Ok, I wonder about that a lot - I’m the opposite and dont mess with plug ins except for scopes and the reaper in/out lag adjusters or whatever.

But I do have audioscape stuff and 75% of the sound of those things are the line amps. Like you don’t use the 1176 just because you want to compress something, you use an 1176 to get that energetic tonal thing to make a bass or vocal rock. Same with pultec, la2a when you want to get Moby Grape with it.

But with analog hardware I have zero issue plugging something in an barely doing anything with it - hardly tapping the meters or whatever. like with the EQP I usually just run stuff through it with a tiny 20 hz cut. Does anyone ever do anything that subtle with plugins? I feel like they dont in youtube demos, but who knows who those assholes are. But it doesn’t seem like a mouse drag is conducive to doing that in the first place.

Listen to the drums on Nina Simone’s Stars (they are there) - is anyone ever going to program something like that with a sample pack? I’d love to hear it.

Like, the audioscape units will do that pultec trick, but I’m only ever using those things to clean up low end (which can involve boosts along with the attenuation), but as plain eqs any decent modern hardware eq works better, they just dont have the sound. Everything else I’ll literally be doing 2 db boots or cuts and thats all I usually ever need unless I am just fucking around, but that tends to blow out my sense of perspective so much so I never really do it.

Trident 80B 500 series EQs are like $300 each new btw!

Kniferide wrote: Wed Oct 15, 2025 10:37 am

cakes wrote: Tue Oct 14, 2025 3:53 pm You're right, you only need a few plugins. It's just fun to have different toys. No more fun!
...
Ugh...

I hear ya. I succumbed to Plug In overwhelm about 2 years ago when I looked at the library and it was a mile long and I had like 14 different 1176 emulations and 12 SSL EQ's etc. The last big reinstall I did I just didn't include like 80% of my plugins. It was a bummer because that is money gone that now just isn't installed and not used but enough was enough. I try to keep my main stuff down to a hand full of very useful tools and use the same usual culprits across all the projects, with the acception of stupid synth and drum plugs and stuff, because that is still a total nightmare. I DO love a trident eq and used to use the Analog Obsessions one a lot, because it was so dead simple and small. I use the TDR Slick in the same way. I have never done a single project where a Pultec has ended up in the end mix. I think Digital Pultecs are a scam and everything you can do with them can be done with pretty much any other EQ plugin, plus have some midrange control.

I've amassed quite a plugin library as well. I also did a recent audit and cleared out what I don't use. The funny thing is... if you want something on Plugin Alliance, it's worth it to stack plugins until you get the lowest price. Sometimes, it makes sense to buy a plugin a second time, to get more money off. After recording recently, I spent $30 to get get a $69 plugin that the engineer recommended, and I had to stack about 5 plugins to get that price. There was one in there that became something I use on all my mix busses now, so sometimes it's nice to find a diamond in the rough like that. But they keep sending me these $50 vouchers and let those stack with multiple plugin discounts. At least they have some pretty high quality plugins.

You can do the pultec trick with other EQs, but I just find using them easier because I understand what I'm getting out of them. Again, it comes down to what gets you your desired result fast enough, and that's a personal thing. I have to be honest that there's at least a plugin or two that I always use, but don't quite understand, and just let the preset do it's thing that's making my mix sound good to me.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Wed Oct 15, 2025 12:59 pm Does anyone ever do anything that subtle with plugins?

Yes, all the time. I have a preset for the Pultec that's just for a mix bus. I was reading an article by a producer who uses two analog Pultecs for his mix bus. He set them up and never touched the knobs again. If you go by the rule of mixing into your mix bus, then this makes a lot of sense. Set up your bus compressor and EQs, then get to the job of mixing. I quite liked that approach.

There's an engineer that I really like with a really helpful youtube channel, just lots of good advice that I agree with. One thing that he essentially does is get a little bit out of a lot of different plugins. It's really not about how many plugins you can use. It's about using a plugin to add a little bit of something, be it EQ, saturation, compression, etc. to achieve the sound you're looking for. I might have a track with quite a bit of single-use plugins on it. With analog, I can understand using the console controls more and then adding additional gear if necessary. You can definitely go overboard, which is why it's imperative to live by the rule of adding something because you need it to solve a problem, not because you think it needs to be in there.

