What??? There's a "Play Like Steely Dan" plugin? I missed that. Has it got a pre-set for Reeling in the Years?

bitflipper
Steely Dan didn't have any plugins from Waves, Slate, Fabfilter or iZotope. They managed.

hmmmm...they surely had access to the hardware versions of the plugins we tend to love!!!!
And microphones and preamps with EQ's most of us can only dream about!
And recording on tape they did not have tape emulating stuff either.
And through a console that itself created what Waves NLS or Slate stuff try to emulate.
 
The major difference is probably we can do it in our bedrooms if so - and can insert as many plugins we want on tracks - not needing a multi million dollar studio with hardware racks through out every wall. Each instance of a compressor or something else is one hardware unit.
 
About plugins in general - these are what shapes the sound and takes some time to figure out which one work better with what music material. There is a learning process to it.
 
Using all 3rd party plugins you can swap daw - which is just a holder of clips and plugins - and you don't have to relearn what shapes the sound. You take that with you. So that is one argument for never to use stock plugins - independence and freedom. To record and insert plugins are very similar among daws. But using stock plugins you also have to relearn what another daw has in stock plugins - or you just bring your 3rd party stuff. So over time I would recommend to buy 3rd party that give you options.
 
On this planet we call earth - there is no better support than Waves. And things I love about the plugins are not only are they good - but also consistent in how they all have - context help right there how to use it - built in A/B testing of changes you made - and built preset system in menues right there, no looking around on disk to find presets.
 
And best bang for buck - wait for bundle campaigns including the plugins you are mostly interested in. If they have a sale for single plugin - maybe wait to get an including bundle for that one when on campaign.

mudgel
Clearly then technology hasn’t advanced if the best we can do is a virtual emulation of hardware that existed more than 50 years ago. The only thing that’s really changed is the cost of entry has made it possible for anyone to play like Steely Dan.

Sorry forum for reviving this topic, particularly when the question has been answered...but I find Mudgel's (Micheal's) comment perturbing. This is because, the analogue emulation aesthetic isn't the only digital music innovation of the last 50 years. Digital musical instrument technology has advanced exponentially too...think early sampler tech like The Chamberlin, and The Mellotron...both of which lead to the sampling revolution of the 80s, and has become the de facto composition method in contemporary music...although I believe the sampling movement is now a curse somewhat without music literacy.
 
There are a whole raft of new controller tech emerging too, which can be used to create and control virtual musical instrument tech...think Notion by Presonus. If Beethoven were around today (maybe he is ;)) lol, but if he were around today...he'd basically say screw the orchestra, screw the band...I can now be a whole orchestra or a whole band...in his day he might have been able to hear the sounds of the orchestra in his head...but now he could not only hear (well if he wasn't deaf) the orchestral arrangements but play the orchestral arrangements. Then there is Sonar, and for many years now I've promoted the idea of Sonar being a digital instrument too...one that needs to be mastered. This includes the wonderful selection of plugs and synths or propitiatory effects it comes with. The two biggest problems within digital music today are...not treating ethereal instruments like real ones and indeed mastering these instruments, and the middle aged oldies like Mudgel (sorry Micheal), who seem to denigrate and misunderstand things like the analogue emulation aesthetic...I like to call these people neo-luddites who are nothing more than analogue fetish merchants. In fact, the analogue emulation aesthetic has very little to do with the digital...it is nothing more than replicating the successful analogue recording formula within a digital paradgim.
 
The digitized medium, unless you want its particular sonic aesthetic is not designed for music recording...it was designed IMO as the perfect storage and transmission medium. Think about it...tape those wonderful Beatle tapes for instance are degrading over time...digital solves this problem. And unlike 'real' analogue equipment when you transfer from the analogue tape medium, it adds nothing to the source material (with the best converters of course), meaning all that work done shaping the Beatles' recordings isn't messed up. With the analogue emulation aesthetic all we're doing is fixing the problem of digital as a recording medium. But this requires a rethink of digital recording techniques and philosophies...of which the middle aged oldies believe are wrong because it's the opposite  of analogue - where you get the sound right before you commit to recording. 
 
I haven't even mentioned Behringer working on an Augmented Reality instrument either lol...I for one am looking forward to this...so long as Dotard and Rocket man don't send us back to the stone age! No the future of digital music is bright, but only if we start to reintegrate music literacy back into contemporary music, we make knowing theory cool, and indeed...all virtual instrument playing knowledge is backed by real world playing knowledge. All musos should play an instrument IMO.
 
