Vsts for mixing - uad, waves, izotope, other?

[Ashwell]

What are you all using in the way of signal processing plugs these days? I'm thinking about investing in something but I'm not sure what the best option is.

Anything particular working well for people?

A UAD-2 quad satellite wouldn't suck but they're really expensive and I only have one firewire port on my imac being used by the soundcard which would reduce the number of plugins...and did I mention, they're crazy expensive.

Some of the smaller waves bundles like the v-series, the api & ssl collection, vocal bundles, and the poducer bundles look very cool and much more affordable but then you're taxing your cpu.

Then there's programs like Alloy where you have one go-to tool. Has anyone used this? If so, how does it sound?

Appreciate your perspective.

[Marshall Jefferson]

The Brainworx V2 EQ kicks the ass of just about everything out imo: http://www.brainworx-music.de/ You also may want to check out the Bx_XL.
Airwindows makes nice, simple cheap plugins: http://www.airwindows.com/ I use NC-17 and the Buttercomp.

Not many plugins, certainly not the ones I just mentioned and Waves included will tax an iMac. UAD uses hardware not for the power these days, but to guard against piracy.

[Ashwell]

Those weren't even on my radar. I thought the Brainworx plugs were all for mastering. Guess I was wrong....and I've never heard of airwindows. I'll check em' out. Thanks for the info!

Do you use or recommend any of the Waves plugs?

[Marshall Jefferson]

Those weren't even on my radar. I thought the Brainworx plugs were all for mastering. Guess I was wrong....and I've never heard of airwindows. I'll check em' out. Thanks for the info!

Do you use or recommend any of the Waves plugs?


Waves is one of my sponsors, I use them all:

http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=1680

Ask me about any of them, there's a good chance I've used it.

[Ashwell]

Nice! I didn't even notice your quote when glancing over this page before. Well, I guess one question is whether there's a lower priced ($400-ish) bundle like the v-series, ssl, etc... that would cover a lot of bases or should i just go a la carte? I mean, the v-series jumps out at me because I love the way Neve typically sounds. But I hear good things about the SSL plugs and the LA-2A and 3A clones. So, I don't know, I'm willing to pay for what i'm going to use but I don't want to just get a million plug-ins. I dunno. Maybe I should try them all.

Are there any of the waves plugs that you think of as being essential?

[Marshall Jefferson]

The API sounds better than the SSL and NEVE to my ears. But the Brainworx V-2 wipes the floor with everything. It can actually change the way you mix because it previews each frequency you adjust, so you hear exactly what you're boosting or reducing, you don't have to guess what frequency something is at because you hear it.

The V-2 also has a built in stereo width control that none of the other EQ's have. It's the best software spacializer I've ever heard. It's also separated into mono and stereo sections. I believe it was plugin of the year either last year or the year before.

[Marshall Jefferson]

Compression is a tough one. Airwindows Buttercomp came in 1st in a shootout as the cleanest compressor out. It's very easy to use and I use it a lot. I also use the Soft Tube Tube Tech CL-1B as my go to compressor. Waves renaissance compressor is also a favorite, it's the bomb, lots of flavor and vibe.

SSL plugs are a bit sterile for dance music to my ears. By contrast LA-2A and 3A clones are too nasty and distorted and I believe they belong in rock and roll but maybe that's just me.

Try checking out demo versions if they're available.

[Ashwell]

Thanks...I really appreciate the help. The brainworx eq, airwindows comp and tube tech comp sound like must haves. I'll check out that renaissance compressor as well.

[Nightshade]

Compression is a tough one. Airwindows Buttercomp came in 1st in a shootout as the cleanest compressor out. It's very easy to use and I use it a lot. I also use the Soft Tube Tube Tech CL-1B as my go to compressor. Waves renaissance compressor is also a favorite, it's the bomb, lots of flavor and vibe.

SSL plugs are a bit sterile for dance music to my ears. By contrast LA-2A and 3A clones are too nasty and distorted and I believe they belong in rock and roll but maybe that's just me.

Try checking out demo versions if they're available.

Thanx for sharing your insight big brother. I have been using the SSL plug for a few months now, and it sounds good to my ears. I don't know, maybe it's because I haven't tried other plugs (such as the ones you like using). But I will definitely try the Rcomp and Airwindows Buttercomp.

And I totally agree that the SSL plugs can kill the life of your sound, this is why I always used parallel compression. Thanx a lot brother, really appreciate your help.

:respect: