What most people doesnt realize about mixing for a living, is that mixing is about moving faders, knobs and pushing buttons (physical or virtual) to get results, and that is all. Thats why top engineers have assistants making all the routings and delivering a session ready for mix. Routing is not mixing, vocal tuning is not mixing, fixing tempo isues isnt mixing, neither is spending hours trying different virtual snares or tube amps. On mixing stage we need to be fast and efficient, if something isnt broken, dont fix it. Why would we need to have 8 different plugins emulating the same Pultec? (or a 1176, etc etc). Pick the one you like and move forward.
Well said bro. Folk don’t seem to realise the huge distinction between editing/ prep and actual mixing. When a project is written, performed, arranged, tuned, edited, timed etc properly BEFORE starting the mix, mixing is actually the quickest and most straightforward part of making a record BY FAR.
Exactly. I am primarily a mix engineer these days, and I have some insert chains saved that are "alternatives" to my mix template, but generally I don't change out my mix template...doesn't matter what genre--same template. I can get two songs mixed in a day and back to the artist for notes. When I get notes back, it might take 2-4 hours to make changes and then it's done and the artists are happy. Can't do that if I am trying out different plugins all the time. The only exception to this is label mixes where I get a full PT session with plugins included. Those take longer and I will mostly use the plugins the producer added to create their demo/production mix; which means having a large amount of plugins installed...then my job is just to enhance the mix, make it sound better, not change the producer's vision.
the thing about mixing if you define it as purely the literal sense of balancing audio levels, that's a skill that takes about 5 minutes to learn, hence why the vast majority of music producers mix and master their own work. It's a skill you develop naturally as you work with audio. I suppose my opinion is biased as an electronic music composer
I spent 8 months living in France, away from my home studio. Had to use Reaper's stock plugins and a few choice cuts from the free plugins list. (Only paid plugin was GGD Invasion). While I was living with this limitation, I made my best mix ever. This made me realize that the Waves collection I had been using for over a decade wasn't as crucial as I thought. Now that I'm back, I've removed the HDD with my Waves collection from my PC entirely. Once again, my latest home mix is better than everything before it. Stock plugins are incredibly good. FOSS plugins like Surge XT for synth are amazing too. You can do 100% pro level mixes without spending a dime. Try it sometime.
Reaper onstock plugins are not the best... colouring compressors are not included, EQ sounds often a bit harsh. And there are no modulation fx and no good reverbs etc. Reaper plugins lags in so many ways... bad handling and bad uninspiring fiddly GUI also. Reaper has no synths and no sample content to start with too. Sorry to say but Waves, UA, Brainworx, Softube, NI and so on are way better and a pro standard.
The most valuable thing I learned in the Frightbox Mix Crypt was a major shift in my mental model. For me, mixing is now about three things, (1) compression (2) EQ (3) volume automation. If you have good source sounds and good performances, getting those three things right will do 90+% of the work for you. It really demystified mixing for me. This video is just another example of simplicity, letting technique do the work rather than waiting for a magic button that does all the work for you. Thanks Bobby!
I mix profesisonally as well. Around 150 projects a year! I recently did the exact same thing. I also admit that I can relate to feeling obligated to try the new stuff coming out as well! I've been much better about it recently but it took me a while to realize what was going on. Great video!
I am literally moving to a newer, bigger, faster PC and leaving behind about 80% of the plugins on my old one. I found out the same thing . No matter how shiny and new.. you always go towards what you know and trust... Great video Bobby.. and I signed up.. my attention span is very good . So I'll be watching this afternoon. Cheers!
After realizing that i was suffering from FOMO with plugins, (whether it was for synthesizers, mixing tools, amp sims etc) i decided to stop getting plugins. I just felt like i had to have all that stuff (and a lot of it i got from deals i just COULDNT miss lol). This vid came at the right time for me because im pretty much at this point. I think im in recovery at this point lol.
I switched computers recently, got a fresh install of Logic Pro, and just installed 3 out of 40+ plugins I used to have. I don't even remember half of their names and what I used them for. Logic has never been faster and throws very few errors now, still a few 😅. I also made a point of having plugins on busses and using automation to send volume to reverb, delay etc, rather than using the plugin on the track and using automation to change the wet/dry knob. My latency recording is practically gone, files are smaller, I work faster and get better mixes!
90 bucks for a clipper? Does anyone but Superman really hear the difference between a free clipper and a 90 Euro one? Definitely keep your money! Also, question your friend and if he he/she is a real friend! 😄
Sweet Lord I hear you man! Option paralysis is the absolute death of productivity. Even within the plugins themselves I set myself limitations: EZ Drummer, one kit, maybe three snares and two kicks. Bias FX: 3 amps, done. Diva, which has hundreds of synth sounds, I sat down one day and pared it down to about 15 presets. Create limits, reduce friction.
THANK YOU! I just got into DAW recording a few years ago as a hobby to demo my own stuff, not public consumption. The first thing I did was download every free thing under the sun. Most of those are crap, so I broke down and bought a few. Then, just like Omaha Steaks, they inundated me with emails and sales seemingly too good to pass up. Now, instead of recording music, I spend hours flipping through plug-ins to try to find just the right one, then wind up using the same ones I always do anyway. I’ve been contemplating deleting the ones I don’t need and haven’t been able to pull the trigger yet. Perfect time for me to see this.
this goes for any musician. my band is currently in the process of recording and one of the guitarists will hit me up DAILY to ask if tool xyz will make him sound the way he wants to sound. i keep telling him: just get it done. no tool or hack will make you sound 20 times better, sound will be decided when we reamp.
