I have not checked those two out! They look great. I'll have to give them a spin! And I really need to dig into Tone Projects as a whole. That Kelvin is a lot of fun. Thanks!
@@mr_bradsmith You should also check their Unisum mastering compressor. Complex but fun. You can stay simple and familiar in the top module, or dig in with some very nuanced surgical stuff in the bottom module. It's all way over my head, but just starting with one of their presets and turning knobs is fun to say the least.
Thanks for putting this together. Nice. I have all of those except for Spicerack, which I will check out. Though I would disagree about The God Particle recommendation. The best thing about it is the marketing. I couldn't get it to make a sound that I liked. If someone wants to spend $119 on something to help them with mastering you're way better off with Ozone 10, which is usually on sale for a competitive price.
Glad you enjoyed it! I don't find myself reaching for God Particle in mastering. I agree with you about reaching for Ozone there. If I'm looking to get a modern pop mixing going quickly though, I do enjoy God Particle. I hope you dig Spicerack! Cheers.
From your list, I really really love BB, and also use The Oven and Looptrotter quite a bit. Actually all plugins are "new" to me, having woken up from just using Fabfilter, Waves, and T-Racks for years. But if it's 2022 releases only, I would also add in Kirchhoff EQ (still finding more and more things to do with this plugin) and the Amek 250. Otherwise, it's been a lot of rediscovered old plugins that I've been playing with, especially from Softube and Plugin Alliance. I will have a look at those Izotope plugins though. I have some very old ones. I should demo some of their more current ones.
The Kirchhoff is great! I just can't get myself away from the ProQ3 though haha! It just feels a bit faster to use. Not by much though. Neutron and Ozone are great tools. Well worth checking out! Thanks for checking out the list, Jim! Happy Holidays and New Year to you and your family!
@@mr_bradsmith Thanks Brad! Same to you and your kin as well! Looking forward to more from you in the new year. As for Kirchhoff, I think what really sells me on it is the dynamic side. Once I wrapped my head around how the compression and expansion parts work, plus the use of combinations of them on certain frequencies, and using the attack and release on the dynamics (which I don't think is available in FF in Q3, maybe MB), I think I'm actually able to get some really nice musical results, not just surgical ones. I don't know - I think sometimes I just like setting them up in such a way that I like to just watch all the rubber bands dance with the various parts of the music. I don't know if it's always really better, but it makes me feel good. It brings out something of the nerd in me. Anyway - cheers! I love your posts! Keep it up!
Thanks Jim! I have yet to really dive into the Kirchhoff dynamics. Definitely some more options than the ProQ3. It sure does sound good. It's incredible really! I'll have to keep trying to get used to the slight differences in workflow from the ProQ3. If it feels good it is good haha! Cheers!
@@mr_bradsmith Hey Brad! Just a couple more things to add. I wouldn't blame you if you stuck with ProQ3 based on your experience with it and your already-established workflow. First, I think I find myself digging into Kirchhoff more because I plunked down the big bucks when it first came out and so I really want to get my money's worth out of it. And while I love what I've been able to pull from it, there are some things that are a bit lacking. One is the manual, which I know is one of your main geek criteria. I don't find it terribly informative. The plugin has some features built into it that seem possibly very useful but their explanations on how they work and what to use them for is pretty weak. For instance, the whole Free and Relative / Side Chain end of the plugin. Also, the analog part seems a bit half-baked to me. I don't really hear the analog vibe in any of those, plus they disable dynamics and Qs in a lot of them, because I suspect all they are doing is emulating the slope shapes. There are a couple of things that ProQ3 does a lot better too. First, I really love how turning the outer ring of the knob dials in the compression/expansion on Q3 - it feels and seems more intuitive - dial up, dial down, left, right. I also love the way you can overlay other tracks onto the one instance of the plugin to see if there are too many overlapping frequencies between different instruments. That really helps with some of the ducking. I know we're supposed to use our ears but I do find visuals help a lot, and FabFilter has that nicely covered. I don't think that is a feature that's available with Kirchhoff. Or at least I haven't found it. Generally, overall, I think someone at Groove3 needs to do a decent "Explained" tutorial on it so I can really know what's under the hood and get the most out of it. The videos out there on it have been helpful but scant. Anyway, still love using it (and still use ProQ3 too, just not as much). Have a nice holiday, and hopefully not too cold and wintry your way!
I agree with you about the manual. I use the overlay and sidechaining features all the time on Pro-Q3. Particularly at the end of the mix when I'm trying to make a little more space and movement. And yeah the interface feels just way more intuitive to me. The Kirchhoff sure does sound good though! It's been -30 to -35 out here the last few days. Thankfully it's warming up a bit. Looks like you folks out East are getting a lot of snow and cold too. Hope you have nice holiday too!
just heard you on Motown reverb demo great job wow this might be the mastering reverb im looking for listening to your top 12 plugins Joe
Awesome, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the review! Happy New Year!
Great list. I would add tone Projects Basslane (free plugin) and Basslane Pro (paid plugin), both very good plugins.
I have not checked those two out! They look great. I'll have to give them a spin! And I really need to dig into Tone Projects as a whole. That Kelvin is a lot of fun. Thanks!
@@mr_bradsmith You should also check their Unisum mastering compressor. Complex but fun. You can stay simple and familiar in the top module, or dig in with some very nuanced surgical stuff in the bottom module. It's all way over my head, but just starting with one of their presets and turning knobs is fun to say the least.
