What’s up, everybody? ‘Tool here back with another post. I often get asked a lot what plugins I use and how I use them from mix to mix. Today is the day I reveal a little bit behind the scenes for those inquiring minds. But before we dive in just know that using these plugins won’t make your mixes better, practice and repetition will. And in no particular order we have: 1. Waves REQ 6 This is my go-to EQ. It’s one of the first I learned to use as well. There’s something about the simplicity of this plugin that draws me to it. Being very easy to use and versatile still don’t give this EQ enough justice. If you’re looking for an EQ that’ll get the job done and doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, try it for yourself. Mix Tip: Use one instance of this to clean up vocals [getting rid of frequencies you don’t like] and another later in your plugin chain to boost or enhance what you do like. 6 bands is enough to do both with one instance most times, but I find it better for my workflow to use 1 EQ per task. 2. Waves H-Delay If you’ve heard any of my mixes, there’s a 99% chance I used a delay on it. I grab the H-Delay because it has old-school effects like filtering, flanging, and phasing and ping-pong delay all in one. One major feature is the BPM can be synched through your DAW. Trust this can come in handy when you’re using multiple instances of this with different delay times. Mix Tip: Setup a template and have a few of these setup with send returns at ⅛ & ¼. [Feel free to add what you need] These are the most common delay times and having them in a template will save you time in the long run. 3. HorRNet Tape The old days of an analog tape deck have been brought to us in digital form. This plugin adds saturation for that classic vintage sound. This plugin offers 8, yes 8 different types of decks: 4 at 15 IPS & another 4 at 30 IPS. It’s already affordable so you’ll definitely get your money's worth with this one. Mix Tip: The “Hiss” level can be set to your liking. Play around with it on your master buss or as an insert to give your samples an old-school vibe. 4. HoRNet Analog Stage Another console simulation plugin that is versatile as well. Do y’all see the trend yet?! Analog Stage models 3 different mixing consoles; Operational Amp, Transistor, & Tube. Once you’ve selected the model type, you can select how old or new you want your sound to be. Going for a 70’s style soul? You can do it. Want your drums to have a 90’s boom bap feel, trust it can be accomplished. And to top it off this plugin can be grouped so one change can affect all that are linked. Mix Tip: If you produce hip-hop, slap this on all your drum tracks and watch how they come to life. Subtlety can go along way, your drums will thank you for it. 5. JST Bus Glue BG-Drums The foundation in most genres these days are the drums. And now there’s a plugin that can handle buss compression over multiple genres. I love this plugin because you’re basically getting 4 compressors in one. Whatever you’re going for, BG-Drums can assist in giving your drums that almighty “glue” so many people speak of. The GUI is easy on the eye and it’s really quick to dial in something to get going. There’s a lot going on under the hood of this plugin and that’s what makes it so great! Mix Tip: For parallel compression; Start by setting the threshold which can be hard to find [it’s the screw under the VU meter] so that it’s squashing the signal pretty hard. Move the Comp level to MAX. Cycle through the 4 compression types and when you find something you like, ease off on the threshold and compression so it’s not so drastic. Blend to taste with your original drum sound. 6. Tokyo Dawn TDR Limiter When it comes to Tokyo Dawn they rarely disappoint. You get more than what you pay for their plugins. And their free offerings are featured packed, it feels like you’re stealing. Slowly this limiter has made it into my template and for good reason. This plugin has 6 modules that can be arranged in whatever order you’d like. The modules offered are a Compressor, Clipper, Limiter, Peak Limiter, Output Protection Limiter, True Peak & EBU Loudness Meter. All this in one plugin?! Yes! Now if you don’t need a certain module you can simply disable it and even hide it from view. I find this plugin easy to use plus it saves a headache by having the most critical mastering plugins together instead of you having to make your own chain from various plugin vendors. Mix Tip: Be careful not to use the Drive too hard on either module. It’s easy to overdo and we want transparency and subtle moves to be made in the mastering process. 7. HOFA 4U ProjecTime First off this plugin is FREE.99! It’s a simple utility that keeps track of how long you’ve been working on something in your DAW. Not much to write home about but if you want to keep tabs on how long you’re on projects, this plugin is for you. Mix Tip: Be sure to export a log once your projects are done. Time is saved when you close the project and resumes upon reopening. It’s easy to forget this plugin is open until it’s too late. If you do run into an overage, there is an offset option you can use but we really don’t want to get lost in the sauce. 8. Melda Productions MNotepad
Another FREE plugin guys! Straightforward with this one. I use this plugin for revision notes from my clients. Instead of trying to find email threads or old texts, I simply put those requests on the notepad and everyone is happy. Utility plugins +10. Mix Tip: When you have that first critical listen to a mix before you start any processing, get some notes in there on things you like, hate, etc. Trust me, over time your brain will thank you. In closing I hope you find this article helpful. I’ve given you a peek inside the madness of a mix engineer. If you already have these plugins, I hope you come away with new ways to incorporate them in your mixes. Comment below with some plugins not mentioned here and how you use them as well. See y’all next month!
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
instrumentoolI have a passion for teaching and writing. Some of my many thoughts are here. Archives
November 2020
Categories |