List of easy commercial & Freeware plugins to use for people who don't want tons of complex options.

[V0RT3X]

So i was talking to a friend who said he wanted to get into making music production, but he was intimidated by the amount of complex stuff.

He was wondering if i knew of professional plugins that are "Idiot Proof" basically so he could just get into this and learn.

So I went around and did some research for good OSX & Windows solutions and created this list. Feel free to add your contributions! Updated this so it contains both Free & Commercial plugins.

(C) - Commercial
(F) - Free

HOW THE LISTINGS WORK.
See the example category? This is the description to give you an idea of what the plugins do beneath it.
Example1 would be the easiest out of the bunch, while Example 2 would be harder to use than 1 etc. The farther down the list the harder the plugins get!

EXAMPLE Category
Example1
Example2
Example3

DAW Programs
EnergyXT (C)
Propellerheads Reason (C)
Apple Logic *Mac Only* (C)

Pitch Shifting Programs & Plugins
Celemony Melodyne (C)

Delay Plugins
ValhallaDSP FreqEcho (F)

Equalizer Plugins
Toneboosters TB EZQ (F)

Exciter Plugins - Brighten up your sound-
Waves One Knob Brighter (C)
Abbey Road Brilliance Pack (C)

Saturation Plugins - Warm and thicken up your sound -
SPL Twintube (C)
URS Saturation Plug-in (C)
Dada Life Sausage Fattener (C)
Tone Boosters Reelbus (C)
Waves MPX Master Tape (C)
Soundtoys Devil Loc Deluxe (C)
Steinberg Vintage Open Deck (C)

Bitcrushing Plugins - Lofi your sound -
Sonalksis Digital Grimebox (C)
Camel Audio Camel Crusher (F)
Toneboosters Time machine (F)
D16 Decimort (C)

Distortion Plugins - Mangle your sound-
Waves One Knob Driver (C)
Kilohearts Faturator (C)
Meldaproduction MWaveShaper (F)
Soundtoys Decapitator (C)
D16 Devastor (C)

Reverb & Ambience Plugins - Wetten your sound-
Waves One Knob Wetter (C)
PSP Easyverb (C)
Toneboosters Reverb (C)
Lexicon MPX (C)
Voxengo Oldskool Reverb (F)
Eventide Blackhole (C)
Audio Damage Eos (C)

Compression Plugins - Squish and pump up your sound -
Waves One Knob Pressure (C)
Sonalksis Uber Compressor (C)
Toneboosters EZcompressor (C)
URS Phat C (C)
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer (C)

Bass Boost Plugins - Increase the lows in your sound -
Waves One Knob Phatter (C)
Brainworx bx_boom! (C)

Filter Plugins - Shape your sound -
Waves One Knob Filter (C)
Sonalksis Creative FIlter (C)
Xfer Records DJM Filter (F)
Elysia Niveau Filter (F)
Brainworx BX_Cleansweep V2 (F)
Fabfilter Micro (C)
Tone 2 BiFilter 2 (C)
Cableguys Filtershaper (C)
Xfer Records LFO Tool (C)

Limiting Plugins - Louden your sound -
Waves One Knob Louder (C)
Abbey Road TG 12413 Limiter (C)
Waves L2 Ultramaximizer (C)

Transient Shaper Plugins - reshape your Instrument sounds -
FLUX Bittersweet II (F)
SPL Attacker (C)
SPL Transient Designer (C)

Reverb Enhancing Plugins - alter the reverb in your sound -
SPL Mo-Verb (C)
SPL De-Verb (C)

Rompler & Synth Plugins - Tools for playing and building sounds -
Refx Nexus 2 (C)
SoniVox Wobble (C)

Gating Plugins - Tools for creating gated effects in your sound -
SineVibes Strobe *Mac Only* (C)
SineVibes Array *Mac Only* (C)
Cableguys Volume Shaper (C)
AraldFX Stormgate 3 (C)

Sound Synthesizer - Tools for re-synthesizing your sound -
Sonic Charge Bitspeek (C)

Multi-FX Plugins - All in one FX units for your sounds -
Korg MDE-X (C)
Camel Space (C)
Camel Phat (C)
Tone2 Warmverb Multi-Fx (C)
Toontrack EZ-Mix 2 (C)

Glitch and Stutter Plugins - Create glitches in your sounds -
Destroy FX DFX Buffer Override (F)
Sugarbytes Effectrix (C)
Loomer Sequent (C)


If anyone sees some mistakes in these, please let me know and I will fix this. Hopefully the layout is easy enough to understand as well. Im not the most organized person so I probably could organize the listings better, but enough for now I need sleep.

