Best economy plug-ins for mixing or mastering

Hi guys,  boy, what a learning curve this is!
I'm on a tight budget, but want the absolute best sound I can muster up for my mixes (or masters). All I have plug-in wise is what comes with Sonar Studio X3 /Producer 8...  the BC group, Nomad Factory stuff, LP-64 and misc, Lexicon Pantheon Reverb, and the stock Cakewalk and Sonitus offerings. Also a few stock 32-bit ones from Focusrite that came with the 2i2. And the Prochannel ones are there, too.
Since I don't have any other plug-ins to compare with, is there a decent package (or individuals) I could/should purchase that you would heartily recommend over the stock options I have? Something that I could go to and confidently know that it's doing its job very well, that many others are having very good success with ?

what jonesy said - you already have the tools you need
good luck!

or if you really want to spend some budget money, check out toneboosters http://www.toneboosters.com/

John
I think you misread the OP Maartian. Your post is the complete opposite of what the OP is asking for. 

 
I surely don't know how you came to that conclusion. Here's what I read in the OP.
 

Chevy
Since I don't have any other plug-ins to compare with, is there a decent package (or individuals) I could/should purchase that you would heartily recommend over the stock options I have? Something that I could go to and confidently know that it's doing its job very well, that many others are having very good success with ?

I would say that you are set, with the tools you already have. Great music has been made with much less
Best of luck.

Chevy
I'm on a tight budget, but want the absolute best sound I can muster up for my mixes (or masters).
Something that I could go to and confidently know that it's doing its job very well, that many others are having very good success with ?

The first i wanna say IMO:
There's NO best plugins for sound, but all have their "character" weakness, strength, in various areas.
A person need to really learn how to listen for the weakness and strength of those plugins.
Less is more... ( if you find the right ones ), therefore it is very important to know the sound and the plugin
to be able to pick out the ones you want later that fits your taste of sound.

If you have many plugins it will cause confusion, and you Will spend way more time to search trough
all the plugins you have to see what fit's best, and maybe you, like me just pick one and trow into the track.
well that said...

What do i mean by that :

EQ vice:
Many plugins will " dull the sound, by just inserting the plugin into the track, without adjusting it
It may add a more on 200-500hz, maybe decrease the high's. All this is very subtle changes, but you can
hear it when you is aware of, it and listen really carefully, by activating and deactivating the plugin only.

Stereo width:
Some plugins may be neutral, some will make it sound more mono, others will widen the sound
but as i said, very subtle changes.

Compressor:
Usually also have the above statements, and it is also how the way it compress the signal too
Is it quick, and like a smashing sound or do it compress in a soft way.

I own plugins from :

1. Waves ( a bunch )
2. Slate digital ( VMR,VTM,VCC ) and Revival
3. Izotope ( Ozone 6 and Alloy 2 )
4. PSP audioware ( PSP oltimer ME )
5. Focusrite ( midnight bundle )
6. stock plugins in Sonar Platinum, and the channel strip.
7. Eiosis AirEQ
8. A very, very few freeware plugins.

I certainly could had saved me $ 2 k worth of plugins, if i did not have the G.A.S syndrome
yes i admit it.... i do i do.
I regret buying so many plugins, while i could manage with way less.

It is almost a nightmare.
Don't get into the trap, that i did.... 
To tell you what plugin to buy ( for the best sound ) is very hard..
we have different hearing and taste and how it should sound like.

But it is possible to Mix and Master, great, all with freeware plugs, for sure.
Some free plugins :
1. Solid4010 Its layout and parameters derive from the SSL 4000 console
2. W1 Limiter W1 Limiter is a clone of Waves L1, with identical output
3. Bionic Delay separate control over the delay times on left and right channel.
4. Abstract Chamber Abstract Chamber is a super-simple reverb plugin, a natural yet abstract spatial impression.
5. FreeverbToo studio-qualitiy reverb, adjustable gate for gated reverb.
6. La Petite Excite small exciter plugin and it can lead you into a brighter future when used wisely.
7. Bark of Dog Bark of Dog is a bass resonance filter that lets you increase your low end without turning up the flab.
8. A1StereoControl A1StereoControl plugin you will be able to expand, or limit the STEREO WIDTH 
9. Tokyo Dawn labs free EQ and track compressor and Master compressor.
10. Klanghelm DC1A  compressor, DC1A is heavily program dependent, so is the saturation. 

This should get anyone what they need, for full mix and mastering for free, with great results.

My advice is go slow on your money for now, listen and learn a few plugins really good
then decide later if you need something else, then you know exactly what you like and
looking for.

Then DEMO it, real carefully... don't be to quick and buy.
Everyone wanna sell, it is how it's today, SALE here and there
tempting people to buy stuff the actually do not need. 

Shall i give an advice on one plugin i really is satisfied with, that would be the Izotope Ozone 6.
it cost some, about  $199 i think, but it is definitive worth it, me thinks.

Anyway hope you get something out of what i have said here.

