Plug-in Recommendations for Self-Produced Album

[TGA]

Hey guys,

Beginner question: what plug-in recommendations could you suggest for someone who is an experienced songwriter but who is for the first time learning to self-produce another album?

We have done most of the tracking already using an older PT system. We have all the instrumentation recorded just raw with no plugins or EQ’s just yet.

We are thinking to do the mixing on a newer system (I have an M1 Mac) which will require me to upgrade one of my PT licenses to a newer version. Then, we will most likely need some plugins, maybe even a bundle, for adding processing to the instruments, adding EQ’s, compression, etc. Then, even some mastering tools such as iZotope.

I’ve noticed that for past records, the engineers we’ve worked with have used the Waves bundle. I also remember certain other plugins used, such as Smack! for vocals. However, I’m wondering if using only the stock plugins that the newer version of PT comes with would suffice? Or are there better bundles out there than Waves, maybe something more proprietary to Avid? Does Avid have a bundle that either comes with PT, or is purchased separately? What would you suggest?

Again I’m new to the self-engineering, self-producing game, so wanting to see what most people are using for this?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[uptheoctave]

The boring answer is that no plugin will be the secret to a well produced album.
Engineering is a skill you develop over time and I worry about people trying to spend their way into competency.
You get good by doing it a lot.

A number of years ago a bandmate said this to me:

'Don't try to make your 3rd album first.'

You won't get the level of sophistication with your mixes that you will eventually be capable of on your first few attempts.
That isn't a reason to not do it- the opposite is true.

Make this album as best you can, using the tools you currently have and try not to edit yourself into paralysis.
Use reference materials to compare your efforts against- songs you like in a similar genre. When I started I would put a reference track as the first track in a session and leave it in mute, sometimes referring to it.

Consider getting yourself 90% of the way there and then employ someone more experienced to help you finish it off, and definitely don't master your first album, get a pro to do it.

There are loads of techniques you will read about on forums and on blogs as being *important*. It is never a bad idea to get more skilled but try not to get trapped in that.

Work on achieving musical balance, having great songs that are well performed.
A bad song with a great mix is still a bad song.

Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree talked about this in an SOS article.
He made many of his early albums just using stock plugins.
If you can do it with that then you can branch out.

That said, there has been an article out on Experts talking about the value of just exploring what is possible and perhaps when you do it you'll come up with something you wouldn't otherwise have managed?

https://www.production-expert.com/pr...dio-production

I like the Fabfilter plugins, I have a bunch of Waves plugins too, Eventide, Soundtoys, SSL, McDSP and others.
I could just as easily work with stock plugins.

Monthly subscriptions are good to try these out, because you aren't locked into an expensive purchase.

Hope this helps and good luck.

[TOM@METRO]

Originally Posted by uptheoctave

The boring answer is that no plugin will be the secret to a well produced album.
Engineering is a skill you develop over time and I worry about people trying to spend their way into competency.
You get good by doing it a lot.

A number of years ago a bandmate said this to me:

'Don't try to make your 3rd album first.'

You won't get the level of sophistication with your mixes that you will eventually be capable of on your first few attempts.
That isn't a reason to not do it- the opposite is true.

Make this album as best you can, using the tools you currently have and try not to edit yourself into paralysis.
Use reference materials to compare your efforts against- songs you like in a similar genre. When I started I would put a reference track as the first track in a session and leave it in mute, sometimes referring to it.

Consider getting yourself 90% of the way there and then employ someone more experienced to help you finish it off, and definitely don't master your first album, get a pro to do it.

There are loads of techniques you will read about on forums and on blogs as being *important*. It is never a bad idea to get more skilled but try not to get trapped in that.

Work on achieving musical balance, having great songs that are well performed.
A bad song with a great mix is still a bad song.

Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree talked about this in an SOS article.
He made many of his early albums just using stock plugins.
If you can do it with that then you can branch out.

That said, there has been an article out on Experts talking about the value of just exploring what is possible and perhaps when you do it you'll come up with something you wouldn't otherwise have managed?

https://www.production-expert.com/pr...dio-production

I like the Fabfilter plugins, I have a bunch of Waves plugins too, Eventide, Soundtoys, SSL, McDSP and others.
I could just as easily work with stock plugins.

Monthly subscriptions are good to try these out, because you aren't locked into an expensive purchase.

Hope this helps and good luck.

I like this advice.

[Darryl Ramm]

Good advice above. To answer your question about Pro Tools plugins bundles... to make it simpler I am going to assume you will be working with Pro Tools Studio or Ultimate. When you subscribe to these or have a perpetual license with current update/support plan then a subscription to the Avid Complete Plugin Bundle (ACPB) is included in addition to the core plugins and a few more plugins.

ACPB Info: https://www.avid.com/plugins/avid-co...-plugin-bundle you can also subscribe to this for $49/year but normally folks would get this thought the Pro Tools subscription or renewal plans.

To me ACPB is a very useful bundle, I'd go further and say I think Pro Tools really needs it/is incomplete without it. But maybe I'm especially biased there with the Eleven Rack compatible Eleven Mk II and guitar effects pedals in ACPB.

Some of the lists of plugins that are included with Pro Tools have minor mistakes or omissions in them, so out of frustration I made a spreadsheet, it's a mess but if you want to see say a list of every plugin included with Pro Tools Ultimate or Studio and the ACPB subscription it's here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing.

* Plugin vendors tend to be experts at marketing to peoples insecurities, just like many guitar petal vendors market to guitar player insecurities. I know because I've brought the guitar pedals, and then the plugins that emulate them

I am not sure you need plugins like from iZotope for mastering. (See *)

In addition to monthly subscriptions a lot of plugins have trials, and I really appreciate those vendors and try to give them my money when I do buy plugins.