In Cubase you can create multiple plugin lists (sort by brand, type, custom) so it’s easy to make a really limited go-to list without uninstalling. I’m sure other DAWs probably do it too
YES! THANK YOU! I had this revelation about a week ago. I just wasn’t happy with anything I was doing I realized I was tone/plugin chasing and turning knobs loading sims like a robot rather than writing music. Especially thinking about pre-production what I want a song to sound like and arranged etc. I stripped everything down to Guitar 2(?) JS in Reaper, Neural and for my iOS I have the basic AnyAmpIR w a couple IRs and use the pedal steel guitar app from Yanek tweaked to get a sludgy tone. I also made myself write in a notebook again and not countless txt docs on my phone. I started w a 4 Track in 92 with BC Rich guitars and BOSS pedals that everyone thought were crap and are now highly coveted, I want to get back to that feeling. Maybe even run a drum loop from an amp an re-record it in a DAW to give it a live feeling w space. Idk I haven’t been productive in 5 years and need to do something. I’m glad to see others are doing the same. And I just bought the MAMMOTH AND RHINO sims but they were way too much for me like I just heard a wall of static. Thanks for this video and I hope fellow musicians and producers find clarity again!
Option paralysis is a real thing. It's very similar to finding something to watch on multiple streaming platforms; you likely spent more time thumbing through options than it did to watch an episode. If you can't get a good sound between multiple version of the same plugin, don't blame the plugin. Just to echo your sentiments: it's not the plugin, it's you. Plugin companies do a great job of making their plugins sexy and the reels and sponsorships help, but they're not you and not your backing tracks to sell the amp sim, for instance. Thanks for the perspective, Bobby!
I got into some FOMO the last couple of years unfortunately and bought a lot of plugins. My mixes were OK but not fantastic. I started focusing on the stock Logic plugins recently and my mixes come together quicker and are sounding better. I don't really need 5 flavors of 1176 after all! Plus stock plugins are usually better on the CPU. Thanks for the great content.
I picked up a used Console 1 MK ii cheap two months ago. I setup the channel strip the way that’s most comfortable, familiar, and efficient for me. I load it on every channel. If I need more EQ, I turn off the C1 display, hit my keyboard shortcut for Pro-Q 3, dial it in, turn the display back on, and keep rolling. All my tape, compression, and saturation. Silencer is still my go-to drum gate, but I use 5 plug-ins outside of C1. Beautiful message! Be happy with what you’ve got!
I 100% agree that too many plugins can be overwhelming. I recently lost most of my plugins due to a broken hard drive. After I returned all the most necessary VSTs again, I feel like the responsibility to buy and use everything new that stores can offer me has fallen from my shoulders. Great video!
Man I can’t tell you how much I needed to hear this. I’ve been in plug-in denial for the past 3 years and get anxious every time I need to find compressor, EQ, etc…
I have bought too many plugins over the years, but have narrowed down what I use a lot. Everything has it's own place. With just a couple options for eq, compression, reverb, delay, saturation, etc. Takes me like two afternoons to dial in a mix, versus a month like it used to be.
@@PeterSavad Yes, that's the other side of it. It's also no good to be a chef who NEVER samples new brands of ingredients, or a military that never samples new brands of weapons.
I did an OS reinstall recently, and I was VERY particular on what plugins I reinstalled. "stock" plugins are great. people turn their nose up to them for no reason sometimes. When PreSonus turned the Pro EQ into a dynamic EQ that was game-changing for me. Until I bought Arturia's FX Collection I didn't even own any 3rd party effects other than reverbs XD Bitwig's effects are off the chain though. I can take its Reverb, which by itself IS just okay. But then I open up the Tank itself, toss in another Reverb, a Chorus, a Delay, or whatever, and it becomes this wonderful, amazing thing and stock plugins are notably lighter on CPU. stock plugins are great and I'll die on that hill.
I agree with your points here, but a lot can be solved with making a template with your go to plugins already loaded. No need to delete stuff. Also some newer plug-ins are worth it for workflow og problem solving. For example Silencer. Clarity from Waves is also great when working with live vocal takes.
I started with this a week ago, specially all those free stuff that accumulated over time. Now still a few left and still searching what to keep, so not done yet and keeping the one's I like and payed for. Glad that my channel is small and don't get any companies that want to send me some useless plugins^^
This is good advice. I'm just getting started, learning Reaper, and just using the stock plugins, a couple free vst multi-instruments, a free drum kit, and thats all I'm even going to have for now. I'm having a blast so far and my computer seems to have no issues at all.
Just viewing the start of this...Now that I'm working w hardware, there are SO MANY plug-ins that I never utilize anymore. Starting tomorrow, I'm giving a hard look at some house cleaning. Thanks for the heads up.
Relevant topic. I've been reducing my tool set as well, but for a different reason. I finally found LVC Audio plugins, which give me a sound to that makes mixing easy. Took a long time to find the right tools.
Great tips man. I can get lost in all the ampsym stuff and waste a lot of time getting started with one I like and then waste time tweaking it to the mix. I see offers from the software makers for so many cool things at great prices that are so tempting but in the end I stop myself from falling into that rabbit hole. Thanks for the post.
Howard Johnson is Right! I'm going through eliminating groups from different places such as Waves... keeping a few of them, T-racks, and just settling on a the ones I use the most. I also limited my soft synth count to six... But, yeah. This is a great review.
same here, i have almost 5 years only using stock FL studio plugins because they have everything i want and they are SO manipulable and by the time i deleted almost every free plugin i donwloaded with the years and only keep a few just for very specific stuff
New to this game and I need to be careful not to fall into the plug black hole. The mindset being if only I could get the latest plugin my mixes will be better..... wrong.
For the past 2 years i stopped buying plugins & stopped updating my current plugins for the same exact reason. The only recent purchases are the IRs as those made the most difference.
I was having option paralysis just last night when I was messing with a project and this is exactly what was happening, I need to go through and decide which plugins I actually need and get rid of the rest
I know I am late to the game but you nailed it bro. For me, having ADHD and a zillion options leads to endless preset browsing. I got down to a basic set of plug-ins that I use most often. I made sure I had clean/transparent processing alongside my more tube/analog sim plug-ins. This has reduced my mixing time and made mixing fun again. A secondary benefit is that your knowledge about your go-to plug-ins grows deeper.
I certainly agree with what you're saying as I've heard others with a similar point of view. I'm there myself, especially w/ amp sims. I'm a tone junkie at heart. I myself would have a hard time doing "spring cleaning" especially since I've paid for all the plugins I own. Will definitely have to to some hard thinking. Thanks as always.