All the best :

Jan

Chevy
Hi guys,  boy, what a learning curve this is!
I'm on a tight budget, but want the absolute best sound I can muster up for my mixes (or masters). All I have plug-in wise is what comes with Sonar Studio X3 /Producer 8...  the BC group, Nomad Factory stuff, LP-64 and misc, Lexicon Pantheon Reverb, and the stock Cakewalk and Sonitus offerings. Also a few stock 32-bit ones from Focusrite that came with the 2i2. And the Prochannel ones are there, too.
Since I don't have any other plug-ins to compare with, is there a decent package (or individuals) I could/should purchase that you would heartily recommend over the stock options I have? Something that I could go to and confidently know that it's doing its job very well, that many others are having very good success with ?

hi i have two names for mastering

Voxengo Elephant 4 with new algorithm and pretty cheap
but there is an awesome plug for mastering and many other stuff Sknote Soundbrigade
It's a new concept plugin and i have a fantastic result for mastering work.
Best

Just to clarify - Waves no longer require iLok

IMHO the artist series (when on offer) are a great way to instant results with some high quality plugins

However, there is no substitute for learning the tools you have - and then the "gaps" or "I need a better..." will become obvious

Chasing a good sound via plugins is an expensive rabbit hole you need to think carefully before jumping in

My personal recommendation would be to get your head around all the tools in the PRO CHANNEL - the eq is great

The Sonitus compressor is also a really good place to learn about compression - you can also play with side-chain compression

I would believe that genre of music is also a thing to have in the equation, regarding what you are looking for (what music styles do you do?). There are a few favorites in different styles of music. I would still not let it hold you back, in your search for "your sound".
But other do know better

SONAR provides most of what you need, even 8.  The ProChannel stuff is fantastic for meat and potatoes 1176 and SSL Buss emulation, as well as EQ.  Nomad provides the delays etc. effects I use.  Reverb - the new Breverb and convolution reverb are a nice step up - better than the old algorithmic Cake inclusions  and Perfect channel, which makes upgrading a good option.
 
The Mastering stuff is up to snuff, tho like above I use Voxengo Elephant and EQ for that job, more from familiarity than anything else.
 
Either upgrade to X or find a 3rd party reverb and maybe effects and you are good to go.  Then figure those tools out before you start spending big money.
 
@

EDIT : Deleted

Cool thanks, now i have triple posts, gahh
Now i need to edit away the others..
 

np - if it happens again, just PM a host and they can restore them for you without you having to rewrite them all over again!

twaddle
I think what John was alluding to and what you must surely have missed was the fact that the Op was asking for Economy plugs and you're suggesting the most overpriced bundles on the market, not to mention ilok. If waves are economy what the hell do you call expensive pro plugs?
 
Waves, (as you pointed out) are ridiculously priced.
 
I would suggest the OP steers well clear of waves and takes the advice of Bristol_Jonesey and pwalpwal and gets to know how to get the best from what he has because what he has can do a pretty good job and the are oodles a tutorials from cakewalk about mixing and mastering.
 
Maybe if he feels he wants to spend some more money for that extra polish something like Izotopes Ozone would be worth looking at as an all in one solution.
 
Steve

I would NEVER have mentioned those bundles if I didn't have one available for under $100; that's about $15/plugin, a freakin' bargain in my book, for a professional plugin.
 
And I HATE iLoks. Waves no longer requires an iLok as of v9 (the current version); I don't know when they switched. You d/l the Waves license center and installer, run the license center to install the license on your PC, run the installer and tick the plugin for which you have a license and run it. That simple. SONAR sees the Wave shell, and I have no problem running their plugins in SONAR.
 
The only time I buy Waves is on some kind of Stupid Sale and then I buy the license at Audio Deluxe, which saves quite a bit more. To put a number on it, if it's a plugin I can use, or want to play with, and I can get it for 20% or less of List, I consider it.
 
And I'll repeat: the CLA plugins are EASY to use to get a decent mix with. I was making the assumption that the OP was new at this like I am ("...what a learning curve this is!"). Same for me. Learning SONAR and mixing at the same time does indeed present a bit of a steep learning curve.
 
I'm not a professional, nor have I any plans to become one. I am not delivering finished audio to a paying client; I'm doing it for myself.
 
I think the CLA plugins are a great bridge to learning what goes where, when and how much. Once I get a decent sound mix, I can use Mix Recall to build additional FX chains with discrete, existing plugins and see how close to or better than the CLA mix I can get.
 
So, for me, an excellent learning tool. I've wasted WAY more than $100, so that was in no way about me getting rid of the stupidly purchased second license. It was about offering someone who appeared to be in a situation similar to my own a good learning tool set for a good price.
 
I have a right to use SONAR any way I choose. I am surprised, and disappointed, at the way this thread has progressed.
 
My last post in this thread.

On another topic, and I know many people will disagree with this, to me mixing and mastering are almost all about EQ, with dynamics and a nice reverb thrown in for good measure. For something like delay, pretty much any plug-in will do. In fact for room ambience, sometimes I get better results from four delays set for short, prime number delays than the room sound in a reverb plug-in.
 
It's the playing and the songwriting that determine the emotional impact on the listener. Plug-ins can enhance the listener's experience, but they can also diminish a sound's impact. 
 
Sound on Sound magazine does a series called "Mix Rescue" where they go to someone's house and work on a mix. Usually the first thing they do is bypass all the plug-ins to hear the natural sound of the tracks. More than once, the person went to get them tea or whatever, came back to the studio, listened to the song, and said "Wow, what did you do - that sounds so much better!" The answer was that they had bypassed all the plug-ins