That one digital l delay or reverb unit cost $200 for the cheapest model, and you could only use it as a send or on one track at a time, and had to bounce tracks to get more than 4 in a mix? Yeah, we are really fortunate for all the free plugins and technology we have today. But somehow I feel like I was much more inventive with what I had then, trying to milk out a decent tone from a radio Shack reverb when I was 13 was a real challenge!

We are spoilt for choice now.
A bad thing in many ways.It's easy to end up ploughing through the presets of plug-ins,rather than try to coax the sound we want out of those we have.
I'm trying to narrow down what I use now and learn those plug-ins better.

When I only had two or three hardware synths, I really got to know each one intimately and could get whatever sound I wanted out of each one, now I have a bunch of plugins but know few of them well. I also am going to pare down what is in my plugins folder, after spending some time experimenting with a bunch of plugs its time to pare it down.

I remember yesterday, when I literally spent almost every free minute I had to tweak flanger and delay settings on my KSP8. That was the day. It resulted in awesome success. I would have spent my time (probably 10th of it, considering the lack of features) tweaking some fancy multiple instance capable PC software, if they weren't all ridiculous toys in comparison.

It's really funny, I seem to be the one of the few guys who isn't really affected by this. I never horted plugins and always tried to know the few I have really, really well. Maybe that's because I grew up with plugins and not hardware?
My main goal regarding workflow always was to minimize the time from the idea to the result. 10000 plugins don't help me with that.
Of course I try new plugins every now and then but I very rarely keep them. I seriously can't remember the last time I bought a plugin.
It is a big mistake to blame the tools if one doesn't get the result he wants imo.

I still don't get the things I want most of the time (I finish ~3 tracks a year since I'm never happy with 'em ) but I know that's my fault and not because I don't have the latest shiny plugin.

Cheers
Dennis

If software gives you so many choices that you are overwhelmed or it's all just toys in comparison to hardware......why are you here?

Because some isn't.

I found the secret is to limit yourself, as there is of course too much plugins available.

I find I really don't need more than the two compressors I use, for example.

I stopped buying new stuff at some point and I have no plans to get new plugins for a very long time

Well, for me, I am doing this as a hobby, a sideline if you will. So I'm tending to see what kinds of effects and such work with what I already have. And, sometimes, that means my folders are packed to the gunwales with VST's while other times it is pretty sparse. I have a pretty strange collection of stomp boxes that I also use with my hardware synths and such as well...

because kvr is an addiction.

The past always appears rosier. I am quite happy not to be so restricted like I was in the past wasting my time bouncing stuff down, messing with cables and dodgy electronics. In the box is soooo good

Hahaha! Since I heard about total recall for a mixing desk 20+ years ago I wanted it! Several times I bought equipment in the early 90ies only to be frustrated to the core that I wasn't able to do with it what I dreamed of and had in my head for years. (Yeah, limited funds. You guessed it.)
When I was 15 I was walking around dreaming "24 track sound" in my head. And since I bought CubaseVST in 1998 I never really wanted anything else than working in the box.

me too, i have only two plugins left on my do want list:

psp noble q and
empty systems dim d

http://www.audiodamage.com/effects/product.php?pid=AD002



Yeah, I remember struggling to make tracks with my Yamaha MT44 four track cassette recorder and a Mattel Synsonic drum machine and a no-name guitar. Feh, to that. I do have a nice fuzzy romantic feeling about those times, but I know that's all it is. The harsh edges worn away by time. I was probably a bit more creative in those times because I didn't have a full time job, wife and mortgage to deal with, not because I was lucky enough to have limitations.

It's pretty simple, guys.

Sit down, give yourself a limitation per track.

I used to call up a friend and say "Okay, dude let's make a song in 1 hour, and we can use guitars, and ONE synth. No drums. Vocals. Ready, set GO!"

In an hour we each went nuts to create something, ANYTHING.

If you limit yourself in creative ways, and then give yourself a very quick deadline, true creativity is FORCED out of you, and it's exciting.

Here's a track that came out in one hour, I didn't even know how to do beat quantization at this point, but I'm proud of how it all turned out:
http://theconsolationproject.bandcamp.com/track/love-is-all- around

I seriously think this is one of the best ways to get yourself motivated.

RonC