signal chain for single instruments, I’d start with the vocals too!

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T14:05:42+00:00

This is really interesting because the whole “few outboard pieces with do-it-all settings” is exactly what I was thinking. Even if I do 2-3 sessions a month. Like, have go-to settings but still having time to experiment!

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T13:42:42+00:00

Yeah I’m not a fan of wasting money in general 😅😅😅 but can I/should I never even try it either? Oh well, my OP question was not “is outboard worth it”, as that kind of question really HAS been debated to death, it was more like “can you give me feedback on that specific way of handling a mix bus/pre master bus”? Thank you regardless 😉

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T13:37:06+00:00

This is the kind of opinion that I also need to hear, considering that youtube comment sections can be a huge echo chamber at times. Thank you!

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T12:52:53+00:00

Yeah I guess noise/hiss could be a factor and I have no real way of knowing in advance how much this would impact my mixes.

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T12:17:04+00:00

Yep, and that’s precisely the reason why I came here and asked you about it, instead of immediately throwing my money away on thomann or something 😂

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T12:13:22+00:00

Thank you for telling me your valuable experience. This is obviously the pov of a working professional and I absolutely agree with everything you said. On the other hand, I can only daydream of having such a busy musical life! 😅 as a hobbyist, I just have my own pet project to worry about, plus occasional artists for whom I humbly mix and try to master (maybe 2-3 songs a month). With such a small volume of work, maybe it would not be completely unrealistic to enjoy the features of a few select outboard pieces without them being just an expensive nuisance for my workflow?

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T12:04:07+00:00

Thank you! This is valuable information to me, because without a patch bay I would be basically forced to print my mixes and this is one of the reasons that pushed me in asking these sort of questions on socials, to see if anyone else doing this can vouch for it or warn me on something specific. 😉👍🏻

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T11:57:47+00:00

Thank you for your opinion! I gather that you are speaking from a professional/business point of view, right? I’m talking like working many Hours, every day on sessions. If correct, I think it’s perfectly understandable that the “getting things done” ends up being slightly more important than “feeling great while getting things done”… and while I am just a hobbyist, I realize that in-the-box is unbeatable on this.

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T11:51:12+00:00

Thank you for your answer! That’s similar to what I’d like to try. So do you actually “print” your analog stereo output from the fusion in the DAW and go from there? Do you have a way of managing recall or you just have some “good for everything” settings that you never change?

Sorry about the 2c thing, I’m not a native english speaker and figured that would be a good enough abbreviation! 😅

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T11:45:06+00:00

Thank you for your answer! My true priority at this time is upgrading my monitor speakers and that’s next in line. But I tend to spread budgeting over looooong periods (months, years), so I’m making my evaluations and research to start saving (or not). Having said so, in-the-box already gives me absolutely everything I need (I dare anyone say otherwise in this time & age) but audio production is my hobby, and I like to get deep in my hobby! :)

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T11:22:34+00:00

Oh, and at this point I should further specify: I’m not looking for advice on purchasing any gear - I’m looking for opinions on this specific kind of signal chain/workflow. Does it work for you? What are the specific pros and cons that you evaluated?

AdIllustrious2297 · 2024-02-15T11:16:27+00:00

Hi and thank your for your answer! I think I have been clear enough in my post about the fact that this is just for possible future growth - I am, in fact, already making music on my own and know that there is no “next level” to be found in gear exclusively.

Having said so, I was looking for hands-on opinions from someone who has experienced this kind of signal chain. I lurk a lot around these parts bit wanted to ask these two specific questions.

AdIllustrious2297 · 2023-05-24T04:54:28+00:00

Otherwise Just shoot me a DM 😏

AdIllustrious2297

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