Simplistic plugins that get the job done

[Spitfire31]

GVST, Reaplug, Melda, Blue Cat are a few, off the top of my head.

I don't think that Melda plugins belong into the "simplistic" or "intuitive" category. Not that they aren't good and powerful tools, but their GUIs are pretty much the opposite to intuitive or minimalistic.

Yeah!

I own (a license for) their wonderful sounding Vintage Rotary. I seldom use it, because the GUI is so off-putting. More like an engineering prototype than a visually inviting environment, IMHO…

/Joachim

[Spitfire31]

After all this years of use....Ferric TDS. Simple tape/ La2a-ish compression that almost never sounds wrong.

Would be great to see a new version of it, maybe a collab between Tokyo Dawn Labs and Bootsy once again.

And ported to Mac OS, please!

/Joachim

[p4tz3r]

Some I'm currently using in my projects:

Echoboy Jr
Valhalla Plate
Klanghelm MJUCjr
Softube Saturation Knob
Nicky Romero Kickstart (yeah, VolumeShaper is way better, but this is simple and cheap)

[crystalmsc]

Audio Damage Basic, for the MS-20/Monotron type of dirty jobs
TAL-BassLine-101, for simpler basic tone with a character
BeepStreet Dagger, my go to modern sounding mono synth
miniBit, fav chiptune style synth
Spaceship delay, for the Monotoron delay - dub type of dirty jobs, a perfect partner in crime with AD Basic
EchoBoy Jr. fav delay with great new interface
Verberate, for a transparent and natural musical sounding reverb
Full Bucket Brigade Delay, that thick sound for free

[simon.a.billington]

That's fair, but I still gotta wonder why someone who knows they lack that kind of fundamental experience would put themselves under the gun like that. That's just asking for all kinds of undue stress.

I mean if I had to personally draft up the blueprint to my new house before the end of the month with some confidence it'd be up to code, I'd chew my eyeballs out. I can draw walls and doors on paper, but I'm no architect, dammit!

Well some people lack organisational skills and planning, even the pros. I knew a graphic artist who was really good at his craft, but he was so disorganised, yet still in high demand.

More specifically though there always is those last minute jobs. Clients who decide to drop something knew in or change things up in the last minute. Or there are the last minute rush jobs.

Clients can be badly organised too, or maybe they are a link in a chain and the word from above comes at the 11th hour.

There are those that don't understand how long the process takes. The reason that something going for 5 minutes should take you no longer than an hour or two to knock out. They think they are being generous with that time frame.

For whatever reason, no matter how organised we are we live in a less than perfect world where $hit happens. Adapt or die basically.

There are always reasons far beyond our own foresight or comprehension.

Yea but if you know the basic stuff, you can tell right away what's possible in some frame of time. Your client's getting uppity about something and wants big changes last second? Tell them how it is: what they want is too much to do in the given time. Offer alternatives or extend the deadline because that's the reality of it. Don't need to be super organized to work like that.

If you're good at what you do, you can tell them your estimates with confidence and if that pisses them off? Well don't push them there in the first place but it can happen right? Tell them to find someone else who can do it. That will shut them up and bring their expectations back to reality because they realize what they're asking is unreasonable to any pro. And if the client gives up on you because they don't know what they want? And they don't like your feedback or requirements or whatever, you can let them be some other poor sap's problem. Bad clients happen.

All that just goes back to the single most important rule in entertainment: it only matters what you say "no" to. You find a bad client? Don't take their gig even if you're eating ramen for breakfast lunch and dinner.

Just going to agree to disagree here. I'm my 25+ years I've seen all sort of $hit happen. Ideals maybe one thing, but living in the real world is another.

There is always a need for a quick soltion in this day's society. I have seen this proven time and time again.

[Armagibbon]

Just going to agree to disagree here. I'm my 25+ years I've seen all sort of $hit happen. Ideals maybe one thing, but living in the real world is another.

There is always a need for a quick soltion in this day's society. I have seen this proven time and time again.

Things always get hacky when it comes down to the wire. I'm not saying it's bad to take shortcuts. I'm saying it's bad to jump into a job without knowing what to expect.

[simon.a.billington]

Just going to agree to disagree here. I'm my 25+ years I've seen all sort of $hit happen. Ideals maybe one thing, but living in the real world is another.

There is always a need for a quick soltion in this day's society. I have seen this proven time and time again.

Things always get hacky when it comes down to the wire. I'm not saying it's bad to take shortcuts. I'm saying it's bad to jump into a job without knowing what to expect.

Of course it is, but the amount of people out there who don't actually know what they want is quite phenomenal.

It's not until they see things coming together do they start to get an idea... then you're rushing.

You can opt not to do it, but next time they'll go with someone else and it's not so good for the rep.

Then there are those that are just really disorganised, or the people they are working for are disorganised.

Same story, you either bend over backwards trying to accommodate people or they go with someone else. That not entirely a bad thing if they aren't easy to get along with, but all other times you're being paid to offer a service.

When they leave, it's a good idea to leave them with a positive feeling so they come back. They're also the ones that are going to recommend you to other people.

Always good to have quick tricks up your sleeve in any industry. Whether it comes as a one knob plugin or a custom chain doesn't really matter. However, custom chains are never refined enough to work well on anything, not unless you've worked really hard and have created some really simple macro controls for yourself.

That's exactly what the Signature plugins are, though. The producer/engineers created solutions they themselves would use, than Waves just marketed it.

They do use them. Once in a lifetime opportunity, you'd be an absolute fool not to take advantage of the situation and use it to create something you find yourself needing in the studio.