And there are great free or free+feature upgrade plugins out there e.g. from my setup: Youlean Loudness meter (https://youlean.co/youlean-loudness-meter), BlueCat's free bundle (https://www.bluecataudio.com) -- what a great company. And MeldaProduction free bundle (https://www.meldaproduction.com/MFreeFXBundle )

And if you have somebody in the band or who you are working with and they really want to use some plugin, and they seem to know stuff, then let them at it. Maybe just buy one plugin not a whole bundle... and even better folks like that likely have plugin licenses, ideally on an iLok and you may be able to just plugin that iLok into your Mac and use their licensees. I've seen some silly situations where somebody suggested trying a plugin, was going to loan plugins/help and folks instead rushed to spend money.

Remember to print/commit any tracks with subscriptiosn plugins on them (or maybe all plugins) since you may need to be able to recover stuff in future even if you don't have every plugin.

[JFreak]

Maybe OP is looking for tips where to find best presets to start from? If so, SSL plugins are pretty good.

[take77]

What I say to the OP, I say to myself:

My advice is don't negate experience with inexperience.
I'm not discouraging you from learning what you can about mixing or mastering.
It's not impossible and will take time and exclusive practice to get really good at each of those crafts.
If you really want to learn and have the luxury of a true mixing environment then by all means go for it.

When I say don't negate experience with inexperience, I'm suggesting that you should combine your songwriting talents & musicianship with a mixer who has as many years experience as you do as a songwriter.
If you're songs are good then they merit having production that's on par with the music.
That way you can magnify the music as much as possible.

If your songs are ready to be produced and you want to go the distance mixing and mastering, then consider this piece of advice I took from a veritable mixer:

It's better to go 100miles in one direction than it is to go a few inches in several directions.

I personally use Pro Tools as a songwriting tool and for pre-production demos only.
All with a view to sharing with a few close music friends (because they're the only ones that understand a demo-grade mix).

In any event, be assured that I'm actually trying to help you learn from my own wanna-be endeavors! lol
I've wasted time going a few inches in several directions.
Go the hundred miles with your songs and let an experienced mixer and mastering engineer take 'em a couple more hundred. :)

That said, Pro Tools has all the plugins you need to be honest.
But if you do invest in a particular plug-in bundle, make the decision that you will use those exclusively and get good at using them.
In other words, don't buy more plug-ins than you have songs.

If there is one bundle I want to get good with, it's the SSL Native Essentials Bundle (Channel Strip 2 & Bus Compressor).

There are some cool presets that can get you started with a kick, snare or solo instrument.
But since plugin presets haven't heard your tracks as a whole, presets will become more of a miss miss situation when mixing.
The key of the song and arrangement will have a lot to do with what frequencies are predominantly active or colliding.
Presets don't know what other presets are doing. So you may need to cut where another boosts or try using presets from the same author for each instrument.
Use presets as a way of looking over a virtual engineers shoulder; a way of learning & comparing ballpark ranges based on each preset author's tastes.
Then practice making your own mix decisions from there.

[original_min]

Plenty of wisdom above...

The stock plugins are fine!
Just use what's there.

Everything you need to get a handle on things is already available.
(Eq, filters, dynamics, delay, modulation, reverb.)

The Avid Complete Plugin Bundle is subscription/updates only.
For me the idea that a mix may not play back in the future without a payment of some kind is something to avoid.

Keep it simple, and have a great time.

[zakco]

Add me to the chorus suggesting that the stock plugins are more than enough to learn mixing with - this is assuming that you are interesting in learning fundamental skills. The bundled plugins that come with a subscription have come a LONG way from what was included years ago, when Waves was a leader in the industry.

[take77]

Originally Posted by original_min

The stock plugins are fine!
Just use what's there.

Everything you need to get a handle on things is already available.
(Eq, filters, dynamics, delay, modulation, reverb.)

The Avid Complete Plugin Bundle is subscription/updates only.
For me the idea that a mix may not play back in the future without a payment of some kind is something to avoid.

Keep it simple, and have a great time.

If only I could have stated it as short & sweet as that!

Let's consider my post as the example of the person who makes things too difficult with too many plugin's.
And original-min post as the person who knows how to get right in and dial a sound to fit the mix in less than a minute or two with a few simple yet effective tools.

Originally Posted by zakco

Add me to the chorus suggesting that the stock plugins are more than enough to learn mixing with - this is assuming that you are interesting in learning fundamental skills. The bundled plugins that come with a subscription have come a LONG way from what was included years ago, when Waves was a leader in the industry.

If I would have followed this advice I'd have the Tele or SG I want for my sound instead of a bunch of plugins that ain't got the right sound goin' through 'em in the first place. lol

[philgrab]

Some really good advice above. I would add it depends on the type of music and largely to how good the current tracks sound. But, not wanting to leave you without direction....

Waves has some very useful plugins but I rarely use them, but many ITB mixers use them extensively. (I mix hybrid so it eliminates the need for some things)
UADx online plugins are killer with a lot of variety I use a lot of these for color compression. Subscription model
Protools has almost everything you need except for many variations of colored compressors. I like other reverbs as well.
Fabfilter EQs are becoming a standard and you see them in a lot of studios.
You may want to shop for a good De-esser if the Protools version doesn't work for you.
Izotope is an excellent package as well.

I completed an album of 12 songs in the spring with all of the above.

There are as many plugins as there are stars in the sky (almost) but you can make an album with the above. Outside these, Valhalla, some type of SSL and tape emulation are helpful.