Ben      

Brian Walton
 
BREverb and Rematrix are very good Reverb plugins that come with SPLAT.  (made by overloud).  You can get free impulse responses made with a 480 that you can load directly into Rematrix and that might be a good starting point.  
 
http://www.housecallfm.com/download-gns-personal-lexicon-480l
 

Thanks for the tip on Remax ... never knew I had it.

Can you tell us how to (where to) put these IRs so they'll work with REmax?
Thanks!

Well I'm the original poster. So, first, how is the quality of the 480 IRs? I have to admit that plug in reverb is one of those areas that I think most plug ins are lacking. From what I heard online, the Verbsuite from Slate sounds really good.

I have several nice Lexicon outboard boxes, the PCM 80 and PCM 90, TC Electronics etc. I started with tape, then went ADATs, then dedicated hard disk recorder, with analog and digital boards and now PC only, so in the box mixing is a little new.

Contrary to the conclusions of some posters, I am anything but a nube. I have been with Cakewalk since it was a midi sequencer only, but was playing, recording and mixing before that. My brother had a studio in the 70s.

In addition to my home project studio I ran FOH on a Midas board in the largest mega church in a large metro area for 10 years where we typically averaged 5000+ on weekend in a 2000 seat venue. I mixed for quite a few major record label artists and bands who performed there and have many thank you notes from pros in my studio.

So this is my rather long winded way to say thanks to those who gave helpful advice (and there have always been many of you over the years on this forum). I have learned from many of you. It's always a good idea to get advice from other knowledgeable people even if you have to put up with a few arrogant clowns who may not be as smart or as good as they think they are.

Steve_Karl

Brian Walton
 
BREverb and Rematrix are very good Reverb plugins that come with SPLAT.  (made by overloud).  You can get free impulse responses made with a 480 that you can load directly into Rematrix and that might be a good starting point.  
 
http://www.housecallfm.com/download-gns-personal-lexicon-480l
 

Thanks for the tip on Remax ... never knew I had it.

Can you tell us how to (where to) put these IRs so they'll work with REmax?
Thanks!

Put the IRs somewhere on your HardDrive (as you will need to point the program to them for import)
Scroll down here for the instructions on what to select in the GUI to do the import.  Very easy process:
https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR&language=3&help=ProChannel.12.html
 

tonyzub999
Well I'm the original poster. So, first, how is the quality of the 480 IRs? I have to admit that plug in reverb is one of those areas that I think most plug ins are lacking. From what I heard online, the Verbsuite from Slate sounds really good.

I have several nice Lexicon outboard boxes, the PCM 80 and PCM 90, TC Electronics etc. I started with tape, then went ADATs, then dedicated hard disk recorder, with analog and digital boards and now PC only, so in the box mixing is a little new.

Contrary to the conclusions of some posters, I am anything but a nube. I have been with Cakewalk since it was a midi sequencer only, but was playing, recording and mixing before that. My brother had a studio in the 70s.

In addition to my home project studio I ran FOH on a Midas board in the largest mega church in a large metro area for 10 years where we typically averaged 5000+ on weekend in a 2000 seat venue. I mixed for quite a few major record label artists and bands who performed there and have many thank you notes from pros in my studio.

So this is my rather long winded way to say thanks to those who gave helpful advice (and there have always been many of you over the years on this forum). I have learned from many of you. It's always a good idea to get advice from other knowledgeable people even if you have to put up with a few arrogant clowns who may not be as smart or as good as they think they are.

The IRs are free and if you have SPLAT then you have the means to check them out for yourself.  
 
While I've also used PCM80s and 90s quite a bit, I'd personally argue that many convolution based reverb sound much better than many algorithm based hardware units such as these.  

Thanks, I will check it out. I have Platinum.

Brian Walton
 
Put the IRs somewhere on your HardDrive (as you will need to point the program to them for import)
Scroll down here for the instructions on what to select in the GUI to do the import.  Very easy process:
https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR&language=3&help=ProChannel.12.html

Thanks Brian. Very helpful!

Edit: Done! They're nice impulses. More subtle than the default ones.
Also note - - - no need to do anything with the .pst files in the download. Just import the .aiff files.

Thanks Steve. You guys might save me money yet. ☺