What plugsin are you using for the following...

[mojava]

I have just installed an HD3 system and I am ecstatic!! I am most curious about the various plugins and how professionals apply them and in what circumstance....
SO WHAT DO YOU REACH FOR?

Drums:
Kick > EQ (D2/D3, MCDSP or ?) > COMP or ?
Snare > EQ > Comp (MC77, BF1176 or ?) > Weird Experimental plug ins??
OH > EQ > Comp
Toms > EQ . (BF 1176 or ??)

Electric Gts > Effects (Ampfarm, Echofarm, Sansamp?? > or??

Accoustic Guitars > (D2/D3, MCDSP??) > or ??

Bass Guitar > (BFLa 2a, BF1176, MCDSP) > or ?

Main Vocal > (Pultec, Fairchild, BF1176, BFLA2a) > or ??

Background Vocals > (Pultec, Fairchild, BF1176) > or ??

What about:
DRUM SUB Mixes > SMACK, L2 > or ??
BACKGROUND VOCAL SUB Mixes > BF1176, BFLA2A > or ?

MIX BUS > SMACK, IMPACT, L2 > or ???

Please educate me on how and why you apply certain plugins to the above mentioned sources.....(ASSUME ROCK/Pock, Hip Hop, contemporary records meaning non-classical or old school Jazz)

I just wonder how folks approach these sources...

Ready set go.....

Thanks in advance,

Mojava

[alphajerk]

search charles dye in teh archives.

[T_R_S]

There are no rules I using something different each time it depends a lot on what fits for the song. But I never use subs for anything (Unless the producer wants a loud CD). Then again with a HD 7 rig for mixing saving DSP with subs never come into play for me. But I do Like URS A series on drums, MDW EQ on Bass and Vocals, Smack on Gtrs. and an analog Neve or SSL on the mix buss and some L3 MM.
YMMV

[mojava]

Originally Posted by T_R_S

There are no rules I using something different each time it depends a lot on what fits for the song. But I never use subs for anything (Unless the producer wants a loud CD). Then again with a HD 7 rig for mixing saving DSP with subs never come into play for me. But I do Like URS A series on drums, MDW EQ on Bass and Vocals, Smack on Gtrs. and an analog Neve or SSL on the mix buss and some L3 MM.
YMMV

Have you tried the N Series URS plugins (Neve 1084) types??

[max cooper]

I always prefer outboard over plugins, but as I'm stuck mixing in the box, I've spent a lot of time and $$$ on plugins. I think comparing plugins to outboard is apples and oranges, though. If you have to use them, here are my HUMBLE opinions on some of 'em. Your results will vary.


I use the URS 'N' and 'A' series graphic EQs the most, followed by the 'N' and 'A' series parametrics; that's on just about anything. I find that the URS EQ's are the only ones that actually EQ in a way that's vaguely reminiscent of an outboard EQ. They even seem to do nice flavoring things; rare for plugins. I put the UAD Pultec-Pro on the mixbus sometimes, and when I do it's generally set flat or close to it. I like the McDsp Analog Channel and the MC2000 multiband comp on the drum bus or sometimes the UAD1176 at 4:1.

I don't love the Focusrite D2/D3, or any of the Bomb Factory compressors or Eq's. I've been having a great time with their Voce Spin plugin, though.

If you're gonna use guitar amp emulations (I use them for tracking scratch tracks and for songwriting mostly, but sometimes they end up on a mix...more often on a snare, a vocal or a synth), I recommend Amplitube. There's allegedly a new version out or coming out. I wanted to like Native Instruments Guitar Rig since it seems so comprehensive, but it didn't sound as good to me. I did a record with Amp Farm, but at the time I didn't have any other emu's to compare it to so I don't know how it would fare against Amplitube. Nothing but NOTHING beats micing an amp.

The UAD Fairchild seems to sweeten just about anything, but it's easy to overdo it. Great plugin, though. I tried Impact and Smack but didn't like them too much. I still use Maxim once in a while. I vote for the UAD Precision Limiter on the Mixbus. L2 may or may not be a necessary evil. The UAD LA2A ends up on a lot of my mixes; usually in combination with the McDsp MC2000; both set to very little gain reduction.

For reverb plugins, the UAD EMT plate emulation wins hands down in my world.

I'm a big fan of the Sony Oxford EQ and Dynamics plugins; I haven't been using them as much as I used to, but that's probably only because when I reorganized my plugin menus, I forgot to put them at the top (makes note to self....)


I also like but don't use very often: McDsp Filterbank, Compressorbank, Elemental Neodynium Compressor.

If you have an iLok, you can get trial demos (the kind that are time limited, not the kind with bursts of noise or silence) from:

ursplugins.com

sonyplugins.com

mcdsp.com

and probably some others that I'm forgetting; do yourself a favor, though. Overlap the demos so you're not demoing them all at once; it's too much. Two or three of one kind of plugin at a time is enough for your ears to deal with. Besides, the question isn't how one compares with another, it's 'does it work in a musical way to make the mix sound better?'

[T_R_S]

Originally Posted by mojava

Have you tried the N Series URS plugins (Neve 1084) types??

I like the N series on cymbals/ gtrs/ acoustic instruments at time but BF Pultec does do a nice job as well. I find that Nseries anf the BF pultec are moe usefull to brighten something up. If I need a EQ i would use some like the MDW or the new Digi EQ III,
BTW it sounds really good.

[C.Lambrechts]

I change my flavours all the time ... ...
except for outboard ... which in general I still prefer on the important stuff my latest favourites would be these :

(in random order ....)

eq : URS Mix series / Sony + GML / digi EQ3

dynamics : Sony / digi smack

bus plugs : MDW for eq /sony inflator if

now more specific :

vocals and acoustic guitar / instrument stuff I tend to go with the somy eq or the digi eq3. smack has been working for me dynamic wise on acoustic guitars.

on drums / percussion I tend to use the urs eq's. and BF stuff for dynamics from time to time.

as for electric guitars, to be honest I try to record them the way I want. I find amp farm and the likes more interesting for other stuff. That said ... I had a session player with NI guitar rig in the studio a zwhile back and I installed a demo for tdm the other day ... pretty impressed and most definately wipes behind with amp farm imho. VERY interesting and usable plugin imho ... the mic positioning / choices actually confirm what I know from actually placing mics in front of amps. I wonder what someone like Michael Wagener would think of it.

I have no real rules with plugins to be honest. At least not the way I have with outboard ,,,, you know ... the dbx 160 on a kick or snare kinda abvious grab to almost every day kinda thing. I tend to experiment with them more. So today I might use a smack on an acoustic guitar while tommorow I might end up using the compressorbank ....

[TheTruffleKing]

Yeah, try 'em and see what works. It's always fun to discover great new apps for plugins. Lately, I've loved adding sparkle to acoustic gits, esp 12-strings, with HydraTone...don't forget to add in a little fire. I like the Elemental Audio plugs overall, and lately have found Eqium's LF rollofs very helpful on stuff, esp male vocals. Speaking of vocals: UAD Fairchild 670, LA2A, Plate 140 verb...YA THINK?? I really liked the RTAS demo versions of the Sony plugs-the reverb, dynamics and somewhat less, the eq. Gonna wait to buy them until I get a powercore, because I hear they run/sound better on that platform. PSP's vintage warmer sounds so good on a number of things, it's easy to overuse. I like it on snare a lot lately. I use the Waves L1, Elemental Audio Finis and UAD Precision Limiter on the 2 bus. depending on the song. I find them all pretty different. Sometimes it works to chain them together, with just a tiny bit of squishing each.