I deleted a ton of plugins last week as well. It’s made it so much easier to find the plugins that I’m actually looking for rather than scrolling through an endless list.
You’re already my favorite guy in RUclips. And now I like you 80% more than before 😄 in cubase I use stock plugins for the last four years . For the same reason that is up my skills, and not being conditioned by the plugin infinite offering. I do have old favorites like izotope ozone for mastering.
In Cubase you can create multiple list of plugins. I have various lists, Mastering, Mixing, Most used, Creative plugins, Once in a While and never used. No need to remove them, because sometimes I just need a plugin that I never use. Standard I have the most used list, and switching is just one click. Within every list I have folders in alphabetical order with plugins for EQ, Dynamics, Delay and so on.
i did this recently as well. the one thing that drives me crazy though is i upgraded to an apollo last year and i love it except for the fact that they make you download all of there plugins. i only have a handful and i hate hitting the uad dropdown and there is a million plugins
Other than my drum vst, I haven't actually bought a plugin. There are a few I am getting, but I have been getting great results from reaper stock plugins, simply because I became more focused on good sources. I will give credit to some of your content with what I'm able to do now.
I use the same free or stock eq and compressors on pretty much everything. Amp sims are an exception though as I enjoy demoing them on here. Very rarely I'll switch out my main stays.
Stock Plug-ins FTW. Been watching your vids because my mixes are bunk. Gonna start applying something’s you’ve taught in other videos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
For the longest time it kinda sucked that Logic didn’t have the automatic categorization for plugins like ProTools. But for a while now it has category folders that you can manage yourself. That way you don’t get the crazy long lists when you go into „dynamics“ or whatever. You just make your own favorites folders.
I don't use anything except stock plugins, which in my pre-engineering phase, I will build into my own custom chains. I can do this quickly and easily because I spent years on the rudiments of sound; eq, pan, phase, harmonics and modulation, for example. I can successfully reengineer any sound I want with basic plugins because I took the time to figure out how. In this way I have saved thousands of hours and dollars...no matter how enticing the auto functions or GUIs of flashy third party plugins may be ;)
It's fairly simple to copy your AAX or Components or VST3 folder over to a backup disk and operate with a bare bones set of tools for a project or two, and reach into that backup disk and copy back over those plugins you absolutely must have. (I do this every 3-4 years) As regards stock plugins, my first go-to EQ is Logic Pro's stock EQ, and I quite like the subtle Chorus also, but for Reverb, I much prefer Eventide's and UAD's offerings. If need be, I'd be okay using only Logic Pro's stock plugins, but there is a reason why some third party plugins have become so popular - standard fare even - amongst professional mixing engineers (you can probably guess the 3-4 companies I'm referring to).
My plan is this. For he next few years im going to use my basic setup. It revolves around well established outboard gear emulations. Then, once I feel AI is at its peakish time i will transition to AI based plugins. As I look for a slightly more modern sound and workflow.
After nearly 30 years in the business I now have around 20 plugins installed. Of which I use probably 10 on 90 percent of projects. Two compressors, 2 EQ’s, 2 saturation, a delay and a couple of “tools”. Thats it. Simple. When tracking I use one amp sim, one bass amp sim, a Hammond sim, one synth. And sometimes drum replacement/ augmentation . And this is if I haven’t tracked live instruments. Keep it as simple as possible.
Bobby to the rescue again!! I've been struggling for weeks chasing a specific sound. Tried so many different plug ins. All to end back at the original set up and finding the sound 🤦♂️
It’s crazy that this video showed up, I was thinking of deleting all the free ones I don’t use. I have a technique to experiment with new plugins. I demo one or two every 2-3 months and explore them to the maximum extent possible by replacing others in specific tracks where I use equivalent or similar ones. I then only buy what I really liked and need. I’m self taught, so don’t take my word for it, but this has worked for me, as I don’t have many plugins and the ones I do have, I use them all, except 4 I bought (and regret) back when I started and when I hadn’t adopted this technique yet.
While I understand the fascination with different new plugins, I never understood why some people dismiss stock plugins. They essentially perform the same tasks as the paid ones, without the flashy marketing.
I like your point about classic pro mixers. In an analog studio, how much gear is really changing in a given year? Chances are the meat and potatoes of their setup is intact throughout its life span, and maybe they add a supplementary piece of rack gear or something *occasionally*.
Strangely, I was just considering doing the same thing. I use the stock studio éq in Cubase and Helix Native for guitar so why have 20 other alternatives? It takes ages for Cubase to boot with so many plugins. Definately going to slim things down.
I recently sold my Kemper because I was getting overloaded. Hundreds or thousands of new rigs released every single week, I just couldn't keep up anymore, constant rig FOMO. Now I'm looking to get a new setup for recording. It would be great to hear about different options in IRs and IR loaders. I'm strongly considering buying a (versatile) physical preamp for my guitar so I can commit to a sound instead of being tempted by a billion amp sims. I have trouble committing to sounds in the first place, so getting out of the digital realm for more steps is good for me. Would I need a DI to record from a preamp into my interface?
I’ve only been mixing a few years but I’ve tried some third party plugins and realized I don’t use them much because I don’t know exactly what they are doing. Most are preset and they do multiple tasks at once, which supposedly saves effort. However I get lost when I don’t know what process is actually involved. So I mostly use stock plugins (Logic Pro). Sometimes the third party doesn’t respond well or load correctly. Maybe a problem with my setup but I don’t have patience to troubleshoot. A good theory I heard was get to know your stock plugins first and learn how to use them. Otherwise you’re wasting time and money on third party when you don’t know what they really do. But what do I know? Thanks for your example on cutting back.
I had been sniffing around a new EQ plugin a couple of weeks ago. I resisted pulling the trigger - because I already had a few EQ's in my toolbox. I questioned my interest in the plugin as I clearly didn't NEED it. My conclusion: I wanted it because I liked the way it looked. Embarrassing but true. I passed on the purchase. I've binged on plugin purchases over the last couple of years. I don't need any more.