@@jimslominski8006 I will add it to the list!
Great list, love the comments and feedback on ozone 10! Thanks 🔥
Glad you dig the list, Bill! Thank you! That impact module is something special Well done 👏👏
This is a great channel! Happy New Year Mr. Brad Smith!
Thank you so much! I appreciate it! Happy New Year to you, too!
Thanks for putting this together. Nice. I have all of those except for Spicerack, which I will check out. Though I would disagree about The God Particle recommendation. The best thing about it is the marketing. I couldn't get it to make a sound that I liked. If someone wants to spend $119 on something to help them with mastering you're way better off with Ozone 10, which is usually on sale for a competitive price.
Glad you enjoyed it! I don't find myself reaching for God Particle in mastering. I agree with you about reaching for Ozone there. If I'm looking to get a modern pop mixing going quickly though, I do enjoy God Particle. I hope you dig Spicerack! Cheers.
From your list, I really really love BB, and also use The Oven and Looptrotter quite a bit. Actually all plugins are "new" to me, having woken up from just using Fabfilter, Waves, and T-Racks for years. But if it's 2022 releases only, I would also add in Kirchhoff EQ (still finding more and more things to do with this plugin) and the Amek 250. Otherwise, it's been a lot of rediscovered old plugins that I've been playing with, especially from Softube and Plugin Alliance. I will have a look at those Izotope plugins though. I have some very old ones. I should demo some of their more current ones.
The Kirchhoff is great! I just can't get myself away from the ProQ3 though haha! It just feels a bit faster to use. Not by much though. Neutron and Ozone are great tools. Well worth checking out! Thanks for checking out the list, Jim! Happy Holidays and New Year to you and your family!
@@mr_bradsmith Thanks Brad! Same to you and your kin as well! Looking forward to more from you in the new year.
As for Kirchhoff, I think what really sells me on it is the dynamic side. Once I wrapped my head around how the compression and expansion parts work, plus the use of combinations of them on certain frequencies, and using the attack and release on the dynamics (which I don't think is available in FF in Q3, maybe MB), I think I'm actually able to get some really nice musical results, not just surgical ones. I don't know - I think sometimes I just like setting them up in such a way that I like to just watch all the rubber bands dance with the various parts of the music. I don't know if it's always really better, but it makes me feel good. It brings out something of the nerd in me.
Anyway - cheers! I love your posts! Keep it up!
Thanks Jim!
I have yet to really dive into the Kirchhoff dynamics. Definitely some more options than the ProQ3. It sure does sound good. It's incredible really! I'll have to keep trying to get used to the slight differences in workflow from the ProQ3.
If it feels good it is good haha! Cheers!
@@mr_bradsmith Hey Brad! Just a couple more things to add. I wouldn't blame you if you stuck with ProQ3 based on your experience with it and your already-established workflow. First, I think I find myself digging into Kirchhoff more because I plunked down the big bucks when it first came out and so I really want to get my money's worth out of it. And while I love what I've been able to pull from it, there are some things that are a bit lacking. One is the manual, which I know is one of your main geek criteria. I don't find it terribly informative. The plugin has some features built into it that seem possibly very useful but their explanations on how they work and what to use them for is pretty weak. For instance, the whole Free and Relative / Side Chain end of the plugin. Also, the analog part seems a bit half-baked to me. I don't really hear the analog vibe in any of those, plus they disable dynamics and Qs in a lot of them, because I suspect all they are doing is emulating the slope shapes. There are a couple of things that ProQ3 does a lot better too. First, I really love how turning the outer ring of the knob dials in the compression/expansion on Q3 - it feels and seems more intuitive - dial up, dial down, left, right. I also love the way you can overlay other tracks onto the one instance of the plugin to see if there are too many overlapping frequencies between different instruments. That really helps with some of the ducking. I know we're supposed to use our ears but I do find visuals help a lot, and FabFilter has that nicely covered. I don't think that is a feature that's available with Kirchhoff. Or at least I haven't found it. Generally, overall, I think someone at Groove3 needs to do a decent "Explained" tutorial on it so I can really know what's under the hood and get the most out of it. The videos out there on it have been helpful but scant. Anyway, still love using it (and still use ProQ3 too, just not as much).
Have a nice holiday, and hopefully not too cold and wintry your way!
I agree with you about the manual. I use the overlay and sidechaining features all the time on Pro-Q3. Particularly at the end of the mix when I'm trying to make a little more space and movement. And yeah the interface feels just way more intuitive to me. The Kirchhoff sure does sound good though!
It's been -30 to -35 out here the last few days. Thankfully it's warming up a bit. Looks like you folks out East are getting a lot of snow and cold too. Hope you have nice holiday too!
Any opinions on Analogue Obsession stuff?
I actually haven’t ever tried any of it out. I will have to go check them out! Any ones you particularly dig from them? Thanks for the recommendation!
@@mr_bradsmith definitely worth in my opinion. My favourites are comper, tilta relife and a few more but you can get them all for a fiver
Crazy! That’s an incredible deal. I’ve got them on the list. Thanks again!
Is the Apogee basically doing soft clipping?
Feels more like a limiter to me. It hits the transients a bit harder. Definitely adds some nice harmonics!