They all make a delicious dish but many use different ingredients. Lets say there are 20 different chefs who have different cooking methods they use to cook 'Ragù all a bolognese'.
I agree that all mixers have their own methods of course but in terms of software quality and capabilities there must be a general consensus of what plugins are worth checking out FIRST before some other plugins. There must be say for example the top 10 widely used EQ plugs or something. If you take the top 20 engineers out there I'm sure there must be some common ground. For example, you mentioned those engineers above. I'm not trying to copy someone else's work flow per se. You can't plug in someone else's mixing magic.Thanks for the tips. But if your idea of getting recommendations for plugins and then plugging them in is going to make you a good engineer, well, it doesn't work that way.
Different EQ's have different characters, for example. Once you've answered that, you'll automatically know which plug-in to use to get there.įirst you have to ask yourself what you're trying to achieve sonically. The question should be "what does my mix need to sound better". It's a typical newb' mistake to think in terms of "which plug-in do I need to sound good". Once you've carefully balanced your volume, and carefully positioned your instruments, you may realize that you don't need that fancy EQ or that squashing compressors, which would have been a quick fix but really would have killed the sound of the instrument. Too many people think "that's easy, now what's next?" when they truly spend way more time studying the art of balancing volume and localizing a source in the stereo field.
But even more important than this: learn how to use volume faders, and learn how to use pan pots. Those are the two single most useful plug-ins you'll ever use.
Now I realize that all of this is a bit theoretical and brainy, so if you are truly searching for real world, "street" advice, then here's my best advice: learn how to use EQs, and learn how to use compressors. Second, every cook is different has their own taste, their own culture, their own roots, their own history, their own experience, their own tastebuds. First of all, there's a TON of exceptionally good food that can be made without a single spice. To think of "recommended plug-ins for mixing" is like thinking of "recommended spices for cooking". In fact many of the top engineers have argued that the ideal mix is the one where you don't have to process anything because every single sound was so well thought of during recording/production. I have, myself, made several commercial records that did not use a single plug-in. Some of the best mixes I've ever heard didn't use a single plug-in or effect processor. You can't plug in someone else's mixing magic.įor example an engineer wouldn't use zero plugins on a mix. Asking for blanket recommendations isn't going to get you any closer to a goal.įirst you have to ask yourself what you're trying to achieve sonically. What I'm getting at here is that plugins are tools, and you need to use the right tool for the job. And depending on the STYLE of the music, they might use entirely different plugins altogether. Tony Maserati's not going to use the same plugins as Rafa Sardina. If there are plugins that tend to be used by a variety of different engineers then those plugs would probably be a good start.ĭifferent engineers use different plugins. I also know that I can try plugins on my own and see what I like etc as was suggested but I'm asking for a list of recommended plugins so that when the time comes and I need them I can start with trying plugins that people have recommended. Keep those things in mind and experiment to find the best results for you. Or is it the best approach? In some cases you might want (or even need) to EQ first and then compress the result.
So perhaps it's best to compress the mix first, then apply EQ to the resulting, compressed sound. If you put the EQ first, the strength of various boosted (or cut) frequency bands might affect the action of the compressor. You also want the mix to have an intentionally compressed sound. For example: you want to brighten up, add bass, and suck some mids out of the sound of a mix. There are certain common sense rules and conventions to follow, but really, there are no rules. always have EQ first etc? (provided you're not specifically trying to get a unique sound by using a plugin last etc.) Are there no no's such as not using limiters except on a stereo out 1-2 or something? Is there an order of how you should use/insert plugs i.e.