Minimalism is just a scam by Big Small to sell more less. Seriously though, I'm going through the same thing, I often find myself using plugins just because they have a cool GUI or just because they're new, and I tend to try to force making them work or sounding like the plugins I already know and use, because "newer is better". I've wasted A LOT of time A/B'ing plugins when I should have just stuck with what I know works. Thanks for confirming, and for giving me the kick in the butt I need!
Had to get rid of all the subs from plug alliance, slate, etc. over this. Sticking with the paid only plugs, like everyone else, definitely agree here!
i'm starting to feel like this is a movement the "plug-dump" movement if you will. I too am thinking of plug dumping, I hate subscriptions, i hate spending all this cash on things that do the same thing with the same results. i used to get the free 99 version of plugins until i got guilted into doing it the right way but now it feels like i been scammed. i have even lost my love for music a bit because of plugin-chasing.
I did this like 6 months ago. Deleted all the plugs I never use. It’s a much more enjoyable experience. I highly recommend it. This is hard to do for beginners considering they haven’t developed any preferences yet. A pro will slay with stock plugs every time over an amateur with a million $ studio. I promise you that.
Doesn't it feel good? I'm no fan of the stock plugins on my DAW, but when I got a new computer, I did a clean install and found myself only wanting to do business with 19 of the previous 50 or so plugin companies I had bought plugins from. Now I've got plugin menus with only 15 saturation/effects companies and 4 companies for untilities. It actually feels nice to have neat little boxes rather than having to scroll top to bottom on my monitor. I decided to say goodbye to some old sentimental favorites, but once they were gone, I never really missed them. I will stay open to new plugins from my existing plugin companies, but I feel dead to adding any new company names to that list. All my current plugins really pop, and I don't think any of my plugin's makers are among the hyped mass-marketing companies. Anyway, time inside my DAW has increased, so I'll take the challenge to be more creative with lean, mean and clean!
The reason number 1 exist because you use pro tools that is an obsolete DAW. with logic pro for example you can use the plugin manager and having only your favourite plugins show up and organised in logical folders.
i also geta lot of plugins pretty much i have EVERY single free plugin available to mankind and NEVER used some, i only stick to stock eq,comp, fabfilter stuff ,some analog obsession comps, and that's pretty much it
I just want a good tube compressor plugin and logic doesnt have it. Safly most of the ones ive tried havent given me the gooey compression that im after. Also the emperial labs arouser had been a godsend on my drum buss. Other than that id agree that my stock plugins handle most of what im after.
If I were reviewing plugins for a living and mixing for a living, I would separate the two worlds as much as possible. I would have a computer for my mixing work and another for my plugin demo content. If I run across an actual special plugin, I’d install it on my mixing computer.
I agree with the sentiment of his video. But the stock pro tools/logic eq are not as good as my personal perferred eq plugs. Mine aren’t replicating any hardware but i think they do a better and more transparent job with the top end and get the result i want with the Low end. I’ll use the stock for low cuts if anything. The stock D-verb is actually really good as well as the spring verb. I have 2 compressors i go to. IMHO the plugins replicating hardware stuff just have really nice looking GUI’s. Not saying they’re not different or they’re not “better”, but people think that getting some emulation equipment plug is gonna “save” or “solve” their mixes. It’s kind of a waste of time. Stick w one. Maybe just grab an SSL channel and know it well. Stick w it. FWIW I’ve been an engineer for 25 years with a few plaques to hang on the wall and a Grammy.
Man, this is SO freaking relatable! I've been trying new plugins in the past few years, but I've ended up using 90% stock plugins in my mixes - which are way better than my past years mixes.
Every mixing tutorial ever: Here's how you can use this $300 plugin you don't have to get better mixes. Now here's how it sounds on bypass *already sounds perfect* and here's with the plugin on *sounds somewhat cooler idk*
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What most people doesnt realize about mixing for a living, is that mixing is about moving faders, knobs and pushing buttons (physical or virtual) to get results, and that is all.
Thats why top engineers have assistants making all the routings and delivering a session ready for mix.
Routing is not mixing, vocal tuning is not mixing, fixing tempo isues isnt mixing, neither is spending hours trying different virtual snares or tube amps.
On mixing stage we need to be fast and efficient, if something isnt broken, dont fix it. Why would we need to have 8 different plugins emulating the same Pultec? (or a 1176, etc etc).
Pick the one you like and move forward.
Well said bro. Folk don’t seem to realise the huge distinction between editing/ prep and actual mixing. When a project is written, performed, arranged, tuned, edited, timed etc properly BEFORE starting the mix, mixing is actually the quickest and most straightforward part of making a record BY FAR.
Exactly. I am primarily a mix engineer these days, and I have some insert chains saved that are "alternatives" to my mix template, but generally I don't change out my mix template...doesn't matter what genre--same template. I can get two songs mixed in a day and back to the artist for notes. When I get notes back, it might take 2-4 hours to make changes and then it's done and the artists are happy. Can't do that if I am trying out different plugins all the time.
The only exception to this is label mixes where I get a full PT session with plugins included. Those take longer and I will mostly use the plugins the producer added to create their demo/production mix; which means having a large amount of plugins installed...then my job is just to enhance the mix, make it sound better, not change the producer's vision.
the thing about mixing if you define it as purely the literal sense of balancing audio levels, that's a skill that takes about 5 minutes to learn, hence why the vast majority of music producers mix and master their own work. It's a skill you develop naturally as you work with audio. I suppose my opinion is biased as an electronic music composer
I spent 8 months living in France, away from my home studio. Had to use Reaper's stock plugins and a few choice cuts from the free plugins list. (Only paid plugin was GGD Invasion). While I was living with this limitation, I made my best mix ever. This made me realize that the Waves collection I had been using for over a decade wasn't as crucial as I thought. Now that I'm back, I've removed the HDD with my Waves collection from my PC entirely. Once again, my latest home mix is better than everything before it.
