Except for VSTi...which I'm guessing is not really in this question, I purposely voided myself of a zillion 3rd party items, I found I wasn't really using last spring, with my new computer.  I've been tempted with stuff like Valhalla Room and stuff like that, but have passed. I'll use Sound Forge to edit the final mixes and also still use CD Architect, but otherwise I'm finding I have enough control JUST using Sonar stuff, than all the other "crayons in my toolbox" might offer. (that phrase still cracks me up). Whether I use the UAD 1176 or Cake's PC version isn't as important to me anymore, versus better recording techniques. I'm much more interested in quality instruments and stuff that is before Sonar, at this point.  Sonar and my Purrfect Audio computer are rock solid at this point, and I attribute a portion of that to less *stuff* sitting in my VST folders.

noynekker
I find myself often using Adobe Audition when I need a "time stretch" instead of Sonar's audio snap.

Hmmmm  i have not touched Audition's timestretch in awhile.  i do occasionally use the elastique timestretch from Soundforge a times within Sonar.  may have to revisit the one in audition to compare

John
Dub are you asking if we use third party plugins? 

LOl.. i guess that is what I am  asking, yet that seems oversimplified somehow   

jb101
If we're only covering mixing (so not third party soft synths., etc.), then I do mix mostly with Sonar/Cakewalk.
 
I do use all the optional ProChannel plugs, including Softube, Overloud, Boz modules a lot.
 
Apart from those, the only one I can think of is the Nomad Factory PusleTec EQ.  Fantastic plug, and couldn't do without it.

being that so many other instruments are likely to come into play, i was only speaking of mixing

I used to use Adobe's noise removal, which I think is probably still the best  (haven't ever really tried Ozone, etc), but I try not to need it, by washing my tracks in reverb!  Noise comes right out in the first rinse cycle.

dubdisciple

jb101
If we're only covering mixing (so not third party soft synths., etc.), then I do mix mostly with Sonar/Cakewalk.
 
I do use all the optional ProChannel plugs, including Softube, Overloud, Boz modules a lot.
 
Apart from those, the only one I can think of is the Nomad Factory PusleTec EQ.  Fantastic plug, and couldn't do without it.

being that so many other instruments are likely to come into play, i was only speaking of mixing

That's what I thought - hence my reply.

I seldom go outside of SONAR for mixing.  Of course, I have the complete NOMAD stuff which I also use, as well as softube's bundle.  But mostly it is prochannel.
 
I do use Soundforge (both for master editing and mucking up samples) and a couple of Voxengo's mastering effects.
 
@

BTW, i ask this question because i often find answers that inspire me to focus on using what i have.  Sometimes i see posts or ads hailing how great some plugin and get gear envy.  I then realize most of my best mixes have been when i took the less is more approach

I used to use mostly CW plugins up until X2.  About that time I started getting into UAD-2, Slate and Waves plugs and that's what I mainly use now.  I know for a fact that if I had to, I could work with only CW included plugins except for drums.

Interesting...

Other than Amplitube 3 Free, i believe I'm mixing with Sonar and Sonar bundled everything these days... I'm very pleased with both the pc76 and the ca2 fir my compression needs and the quad curve eq sounds wonderful... I do occassionally use a blue tubes eq which came bundled... Reverbs are lexicon, breverb, perfect space, matrix... DDL I mostly use the Sonitus... Same fir modulation fx... Sonitus...

Mastering too...

I don't burn my disks through Sonar. I use CD Architect for red book disks...

I really believe the final product is more in how you use your tools than which ones you use... Though there are frequently exceptions for any "rules"

We all develope goto devices over time and i feel this is because they become the ones we are most comfortable using hence know the uses better?

Keni