Non-ProChannel Plugs Worth Putting in the ProChannel?

I tend to set and forget all plugins.

MakeShift
What you have listed already Craig are good suggestions.  I honestly do not use the FX Bin much any more, other than when I drop in an Amp Sim.  I like the PC and adding the FX Chain box because I can see exactly in the signal chain where everything is placed. 
 
What still throughs me all the time is the Pre and Post on the PC.  When ever I have something in the FX Bin and PC going at the same time, the plug in the FX Bin will not be reacting for me the way I want.  It will take me forever to remember to check to see if I switched the PC to Post and it never fails that is my issue.

Bring up the Console view for a quick look (I keep it docked in the background, and type "D" to toggle it in and out). There's a Post button in the PC section of the channel strip.

Ditto, Wookie.   I pretty much look at it the same way. 

The only two effects I use in the FX Bin are Slate Virtual Tape and Slate Virtual Console - since I want them at the beginning of the chain and almost never edit them. Honestly, if I could increase the space of the FX Bin in the console view to show about 6 plugins, I would use it a lot more.
 
I use FX Chains for everything else, and I've saved presets (Guitar, Bass, Kick, Rack Tom, Floor Tom, Snare, etc.) to make it easy to get started mixing a track.
 
On the 2Bus, I have an FX chain for the bus (buss compressor, another virtual tape sim, and sometimes a clean EQ like Maag) and a separate FX Chain with Ozone and fGX so I can just turn off the mastering stuff by turning off the FX Chain.
 
I do wish there was a way to have a single button to toggle between two different FX Chains to A/B different approaches to a track...

I love the pro-channel, really I do... “but” (here we go) I believe there is so much to improve about it. 
 
When focus is on the Inspector why can't it have hotkeys? so we can... 

Load module

replace moduleload

save pre-sets

global on/off

docking options

lock current track bus

set post effect bin

set colour

why not Multi inspectors to allow display of the active track inspector and a master bus inspector as well 
 
open and closing of the UI of plugins in the FX chain as you change active track (for people like me with 3 monitors this would be a brilliant idea) 
 
improved FX Chain controls

brconflict
The only thing I'd like to see is a keyboard shortcut to expand/contract the PC vs. using the Inspector.

A "Show/Hide ProChannel" function is exposed for binding in the Console view.

Anderton
Saw this from jb101 in the thread on ProChannel development:
 
@ShellstaX - The FX  Chain Module has almost completely replaced the FX bin for me.  It adds so much more functionality (if that's a real word) to the signal chain in Sonar.
 
Any thoughts about what works best in the bin and works best in the PC? 

I fully agree with ShellstaX. I use at least one FX Chain Module on most tracks. Basically that's my moveable FX bin that enables me to put whatever plug-in(s) are appropriate anywhere in the ProChannel signal flow.

A great example is an amp sim. I happen to use Amplitube the most now. That always goes in an FX Chain for me, and then I can mix and match other plug-ins or the ProChannel modules to get the track into a "most excellent/tasteful" place.

I tend to freeze tracks and that freezes the whole processed signal, gives me a great audio track to work with, and everything is taken out of the CPU demand. I can unfreeze anytime as needed for a quick adjustment.

What works well in the ProChannel or in a ProChannel FX Chain? Just about everything I would say. Just not an effect needed to specifically effect a clip, in which case the Clip FX bin would be the spot for the effect.

I will add that I use the busses and plug-ins on those (obviously not frozen on busses) for a lot of the real-time experimenting with mixing.

I use the ProChannel almost exclusively now.
 
I even put my Amp Sims in FXChains, unlike Makeshift, as I can assign any parameter, such as turning "Chorus" on/off, or increasing/decreasing"Gain", to one of the FXChain controls.  Then I can hide the VST GUI, and still tweak as I go.
 
I can also customise the PC FXChain GUI to make it instantly recognisable, and then save it as a preset, or as part of a track template.
 
@Craig - I know what you mean about putting "Set-and-forget" VSTs like Channel Tools in the FX Bin, but I have become so used to using the ProChannel that I often lump things like that together in an FXChain, collapse it, and forget about it.  I can then bypass them by clicking on the FXChain "On/Off" button, or adjust the Input/output Gain, or open up their GUI all from the inspector or Console View, with little effort.
 
@Sanderxpander - If you have not played around with the ProChannel since the implementation of The PC FXChains, I highly recommend another look.  It's great.
 
As you may have gathered, I like the ProChannel, and think the implementation of PC FXChains was a stroke of genius.

tlw
A spectrum analyser with a pull out/pop out window like the eq would be useful in the pro channel.

How about an exciter/enhancer?

I use Alloy 2 in an FX Chain in the ProChannel. It has a great exciter feature among other things.

tlw
How about an exciter/enhancer?

 
I always felt the QuadCurve EQ "Gloss" control did this to some degree.

smallstonefan

Anderton

smallstonefan
I do wish there was a way to have a single button to toggle between two different FX Chains to A/B different approaches to a track...

There's a workaround for that.
 
1. Clone the track. Insert the FX chain "A" in one track, and the FX chain "B" in the other.
2. Turn on one track's mute switch.
3. Group the mute switches for both tracks.
 
Now when you enable one mute switch the other will turn off, and vice-versa.

 
Cool, thanks for the workaround! 
 
Wait... I just tested this and you can group the Bypass buttons on two FX Chains in the same way. Not a workaround, problem solved! :) Thanks Craig!

Gents - valid workarounds ...
... but why not simply add (duplicate - tweak) FX Chain Modules to the Prochannel and use bypass(power) on the individual modules on the strip? (granted - 2 buttons instead of one. Perhaps less set up (?))
Many ways to skin the proverbial cat.
 
Also generally ...
Great to see that at least 2 people have been enlightened to the way of the ProChannel FX Chain Module.
That was my point from the initial post (other thread). It's largely unvaunted ... but should be. Until I 'discovered' it, which most will do on a learning curve, I thought I had a dozen or so modules - not so, many more uses.
Also great to see most utilizing it effectively (and inventively).
Thanks for raising the topic to primary post status for wider awareness Craig. (As a relative noob, I didn't know how bleedin' obvious it was - but knew I found it useful). 
 

ShellstaX
... but why not simply add (duplicate - tweak) FX Chain Modules to the Prochannel and use bypass(power) on the individual modules on the strip? (granted - 2 buttons instead of one. Perhaps less set up (?))
 

 
Being able to switch in an A/B fashion makes it easier to do comparisons...you don't have a time when both are on at the same time, or both are off at the same time. But yes indeed...many ways to skin the cat, that's for sure.

ShellstaXGreat to see that at least 2 people have been enlightened to the way of the ProChannel FX Chain Module. That was my point from the initial post (other thread). It's largely unvaunted ... but should be. Until I 'discovered' it, which most will do on a learning curve, I thought I had a dozen or so modules - not so, many more uses.

 
When X1 was released, that is exactly what I thought of PC - just limited to a few modules, some of which had to be purchased separately. And at the time I didn't investigate any further (Perhaps I didn't read the marketing material thoroughly enough). But after looking closer at PC (and the FX Chain) I'm finding that I'm using PC more. It's a pretty cool idea.