Stock plugins are incredibly good. FOSS plugins like Surge XT for synth are amazing too. You can do 100% pro level mixes without spending a dime. Try it sometime.
Reaper plugins are very good, Reaper has one of the most transparent limiter out there, it's in my top 3.
I used nothing but Reason 4 for over 10 years, nothing but stock devices no add ons no plugins and made some of My best music on there.
Reaper onstock plugins are not the best... colouring compressors are not included, EQ sounds often a bit harsh. And there are no modulation fx and no good reverbs etc. Reaper plugins lags in so many ways... bad handling and bad uninspiring fiddly GUI also. Reaper has no synths and no sample content to start with too.
Sorry to say but Waves, UA, Brainworx, Softube, NI and so on are way better and a pro standard.
The most valuable thing I learned in the Frightbox Mix Crypt was a major shift in my mental model. For me, mixing is now about three things, (1) compression (2) EQ (3) volume automation. If you have good source sounds and good performances, getting those three things right will do 90+% of the work for you. It really demystified mixing for me. This video is just another example of simplicity, letting technique do the work rather than waiting for a magic button that does all the work for you. Thanks Bobby!
Top comment right here
I mix profesisonally as well. Around 150 projects a year! I recently did the exact same thing. I also admit that I can relate to feeling obligated to try the new stuff coming out as well! I've been much better about it recently but it took me a while to realize what was going on. Great video!
I am literally moving to a newer, bigger, faster PC and leaving behind about 80% of the plugins on my old one. I found out the same thing . No matter how shiny and new.. you always go towards what you know and trust... Great video Bobby.. and I signed up.. my attention span is very good . So I'll be watching this afternoon. Cheers!
After realizing that i was suffering from FOMO with plugins, (whether it was for synthesizers, mixing tools, amp sims etc) i decided to stop getting plugins. I just felt like i had to have all that stuff (and a lot of it i got from deals i just COULDNT miss lol). This vid came at the right time for me because im pretty much at this point. I think im in recovery at this point lol.
I switched computers recently, got a fresh install of Logic Pro, and just installed 3 out of 40+ plugins I used to have. I don't even remember half of their names and what I used them for. Logic has never been faster and throws very few errors now, still a few 😅. I also made a point of having plugins on busses and using automation to send volume to reverb, delay etc, rather than using the plugin on the track and using automation to change the wet/dry knob. My latency recording is practically gone, files are smaller, I work faster and get better mixes!
This video came out the same moment my friend recommended a €90 limiter/clipper.
I’m keeping my €90
And now you will never be a professional mixer xD
:D
@@BlazonStone Oh the humanity
just get crack it’s a free transient shaper and clipper or initial clipper both pretty decent
Better use free one, like PeakEater for example
90 bucks for a clipper? Does anyone but Superman really hear the difference between a free clipper and a 90 Euro one? Definitely keep your money! Also, question your friend and if he he/she is a real friend! 😄
Sweet Lord I hear you man! Option paralysis is the absolute death of productivity. Even within the plugins themselves I set myself limitations: EZ Drummer, one kit, maybe three snares and two kicks. Bias FX: 3 amps, done. Diva, which has hundreds of synth sounds, I sat down one day and pared it down to about 15 presets. Create limits, reduce friction.
Also there's a fear of missing out FOMO, that one of the numerous plugins could solve your problem. Like changing channels on the tv..
@@BoltRM very true. And that's what advertising taps into. *This* plugin will finally elevate your mix
THANK YOU! I just got into DAW recording a few years ago as a hobby to demo my own stuff, not public consumption. The first thing I did was download every free thing under the sun. Most of those are crap, so I broke down and bought a few. Then, just like Omaha Steaks, they inundated me with emails and sales seemingly too good to pass up. Now, instead of recording music, I spend hours flipping through plug-ins to try to find just the right one, then wind up using the same ones I always do anyway. I’ve been contemplating deleting the ones I don’t need and haven’t been able to pull the trigger yet. Perfect time for me to see this.
this goes for any musician. my band is currently in the process of recording and one of the guitarists will hit me up DAILY to ask if tool xyz will make him sound the way he wants to sound. i keep telling him: just get it done. no tool or hack will make you sound 20 times better, sound will be decided when we reamp.
In Cubase you can create multiple plugin lists (sort by brand, type, custom) so it’s easy to make a really limited go-to list without uninstalling. I’m sure other DAWs probably do it too
tbf deleting plugins means that you can cram in more projects without reaching for external storage.
@@alrecks619 for sure, I have a dedicated PC with over 20TB so space isn’t the issue, but definitely important for laptops
YES! THANK YOU! I had this revelation about a week ago. I just wasn’t happy with anything I was doing I realized I was tone/plugin chasing and turning knobs loading sims like a robot rather than writing music. Especially thinking about pre-production what I want a song to sound like and arranged etc.
I stripped everything down to Guitar 2(?) JS in Reaper, Neural and for my iOS I have the basic AnyAmpIR w a couple IRs and use the pedal steel guitar app from Yanek tweaked to get a sludgy tone. I also made myself write in a notebook again and not countless txt docs on my phone. I started w a 4 Track in 92 with BC Rich guitars and BOSS pedals that everyone thought were crap and are now highly coveted, I want to get back to that feeling. Maybe even run a drum loop from an amp an re-record it in a DAW to give it a live feeling w space. Idk I haven’t been productive in 5 years and need to do something. I’m glad to see others are doing the same. And I just bought the MAMMOTH AND RHINO sims but they were way too much for me like I just heard a wall of static. Thanks for this video and I hope fellow musicians and producers find clarity again!
I just deleted all of my plugins. Just gonna use faders and panning!
😂
Dude, I deleted faders and the panning too... No time for that shit!
Dude, the pros mix while they record.. no need for mixing - just record as it is!
@@blackeyed."Your source is bad and you should FEEL bad!"
@@ericstephenson6158 just meditate and the source gets better
Option paralysis is a real thing. It's very similar to finding something to watch on multiple streaming platforms; you likely spent more time thumbing through options than it did to watch an episode. If you can't get a good sound between multiple version of the same plugin, don't blame the plugin. Just to echo your sentiments: it's not the plugin, it's you. Plugin companies do a great job of making their plugins sexy and the reels and sponsorships help, but they're not you and not your backing tracks to sell the amp sim, for instance. Thanks for the perspective, Bobby!
I got into some FOMO the last couple of years unfortunately and bought a lot of plugins. My mixes were OK but not fantastic. I started focusing on the stock Logic plugins recently and my mixes come together quicker and are sounding better. I don't really need 5 flavors of 1176 after all! Plus stock plugins are usually better on the CPU. Thanks for the great content.
I picked up a used Console 1 MK ii cheap two months ago. I setup the channel strip the way that’s most comfortable, familiar, and efficient for me. I load it on every channel. If I need more EQ, I turn off the C1 display, hit my keyboard shortcut for Pro-Q 3, dial it in, turn the display back on, and keep rolling. All my tape, compression, and saturation. Silencer is still my go-to drum gate, but I use 5 plug-ins outside of C1.
Beautiful message! Be happy with what you’ve got!
I'm with you here Bobby, the stock plug-ins are more than capable of producing a great mix. Seeing that list of plugins would just overwhelm me.
I 100% agree that too many plugins can be overwhelming. I recently lost most of my plugins due to a broken hard drive. After I returned all the most necessary VSTs again, I feel like the responsibility to buy and use everything new that stores can offer me has fallen from my shoulders. Great video!
Man I can’t tell you how much I needed to hear this. I’ve been in plug-in denial for the past 3 years and get anxious every time I need to find compressor, EQ, etc…
I have bought too many plugins over the years, but have narrowed down what I use a lot. Everything has it's own place. With just a couple options for eq, compression, reverb, delay, saturation, etc.
Takes me like two afternoons to dial in a mix, versus a month like it used to be.
Imagine a chef who constantly changes the brand of ingredients he uses. Or a military that’s constantly changing the brand of its weapons.
Imagine not changing when something new does a better job at what you need to get done. 😏
@@PeterSavad Yes, that's the other side of it. It's also no good to be a chef who NEVER samples new brands of ingredients, or a military that never samples new brands of weapons.
I did an OS reinstall recently, and I was VERY particular on what plugins I reinstalled.
"stock" plugins are great. people turn their nose up to them for no reason sometimes. When PreSonus turned the Pro EQ into a dynamic EQ that was game-changing for me. Until I bought Arturia's FX Collection I didn't even own any 3rd party effects other than reverbs XD
Bitwig's effects are off the chain though. I can take its Reverb, which by itself IS just okay. But then I open up the Tank itself, toss in another Reverb, a Chorus, a Delay, or whatever, and it becomes this wonderful, amazing thing and stock plugins are notably lighter on CPU.
stock plugins are great and I'll die on that hill.
I agree with your points here, but a lot can be solved with making a template with your go to plugins already loaded. No need to delete stuff. Also some newer plug-ins are worth it for workflow og problem solving. For example Silencer. Clarity from Waves is also great when working with live vocal takes.
I started with this a week ago, specially all those free stuff that accumulated over time. Now still a few left and still searching what to keep, so not done yet and keeping the one's I like and payed for. Glad that my channel is small and don't get any companies that want to send me some useless plugins^^
This is good advice. I'm just getting started, learning Reaper, and just using the stock plugins, a couple free vst multi-instruments, a free drum kit, and thats all I'm even going to have for now. I'm having a blast so far and my computer seems to have no issues at all.
I have always wanted to do this but I have one concern. Older projects will have problems opening. How do you deal with this?
Just viewing the start of this...Now that I'm working w hardware, there are SO MANY plug-ins that I never utilize anymore. Starting tomorrow, I'm giving a hard look at some house cleaning. Thanks for the heads up.
Fantastic video. More people should try this.
I'm sticking to mostly Cubase tock plugins with a few special things that Cubase cannot do.
Relevant topic. I've been reducing my tool set as well, but for a different reason. I finally found LVC Audio plugins, which give me a sound to that makes mixing easy. Took a long time to find the right tools.
Great tips man. I can get lost in all the ampsym stuff and waste a lot of time getting started with one I like and then waste time tweaking it to the mix. I see offers from the software makers for so many cool things at great prices that are so tempting but in the end I stop myself from falling into that rabbit hole. Thanks for the post.
Howard Johnson is Right! I'm going through eliminating groups from different places such as Waves... keeping a few of them, T-racks, and just settling on a the ones I use the most. I also limited my soft synth count to six... But, yeah. This is a great review.
same here, i have almost 5 years only using stock FL studio plugins because they have everything i want and they are SO manipulable and by the time i deleted almost every free plugin i donwloaded with the years and only keep a few just for very specific stuff
New to this game and I need to be careful not to fall into the plug black hole. The mindset being if only I could get the latest plugin my mixes will be better..... wrong.
For the past 2 years i stopped buying plugins & stopped updating my current plugins for the same exact reason. The only recent purchases are the IRs as those made the most difference.
Good vid, I feel the same way, I was scanning through 1500 plugins, cut it down by half and it has been a faster workflow since
I was having option paralysis just last night when I was messing with a project and this is exactly what was happening, I need to go through and decide which plugins I actually need and get rid of the rest
I know I am late to the game but you nailed it bro. For me, having ADHD and a zillion options leads to endless preset browsing. I got down to a basic set of plug-ins that I use most often. I made sure I had clean/transparent processing alongside my more tube/analog sim plug-ins. This has reduced my mixing time and made mixing fun again. A secondary benefit is that your knowledge about your go-to plug-ins grows deeper.
Ver good point I've always tried to limit myself to no more than 2 of each type of plugin . I do use alot of my stock plugins Great advice Thanks🎸
I certainly agree with what you're saying as I've heard others with a similar point of view. I'm there myself, especially w/ amp sims. I'm a tone junkie at heart. I myself would have a hard time doing "spring cleaning" especially since I've paid for all the plugins I own. Will definitely have to to some hard thinking. Thanks as always.
