The Favourite Plugins Thread

Steinberg Lounge
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Hey all,

I accidently came across some plugins on this forum that are now essential to my daily workflow. So, (if Steinberg doesn’t mind) I would like to start a topic for people to suggest any potential hidden gems and help other users to discover amazing plugins, that that would otherwise remain out of the peripheral vision.

So, my to-go plugins:

Sugar: Automatic, multiband EQ/Stereo Enhancer/Saturation all-in-one thingy.
It has transformed my Brass and percussions sounds, great on synths/guitars and vocals, found it a little too much for strings, but overall, an awesome plugin.

Sugar - Multiband Enhancer Plugin - 30 Days Trial

StageOne 2: THE most incredible stereo enhancer. For years I was crying out for a plugin to deliver DEPTH as well as width, and this thing does this incredibly!!! I am talking about demo to album difference here guys. It helped me pull off some mixes that to this day I can’t believe I got out of my DAW.

Small drawback, on extreme settings it creates artefacts, so , it can be used with extreme settings for an instrument that sits at the back of the mix, or, it can be used sparingly on other situations.

StageOne 2 - Leapwing Audio

Soothe: I think for many I am stating the obvious, but this thing is a must!!! Automated multiband compressor. Shaves off all the unwanted frequencies. I whish it would have more bands, but I can’t complaint. Also, it’s a very heavy plugin.

oeksound: soothe2

Kirchhoff-EQ: I bought several EQs over the years, but I’m done after purchasing this little guy. Does it all. Dynamic compression, and type of EQuing, simply incredible.

Three-Body Technology Kirchhoff-EQ - Plugin Alliance

Aura (Reverb): I bought a lot of reverbs, that I to this point have put on the back burner. I was looking for that expensive outboard sound that all reverbs were failing to deliver. This guy here finally delivered. Incredible reverb!!!

Brainworx bx_aura - Plugin Alliance

Aurora (Reverb): IMHO, not as fantastic as the ‘Aura’ reverb, but also an incredible plugin!! It has an auto masking feature which is a real must, especially for vocals.

Aurora | Intelligent reverb for cleaner mixes

Gullfoss(mastering): I am not a mastering engineer. In fact, I got into mixing and producing as by it being a necessary evil. So, I don’t have time to perfect my mastering skills. I just want a thing to master well and fast. This one does exactly that. Not by it self though will it deliver a very final master/ As such, I also use a maximiser and limiter by ozone to finalize mastering and if need be, an additional compression, again by Ozone.

Gullfoss - Soundtheory

These ones are essential to me and use them on a daily basis.

I will add as many as I can think of. Hope this is helpful to some people here.

Cheers

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Wow, I am blown away by the comradery and the willingness to share :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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Haha, good one!

I think that question is difficult to answer as it always depends on the project. I use a variety of plugins as I see them fit for a particular project. An example: If I had to pick my favourite compressor - impossible. Sometimes I go for classic UAD emulations like 1176s, LA2As, Fairchilds and other times it is a workhorse like the Distressor or neutral compressors if needed. It is difficult to name just one, especially when it comes to compressors.
Reverb? The same. Although Valhalla’s Vintage Verb and Room are really great and good value for the money. But again, I also use other reverbs - that depends on the project.
EQ - well, Fabfilter is great. And so is Kirchhoff. And I think that Frequency 2 is also a solid plugin. And there are others which are great, too.
I also like to work with Soundtoys, Soothe, Kraftur… the list goes on.

Sounds like a lot but I tend to come back to about 50 plugins that I love to work with and which I know pretty well. And I use Cubase stock plugins, too. If I had no 3rd party plugins- the stock plugins go a long way if you know how to use them.

