I'd like to pool what you guys are using in terms of top quality mixing plug-ins.
 
Personally I frequently find myself going to emulations of pultec and fairchild 670, but I'd like to expand my options with serious guns of similar impact (some with vintage flavour, but not exclusively)
 
So I'm not looking for yet another compressor / EQ, but something that may make a real difference. It should come with good presets, but still sound great when dialing in something different (which I've noticed not being the case with some of the cheaper tools that sound horrible once you leave the presets)
 
Well, I had an eye on the UAD stuff, but their arsenal is large and too pricy to buy the entire suite of the shelve (hence I'm keen on recommendations) ... plus I keep coming across complaints about the stability when used with Sonar. So are there still problems with the latest versions?
 
Your input is much appreciated
 
Rob 
    
 

UAD stuff is high-quality, with the added advantage of taking some load off your CPU. The disadvantage is that you can't install the plugins on your laptop and take them with you to the beach without buying another piece of UAD hardware.

So if you're not looking for equalizers or compressors, what are you looking for? Something novel and unique? The elusive "sound-gooderizer" plugin? Give us a hint.

Although I don't have it, the UAD stuff is what most of the professionals I know use - that and Waves if they don't have UAD.  Not a large pool I know, so take it for what it is.

The basic UAD stuff (that comes w/ the card) is good.  Most people get the classics (they are hardware classics for a reason) - the 1176, optical etc.  Once you get the card you can demo the product for two weeks (I think) and see what you like before spending your cash.

For my own stuff, I use mainly the PC stuff - including the softube bundle and the opto comp.  That pretty much covers eq and compression.  I have the nomad stuff too that I'm fond of.  Their blue tubes package is good for a change up in tone - the time based stuff is very good and useful and the pultec/fairchild models are good for a thicker tone.  You could probably get most of the effect from the blue tubes channel strip.  The newer Nomad stuff is supposed to be a step up in emulation - the neve etc.

But I am finding I'm using more and more clean stuff for mixing.  If you get your "tone" when recording you can then use digitial toys to control volume issues and cut (and boost a little) eq frequencies.  Saturation and distortion, I find, are best left to the analog realm.  Not so spikey.

I think you'll find the UAD stuff like everything else - most users have no problems (many users here have no complaints) along w/ a few w/ glitches of varying intensity.  Just be sure to be able to take it back if it doesn't work and gets you frustrated.  Personally, I'm wary about spending more money on more digital comps/eqs  since what I have already seems to work. I woudl like to be blown away and have to get something, but so far I'm unconvinced.

@

I'm partial to models of 1176, LA-2A, SSL Channel, SSL Comp, Pultec, and Phoenix Verb (Lexicon heritage)
If you don't go the UAD route, Waves an IK Multimedia make great native plugins.

I find myself using my extensive UAD arsenal less and less these days.  I've said it before...if you want a great set of top notch tools, look no further than FabFilter.  If you want character and color then peruse UAD, WAVES and Nomad Factory.  And, oh yeah, do yourself a favor and checkout the Maag EQ4.  Yummy. 

But, like Bit asked, what exactly are you after??

Other than EQ and compression, plugins that make a difference include reverbs, delays, tape sims, and saturators.  I'll mention two of each that I like, one cheap and one pricey:
 
Reverb:  Valhalla Vintage Verb / NI Reverb Classics
Delay:  Sonitus / Waves H-delay
Tape:  Toneboosters Reelbus / Slate VTM
Sat:  Softube Saturation Knob / brainworx bx_saturator
 
Have fun!
 
Cheers,
Eddie
 

The UAD line has gone off the deep end regarding pricing, the accountants have moved in to derive maximum value at the cost of number of users. $300 or more for plugs ins that provide a narrow range of capability is not going to continue to knock down the market. That said, I have a lot of the earlier line and have to say there are a few go to plug ins that make it to every track.

1. Pultec for drums or vocal duty
2. 1176 because sometimes I'm tool lazy to hook up my hardware 1176 when I'm just trying some ideas.
3. SSL Channel strip because it always can take the vocal over the top when needed. Adds excitement.
4. The 224 reverb is the best ITB reverb I think in the market
5. The Studer tape emulation, occasionally.

That's it. I can do the rest with the EQ and plugs that come in the box. A lot of my UAD plug ins just don't get used anymore because many are heavy handed sonically and you only need color in a few places in the mix, not on everything. There are not problems with UAD and Sonar by the way except when you try to mix 32 & 64 bit plugins. You are asking for trouble.

Jim Roseberry


I'm partial to models of 1176, LA-2A, SSL Channel, SSL Comp, Pultec, and Phoenix Verb (Lexicon heritage)
If you don't go the UAD route, Waves an IK Multimedia make great native plugins.

When I first got my UAD I liked the 1176 an LA2A until I heard the IK versions.  Then UA came out with the new version and started giving the originals away for free.  IMO they are throwaways and of little value compared to others on the market.  Full discloser: I sold my UAD with about 10 plugs after being tired of the dongle.  I had a UAD-2 solo and if I wanted more than 2-3 instances of a reverb it would cost me $300 and I still would not get as many instances as I want.  I think their whole DSP paltform is a terrible deal for allut  bthe the highest end studios. 


Years ago 2 things were true that are no longer true: 
1) we needed hardawre DSP assistance,  
2) UAD had the best plugs around (they are still good but there are many equal quality choices now)

OK I'll shut up now.

Thanks all. That was exactly the kind of feedback I was aiming to get. Gives me things to think about and eventually demo.

Any more ideas - thoughts - controversies ... I'd take it ;-)

I'm mostly using the UAD-2 with the usual suspects - LA2A, LA3A, 1177, Pultec Pro EQ, Cooper Time Cube, Fairchild  etc.

I also use the Waves CLA compressors which is more of the same when I run out of UAD muscle.

I like the Slate Virtual Tape Machine a lot.

EareVerb by EarReckon is my goto verb.

I have the Waves Gold collection and I'm starting to use pieces of that from time to time.

I think the Cakewalk ProChannel plugins are good when I'm working in SONAR X2 but I can't use those in Samplitude Pro X.