I deleted a ton of plugins last week as well. It’s made it so much easier to find the plugins that I’m actually looking for rather than scrolling through an endless list.
You’re already my favorite guy in RUclips. And now I like you 80% more than before 😄 in cubase I use stock plugins for the last four years . For the same reason that is up my skills, and not being conditioned by the plugin infinite offering. I do have old favorites like izotope ozone for mastering.
In Cubase you can create multiple list of plugins. I have various lists, Mastering, Mixing, Most used, Creative plugins, Once in a While and never used. No need to remove them, because sometimes I just need a plugin that I never use. Standard I have the most used list, and switching is just one click. Within every list I have folders in alphabetical order with plugins for EQ, Dynamics, Delay and so on.
i did this recently as well. the one thing that drives me crazy though is i upgraded to an apollo last year and i love it except for the fact that they make you download all of there plugins. i only have a handful and i hate hitting the uad dropdown and there is a million plugins
Thank you for this video, I just did the same thing a few weeks ago. There are WAY TOO MANY PLUGINS!!!!!!
Other than my drum vst, I haven't actually bought a plugin. There are a few I am getting, but I have been getting great results from reaper stock plugins, simply because I became more focused on good sources.
I will give credit to some of your content with what I'm able to do now.
I use the same free or stock eq and compressors on pretty much everything. Amp sims are an exception though as I enjoy demoing them on here. Very rarely I'll switch out my main stays.
Stock Plug-ins FTW. Been watching your vids because my mixes are bunk. Gonna start applying something’s you’ve taught in other videos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
For the longest time it kinda sucked that Logic didn’t have the automatic categorization for plugins like ProTools.
But for a while now it has category folders that you can manage yourself. That way you don’t get the crazy long lists when you go into „dynamics“ or whatever. You just make your own favorites folders.
I don't use anything except stock plugins, which in my pre-engineering phase, I will build into my own custom chains. I can do this quickly and easily because I spent years on the rudiments of sound; eq, pan, phase, harmonics and modulation, for example. I can successfully reengineer any sound I want with basic plugins because I took the time to figure out how. In this way I have saved thousands of hours and dollars...no matter how enticing the auto functions or GUIs of flashy third party plugins may be ;)
It's fairly simple to copy your AAX or Components or VST3 folder over to a backup disk and operate with a bare bones set of tools for a project or two, and reach into that backup disk and copy back over those plugins you absolutely must have. (I do this every 3-4 years)
As regards stock plugins, my first go-to EQ is Logic Pro's stock EQ, and I quite like the subtle Chorus also, but for Reverb, I much prefer Eventide's and UAD's offerings.
If need be, I'd be okay using only Logic Pro's stock plugins, but there is a reason why some third party plugins have become so popular - standard fare even - amongst professional mixing engineers (you can probably guess the 3-4 companies I'm referring to).
My plan is this. For he next few years im going to use my basic setup. It revolves around well established outboard gear emulations.
Then, once I feel AI is at its peakish time i will transition to AI based plugins. As I look for a slightly more modern sound and workflow.
After nearly 30 years in the business I now have around 20 plugins installed. Of which I use probably 10 on 90 percent of projects. Two compressors, 2 EQ’s, 2 saturation, a delay and a couple of “tools”. Thats it. Simple.
When tracking I use one amp sim, one bass amp sim, a Hammond sim, one synth. And sometimes drum replacement/ augmentation . And this is if I haven’t tracked live instruments.
Keep it as simple as possible.
I wanna buy the CLA compressors, but.. I have logic stock compressors and analog obsession compressors, which work fine for me.
Dude Analog Obsession is fucking legit 🔥
Bobby to the rescue again!! I've been struggling for weeks chasing a specific sound. Tried so many different plug ins. All to end back at the original set up and finding the sound 🤦♂️
I have used Digital Performer since 2006. For EQ im always defaulting to DPs stock EQ. Although i have all the waves eqs in my computer... I feel u.
It’s crazy that this video showed up, I was thinking of deleting all the free ones I don’t use. I have a technique to experiment with new plugins. I demo one or two every 2-3 months and explore them to the maximum extent possible by replacing others in specific tracks where I use equivalent or similar ones. I then only buy what I really liked and need. I’m self taught, so don’t take my word for it, but this has worked for me, as I don’t have many plugins and the ones I do have, I use them all, except 4 I bought (and regret) back when I started and when I hadn’t adopted this technique yet.
5:59 - He definitely finds it annoying! Great video as always. Thank you!
Good move for sanity and work enjoyment👍
I still find myself chasing a good tape saturation emulation plugin. To throw on drums or vocals to tame the transients. I mostly use stock plugins
Airwindows ToTape is awesome.
True❤
Love it! It's a liberating thing to do and your pc will thank you!
Cheers!
Interesting topic
In my experience of mixing , i found myself always using stock plugin for mixing
Time to delete plugins that i don't need
While I understand the fascination with different new plugins, I never understood why some people dismiss stock plugins. They essentially perform the same tasks as the paid ones, without the flashy marketing.
ableton stock plugins are amazing im still on live 10 suite and have zero plans of upgrading
I like your point about classic pro mixers. In an analog studio, how much gear is really changing in a given year? Chances are the meat and potatoes of their setup is intact throughout its life span, and maybe they add a supplementary piece of rack gear or something *occasionally*.
I use stock logic plugins, fab filter bundle and a few freebies.
More than enough to get the job done. (in the right hands, not mine😂)
Strangely, I was just considering doing the same thing. I use the stock studio éq in Cubase and Helix Native for guitar so why have 20 other alternatives? It takes ages for Cubase to boot with so many plugins. Definately going to slim things down.
Another power of using stock plugins and instruments is that they are not CPU-intensive and being stock in the DAW, they will not cause issues....
I love your philosophy bobby.
I recently sold my Kemper because I was getting overloaded. Hundreds or thousands of new rigs released every single week, I just couldn't keep up anymore, constant rig FOMO.