Usually, it's my vocal and snare tracks that have a lot on them, but say overheads and toms might just have a limiter or compressor and that's it. I don't use EQs that often, because you should be able to get good EQ through mics and modeling. I generally EQ on the drum and mix busses and vocal tracks.

cakes wrote: Wed Oct 15, 2025 1:19 pm

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Wed Oct 15, 2025 12:59 pm Does anyone ever do anything that subtle with plugins?

Yes, all the time.

Yes, and/but. For me not in the traditional "pultec or 1176 has a special thing were if you just run through it not doing anything it sounds cool" way because I think most modeled plugins are barely anything other than straight pass through when not engaging. I do it sometimes with Kazrog plugins, since "modeling" the saturation is kinda what they focus on. Their green comp and True Iron come to mind as subtle insert plugs I use to gust get some character. IMO UA plugins are a joke when it comes to this. I'm not convinced they are doing much of anything special at all, and they are really inefficient running natively. Usually if I insert an EQ or comp its cause I need it to do a job. I am less likely to insert a plugin for a tiny change rather than big moves.

I came across this relevant video today.

https://youtu.be/a3O3FiGYBxo?si=SO7_e6RDnvX3riCT

cakes wrote: Thu Oct 16, 2025 8:03 pm I came across this relevant video today.

https://youtu.be/a3O3FiGYBxo?si=SO7_e6RDnvX3riCT

I don’t know, man. I see videos like this and hear the music these people make and it just seems like stuff I don’t need to be involved with. I can’t engage with it as anything other than youtube content.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Thu Oct 16, 2025 9:10 pm

cakes wrote: Thu Oct 16, 2025 8:03 pm I came across this relevant video today.

https://youtu.be/a3O3FiGYBxo?si=SO7_e6RDnvX3riCT

I don’t know, man. I see videos like this and hear the music these people make and it just seems like stuff I don’t need to be involved with. I can’t engage with it as anything other than youtube content.

Dan Worrall usually has pretty good insight and advice.

cakes wrote: Fri Oct 17, 2025 9:40 am

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Thu Oct 16, 2025 9:10 pm

cakes wrote: Thu Oct 16, 2025 8:03 pm I came across this relevant video today.

https://youtu.be/a3O3FiGYBxo?si=SO7_e6RDnvX3riCT

I don’t know, man. I see videos like this and hear the music these people make and it just seems like stuff I don’t need to be involved with. I can’t engage with it as anything other than youtube content.

Dan Worrall usually has pretty good insight and advice.

He us usually pointing out how much of the "Sound" is marketing horseshit.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Thu Oct 16, 2025 9:10 pm

cakes wrote: Thu Oct 16, 2025 8:03 pm I came across this relevant video today.

https://youtu.be/a3O3FiGYBxo?si=SO7_e6RDnvX3riCT

I don’t know, man. I see videos like this and hear the music these people make and it just seems like stuff I don’t need to be involved with. I can’t engage with it as anything other than youtube content.

I feel the same way about really dialed in tricked out home studio rooms - it's either hard to find the music made by them, or you wish you hadn't.

TylerDeadPine wrote: Sun Oct 19, 2025 11:07 pm I feel the same way about really dialed in tricked out home studio rooms - it's either hard to find the music made by them, or you wish you hadn't.

My basement is admittedly over-tricked for what I do down there, but part of that is that I manage and operate big AV tech infrastructure for a living so if I have a small problem, I sometimes throw a big solution at it. I honestly don't think the equipment at had has much to do with how cool your recordings are at all. Someone with a competent skill set can make a 4 track cassette sound great if they have good talented performers, and if you are an idiot, a rack of outboard preamps and expensive motorized faders and German Mics aren't going to save your shitty mix. For me, my recording gear is exactly an old mans model train set. I enjoy putting it all together.