So I took advantage of the Waves sale this weekend and should have another plug coming my way. What do you guys think would be a good addition to play well with what I have? I have the Waves SSL bundle which I dig but it would be very cool to have an alternative. Here’s what I have in the way of emulation plugins:

Waves SSL, Scheps Omni Channel, Abbey Rds TG12345 mastering, NLS (just got it) Puigtech EQ, Softube S73, FET Comp (1176 emulation) and Tape. I also have the Cakewalk CA2A and the Focusrite Red and Scarlett suites.

The SSL of course has that up front in your face sound which I really dig but for the times I want a more vintage vibe what would be a good alternative? Could I use a combo of the NLS on EMI setting and the TG12345 mastering as a way to emulate an EMI console? I know that the mastering channel is not the same as the channel strip but could it get that vibe? Would a combo of the Omni Channel and the “Nevo” setting yield a Neve sound? I ask that because for some reason I felt like I read somewhere that the Omni EQ is similar in thought to a 1073. Am I way off base here?



I really appreciate you guys input.

FWIW, some of my favorite types of plugins:
 
1176 (fast compression)
LA-2A (slower/gentler compression)
Pultec EQ (super sweet in the upper-mids and especially highs)
SSL Channel (extremely versatile)
Higher end Lexicon style reverb
 
I'd say you made some excellent choices.
 
You've got a good selection of processing tools.
I'd recommend doing some test mixes/scenarios using the various EQs/compressors.
FWIW, I find the SSL Channel extremely flexible (works well on almost anything).
In particular, the EQ.  You've got all the tools to make any instrument work in the mix.
ie: Say you want to fatten up the kick a little... but not create a bunch of mud with a low shelf at 60Hz.
The bell-curve on the bottom band is perfect.
 
Neve style EQ is known for sounding thicker/fatter.
There are times where that can be advantageous... and vice-versa.
 

Waves TG12345 is the channel strip/mixer emulation. The mastering emulation is the TG12410. If you have the TG12410 then getting the TG12345 still makes sense because they are different, and the REDD emulation is even more different, it’s based on hardware from the 1930s-1960s when mixers were much simpler and it has its own sound and “flavour”.

An alternative to the TG12345 might be combining Pultec-style eqs with the Puigchild compressor. As I understand things, the Fairchild is very similar to the compressor EMI used in their TG series solid state desks.

I’d also suggest considering the Abbey Road Plate Reverb. it sounds really good, though it uses quite a lot of cpu.

I’m not as impressed with Waves 1073/V series Neve emulations as I am with the Abbey Road stuff. The V series seems to lack clarity and sounds a bit “muddy” to me, though that might just come down to my personal taste which leans more towards the SSL and Abbey Road style.

As for Pultec style EQs and moving away from Waves, Boz Digital’s Bark of Dog 2 is worth a look - it does the Pultec low frequency band trick of both boosting and cutting bass frequencies at the same time really well and makes carving out a bass line or bass drum very straightforward.

My understanding is the REDD is much dirtier than the EMI? Also it seems that the Kramer HLS doesn’t get much love.

Abbey Road Plate is excellent! (I love this plugin!)
 
And every plugin that tlw mentions are also excellent plugins. 
 
I'm with Jim on the SSL EQ's, they are versatile. When I first got the SSL strips and started using them in a mix on every channel, I realized real quick that I really didn't need any other EQ. The only reason to used another EQ on those mixes was for flavor. 

I think Waves makes some amazing plugins and the $29 sales make them incredible deals.  The presets alone on most any of their stuff are worth the price just because they let you see what the pros do.  Anyway, all of the plugins you mentioned are great but, in my opinion, the Abbey Road TG12345 mastering suite in particular is an absolute killer.
 
Good luck with your music.

The REDD desks can certainly be “dirtier” than later consoles, one of the reasons EMI designed the hardware TG desks was to get a “cleaner” sound. A major design goal in earlier times was to get rid of the noise and distortion we’ve come to call “character”.

REDD doesn’t have to be run into distortion, and at “sensible” settings it does have something of that 50s/early 60s sound to it. The hardware desk was considered pretty much state of the art when it was designed.

Jim Roseberry
FWIW, some of my favorite types of plugins:
 
1176 (fast compression)
LA-2A (slower/gentler compression)
Pultec EQ (super sweet in the upper-mids and especially highs)

 
I just bought the Vintage Plugin Bundle from OverTone in England, which includes two Pultec EQs (the more common one and a midrange specific one) plus a Fairchild 670 emulation.  I specifically wanted the Fairchild compressor/limiter, but upon playing with the demo found that I LOVE what the Pultec EQs can do on my acoustic drum tracks.  The more common one can add a killer edge to the cymbals without sounding harsh, and the midrange one can really bring out the snare drum.
 
I'm using both the Windows and Linux versions on my dual boot DAW. The whole plugin bundle is only $30 US but is very high quality, and it doesn't have creepy "you are a thief" copy protection. Just a simple license code file that you point the plug to once purchased. I'm using REAPER for Linux as my main DAW now, but have a mirrored Windows setup on my dual boot DAW, so I can jump back and forth if I need to.