Now I'm looking to get a new setup for recording. It would be great to hear about different options in IRs and IR loaders. I'm strongly considering buying a (versatile) physical preamp for my guitar so I can commit to a sound instead of being tempted by a billion amp sims. I have trouble committing to sounds in the first place, so getting out of the digital realm for more steps is good for me.
Would I need a DI to record from a preamp into my interface?
I see something familiar on the preview, which i stopped using on the new album 😄
I’ve only been mixing a few years but I’ve tried some third party plugins and realized I don’t use them much because I don’t know exactly what they are doing. Most are preset and they do multiple tasks at once, which supposedly saves effort. However I get lost when I don’t know what process is actually involved. So I mostly use stock plugins (Logic Pro). Sometimes the third party doesn’t respond well or load correctly. Maybe a problem with my setup but I don’t have patience to troubleshoot. A good theory I heard was get to know your stock plugins first and learn how to use them. Otherwise you’re wasting time and money on third party when you don’t know what they really do. But what do I know? Thanks for your example on cutting back.
I had been sniffing around a new EQ plugin a couple of weeks ago. I resisted pulling the trigger - because I already had a few EQ's in my toolbox. I questioned my interest in the plugin as I clearly didn't NEED it.
My conclusion: I wanted it because I liked the way it looked. Embarrassing but true. I passed on the purchase.
I've binged on plugin purchases over the last couple of years. I don't need any more.
Minimalism is just a scam by Big Small to sell more less.
Seriously though, I'm going through the same thing, I often find myself using plugins just because they have a cool GUI or just because they're new, and I tend to try to force making them work or sounding like the plugins I already know and use, because "newer is better". I've wasted A LOT of time A/B'ing plugins when I should have just stuck with what I know works. Thanks for confirming, and for giving me the kick in the butt I need!
I live in a domino factory in Iceland and do not know what a plugin is, however watching this video has made me delete 80% of my domino's
Wish I had kept a copy of the TSE X50. Tried to download it recently and couldn't find it.
Had to get rid of all the subs from plug alliance, slate, etc. over this. Sticking with the paid only plugs, like everyone else, definitely agree here!
I guess the main reason was to speed the production process browsing less options. I don't know. Namastè.
great job brother I feel ya thanks
i'm starting to feel like this is a movement the "plug-dump" movement if you will. I too am thinking of plug dumping, I hate subscriptions, i hate spending all this cash on things that do the same thing with the same results. i used to get the free 99 version of plugins until i got guilted into doing it the right way but now it feels like i been scammed. i have even lost my love for music a bit because of plugin-chasing.
I did this like 6 months ago. Deleted all the plugs I never use. It’s a much more enjoyable experience. I highly recommend it. This is hard to do for beginners considering they haven’t developed any preferences yet. A pro will slay with stock plugs every time over an amateur with a million $ studio. I promise you that.
Not to mention you go to use a plugin you haven't in a while and it prompts you to enter your serial number or login again.
Great tips, thanks 🙏
Doesn't it feel good? I'm no fan of the stock plugins on my DAW, but when I got a new computer, I did a clean install and found myself only wanting to do business with 19 of the previous 50 or so plugin companies I had bought plugins from. Now I've got plugin menus with only 15 saturation/effects companies and 4 companies for untilities. It actually feels nice to have neat little boxes rather than having to scroll top to bottom on my monitor. I decided to say goodbye to some old sentimental favorites, but once they were gone, I never really missed them. I will stay open to new plugins from my existing plugin companies, but I feel dead to adding any new company names to that list. All my current plugins really pop, and I don't think any of my plugin's makers are among the hyped mass-marketing companies. Anyway, time inside my DAW has increased, so I'll take the challenge to be more creative with lean, mean and clean!
The reason number 1 exist because you use pro tools that is an obsolete DAW. with logic pro for example you can use the plugin manager and having only your favourite plugins show up and organised in logical folders.
I’m investing in ALOT of hardware. Mostly Wes audio . An added benefit is to stick to the same tools
i also geta lot of plugins pretty much i have EVERY single free plugin available to mankind and NEVER used some, i only stick to stock eq,comp, fabfilter stuff ,some analog obsession comps, and that's pretty much it
Me and my buddy are deleting plugins and change our mindsets with your advice 🗣️🗣️🗣️
I did the same one week ago from the same reasons.
I just want a good tube compressor plugin and logic doesnt have it. Safly most of the ones ive tried havent given me the gooey compression that im after.
Also the emperial labs arouser had been a godsend on my drum buss.
Other than that id agree that my stock plugins handle most of what im after.
If I were reviewing plugins for a living and mixing for a living, I would separate the two worlds as much as possible. I would have a computer for my mixing work and another for my plugin demo content. If I run across an actual special plugin, I’d install it on my mixing computer.
I agree with the sentiment of his video. But the stock pro tools/logic eq are not as good as my personal perferred eq plugs. Mine aren’t replicating any hardware but i think they do a better and more transparent job with the top end and get the result i want with the Low end. I’ll use the stock for low cuts if anything. The stock D-verb is actually really good as well as the spring verb. I have 2 compressors i go to. IMHO the plugins replicating hardware stuff just have really nice looking GUI’s. Not saying they’re not different or they’re not “better”, but people think that getting some emulation equipment plug is gonna “save” or “solve” their mixes. It’s kind of a waste of time. Stick w one. Maybe just grab an SSL channel and know it well. Stick w it. FWIW I’ve been an engineer for 25 years with a few plaques to hang on the wall and a Grammy.
Man, this is SO freaking relatable!
I've been trying new plugins in the past few years, but I've ended up using 90% stock plugins in my mixes - which are way better than my past years mixes.
Every mixing tutorial ever: Here's how you can use this $300 plugin you don't have to get better mixes. Now here's how it sounds on bypass *already sounds perfect* and here's with the plugin on *sounds somewhat cooler idk*
😂
Truth told, friend. G.A.S getting ridiculous these day.
I should do this. I personally dread mixing. It really sucks the joy out of my creativity. I have too many plugins for mixing 😂
I know the feeling!
I try my best to record the source so I need to do the LEAST amount of mixing and plugins possible.
This is the realest video I've ever seen lol