Having said this - my all time favourite plugin that ascends the thrown of every mixbus is of course… drum roll… Underwater :wink:

EDIT: The more I think about it the more plugins spring to mind that I use on a regular basis. Like API, SSL, Pulteq, channelstrips, SFX, filters and so on. Actually, it is quite a lot but it does not feel like that because the choices on a particular signal are limited. I know that sounds strange but that’s the way it is. Hmm, favourite plugins, that’s a rabbit hole. And it might explain the hesitation to answer the question in the first place. I should have known…

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My projects of the past 7 years or so have, without exception, been about trying to recreate the sound of a late 60s, live, well-heeled, rock band.
Tracks

  • Drums: Waves TG12345.
  • Cymbals: Eventide Omnisphere
  • Shreddage Precision Bass: Plugin Alliance Opto->Plugin Alliance Ampeg V4B
  • MusicLab Guitars/IKM HammondB3/ Arturia Vox Conti and Farfisa: Plugin Alliance Opto->Plugin Alliance DS 40 or Buxom Betty
  • Various Brass and Vocal libraries.
  • Every above channel has either a Lindell 50 or 69 channel strip.

Groups have the Plugin Alliance Acme Opticom XLA-3.

Satin for echo, Reverance/Valhalla VintageVerb for reverb.

These are the goto’s and appear on 90% or more or my projects.

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One more thing: Like many of us I spent way to much money on wannahave stuff I don’t need in the past. So, before buying yet another plugin I try to ask myself :

  1. Does this plugin really add an important new colour/sound? Something that no other plugin does?
  2. Does this plugin enhance my workflow in a way that it makes a difference?
  3. Does this plugin change the signal in a way that cannot be achieved by any other means?
  4. Is it worth it?

My strategy after asking these questions and testing a plugin extensively is to wait for at least a week and then check again on these questions. More often than not it turns out it would have been an unneccesary impulse buy. And it can also keep you from making music.
Not saying I am totally cured … :roll_eyes:

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I actually am. I look at new shiny things, and it always comes down to this: To use this new shiny thing, I have to stop using an existing shiny thing. And the new is rarely, if at all, so much better than the old that I click the Buy button.
I bought the bx_glue and bx_clip last August in a bundle sale, and the Lindell 69 in December 2023. That’s it for the last 2 years. And I’ve yet to use the glue and clip…

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@Googly_Smythe Consider yourself lucky that you have found your sound. Cool :+1:

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Yeah, it’s great, I think they have like a mini soothe thing going on for the different EQuing points.

I agree, there are way too many, especially compressors, but some stand out, the ones that you can’t do without and blew you away when you used them.

Cheers for Underwater, I never heard of it. EDIT: Now I know why… :joy:

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Man, thanks so much. getting a 60’s rock band sound is a tough call with a computer. Good call!

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HUGELY important advice. I think most of us are guilty of buying stuff hardly used. I got about 3 plugins that now are completely forgotten.

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I do indeed. :metal:

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Oh no no no - you got it totally wrong…
Have a look at this thread and you`ll know :wink:

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Who’d have thought there’s be more than one!?!?

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I will un-ass my self and edit it out , ya…

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That’s where I’m at too. I am so sceptical of new shiny things, and at the point where I’m thinking, do I need another mastering thingy/compressor etc.?

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Haha… I had no idea that there is another plugin called Underwater :rofl:
I’m sorry!

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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The depth of my involvement with Cubase isn’t to a point yet where experimenting or needing additional Plugins is a path I’m ready for. I guess for my pocketbook’s sake that’s a good thing. I’ve found that the stock plugins do exactly what I want, need and expect. I should probably find some free trial downloads to see what I may be missing.

I think what I need to be weary of is purchasing a large collection/library from someone and then finding out I really only needed 2 of the plugins.

With all that said… I do have a small collection of IRs from old TC Electronic (TC6000) and Eventide (Harmonizer) units that I do like to play with from time to time.

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Ohhhhh these are good, I heard great things about them. I have the limiter, Brickwall HD by TC Electronics, stellar stuff.

But I do agree in that Cubase has some brilliant stock Plugins.

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I really like Underwater to add glitch effects, however it causes background crackling on my track, associated with a mid-bass frequency range. Took me ages to work out what was causing the crackling as I thought it was my mid-bass tracks or their plug-ins.