AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

Hi,
Just upgraded from PT10 HD2 to HDX on PT 2021.6. 2009 Mac Pro flashed to 5,1 Quad Core (x2). UAD Octo Card. I'm running in Hybrid mode. I'm loving the extended voice count. That old HD limit with Native plugins drove me bonkers. But I am frustrated that Waves is no longer DSP capable. That was how I split my resources between DSP and Native, using Waves TDM for a lot of utility work, plus a few other DSP plugs McDSP, Amp Farm, Echo Farm. Heat. But now many of those only run Native. Not sure the McDSP DSP bundle upgrade is worth the cost. So...


I might invest in one of two of the Plugin-Alliance DSP plugs. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts around a "go to" compressor and/or EQ from plugin alliance. I have currently demo'd the Amex 9099, and the Iron Compressor. Both seem pretty cool. I wouldn't buy both though. But I would like to be able to take more advantage of this fancy pants HDX card I've got here, and would welcome any recommendations.



Thanks!

Re: AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

My go-to DSP nowadays are sonnox plugins. PA is good too, but there is a big difference betwen clean (sonnox) and colored (PA) plugins. Just pick your poison.

Re: AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

I use their SSL E on almost every session as my channel strip. I didn't find use for the G. And the J seemed hungrier resource wise. It's on sale a lot.

They offer an overwhelming number of plugins. And some decent DSP ones too. I use their master desk (or something like that) as a quick dirty end of night bounce limiter for rough mixes.

Re: AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

Thanks for these replies. I just downloaded some Sonnox demos. I have the UAD SSL E channel strip. Wondering if/how that compares to the PA version... Messing around with PA Iron right now and it seems pretty cool and vibey. Lots of extra useful features like Mix% and M/S that I don't see in the Sonnox plugs


Whoops, I was wrong. I have the Neve 88RS channel strip, not the SSL E...

Re: AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

I'm pretty Waves centric. I have a little SG Mobile Server to run a good number of Waves plugins on. StudioRack goes in one slot in Pro Tools and a bunch of Waves plugins in there to use the Waves DSP.

I reached 100 plugins from Plugin Alliance the other day. I have been purchasing one or so a month for the last few years. Once you have made a purchase you will get a $25 voucher each month so if you are savvy and bide your time you can get the plug-ins for around $20 each if you wait for the right deals.

My suggestion is to demo the plugins before you buy them. I have too many which I seldom use. There are some great offerings from PIA that I use all the time but give them a good try before you buy. You could go the subscription route but you might be overwhelmed with all the plugin-ins at once and personally, I am anti subscription.

To be honest I can't get away from the Waves LA2A, LA3A, and 1176 CLA plug-ins, even with the other alternatives I have for these.

There's plenty of other manufacturers to check out. I have a few Sonnox offerings. Softube make some good stuff and McDSP etc.

Hope that helps?!

Stephen

Re: AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

I too lean heavily on Sonnox, as well as PA. But don’t forget McDSP! Super great plug-ins, really well coded and some clever features that don’t exist in other plug-ins.

Re: AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

I also rely mostly on Sonnox. I have and regularly use all of their plugins. I have a few Plugin-Alliance options that are nice. If you like channel strips they have good options. For simple compression and EQ I like the Purple MC77, bx_opto and the bx_digital V3 is a good utility EQ (it has a basic mix version in addition to the expanded stereo version). McDsp is also a good option but something I don't really find myself using anymore. You could also check out Empirical labs. I believe the Big Freq will be coming out in AAX DSP soon.

Re: AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

Thanks again for these thoughts. I used McDSP since the old MIX days because they were very efficient with DSP. But I never totally loved the sound, not sure why. Certain FX type things were great, like the super compressed "Thwack" CB1 preset. Demo'd the DSP basic production bundle and wasn't sold. Also haven't been sold on Sonnox, having demo'd them a few times over the years, especially considering the price tag. If a crazy sale comes along I might jump in. I like the EQ with the GML version. But I also agree with the above poster who said you can end up with too many options. I might be at that point. I have no shortage of plugs. I guess I just want a REALLY GOOD, ideally versatile compressor that runs on DSP, and maybe a really nice DSP EQ, although I find the stock Avid EQ fine for basic stuff. I don't really need all the extra bells and whistles of the channel strips. IRON seems pretty cool, but worth $300...? Guess I'm still looking...

Re: AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

Thanks for the Empirical Labs tip! I just saw that they have both the Arouser and the LilFreq for DSP. I got the UAD Distressor recently and have been pretty blown away by it, as a longtime owner of 2 hardware Distressors. Downloading the Empirical Labs demos now... THanks!

Re: AAX DSP / Plugin-Alliance question
 

I very much like Arouser. It's in most every project here.