[goldenanalog]

I run strictly Windows at this point, so I can't vouch for use in OSX, but I *really* like this company's work; and they're good people to boot:

http://www.xils-lab.com

PolyKB is my favorite.

[V0RT3X]

I run strictly Windows at this point, so I can't vouch for use in OSX, but I *really* like this company's work; and they're good people to boot:

http://www.xils-lab.com

PolyKB is my favorite.

Nice thanks!

Im trying to keep the number of knobs limited in my selection. I figure so far that If there are more options than Sylenth1 that it will overwhelm people like my friend.

Im just compiling this list for fun, maybe it will help newer people out.

[goldenanalog]

Hmmm....

Maybe the best way to go for someone starting out would be this:

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/pro ... intro.html

It is simple, immediately gratifying, tried and true; and $100 as a download.

Caveat: You'll need a syncro key; but at some point you may need the key for other softs, anyway.

[UncleAge]

I get what are trying to do. It's definitely a different approach. However another angle might be to stick with just one developer's plugs to start off with. Often times the navigation is similar across all the plugs one dev makes. And if you choose a dev with a nice index of plugs like Audio Damage or Fabfilter you can play with a broad set of tools as well. Consistency in the interface(s) can be important too. Once again, Fabfilter, Voxengo, Uhbiks, Audio Damage, ToneBooster and many not mentioned have that consistency across the different plugs that makes them a bit easier to dive into.

[elxsound]

I get what are trying to do. It's definitely a different approach. However another angle might be to stick with just one developer's plugs to start off with. Often times the navigation is similar across all the plugs one dev makes. And if you choose a dev with a nice index of plugs like Audio Damage or Fabfilter you can play with a broad set of tools as well. Consistency in the interface(s) can be important too. Once again, Fabfilter, Voxengo, Uhbiks, Audio Damage, ToneBooster and many not mentioned have that consistency across the different plugs that makes them a bit easier to dive into.

I definitely agree with this. Every name mentioned is a great and solid way in.

If the money is there, I would throw a vote behind Fabfilter. For just starting out, assuming they have not spent years working with hardware, FF's GUI's are very easy to make sense of. Just my personal experience and opinion.

[V0RT3X]

I just updated the list so it's easier to understand what stuff does on the list for people not familiar with what the plugins do. I also ordered them in order of complexity, so the stuff at the top of the list in each category is easiest and as you get further away it gets more complex.

I also made it so it's not OSX specific now.

[V0RT3X]

Updated the list.

[michael2]

idiot proof for mac: garageband (including effects)

i have an "idiot" friend who is more than covered with garageband. I tried to turn him onto a couple of bits of freeware at one point and the installation alone gave him a fright. I think some of the stuff on your list might scare an idiot. as an ex-idiot (and current dummy), I can remember looking at even the simplest compressor in garageband, and feeling like it was time to throw in the towel.

i think it's a great starting point as the effects are very useable, and they do a good job at dumbing stuff down. you have a modicum of control, but they break it all down to a few sliders (and even rename some of them to something more palatable). you can actually get good recordings out of it as well. I used it until I started to notice the limitations, then moved up to Logic Express, then Logic. Now I notice my limitations.

this list is a good idea though. might be useful in the KVR wiki.

[JD Gaffe]

With the amount of money some of these plugins cost, your money will probably be better spent buying a book about audio engineering/production and actually learning what they all do, in combination with using cheap/free plugins.

But I suppose that's just my opinion.

To actually add to the thread, as well as to my point, here's a free, simple, transient designer:

http://www.fluxhome.com/products/freewares/bittersweet2

[V0RT3X]

With the amount of money some of these plugins cost, your money will probably be better spent buying a book about audio engineering/production and actually learning what they all do, in combination with using cheap/free plugins.

But I suppose that's just my opinion.

To actually add to the thread, as well as to my point, here's a free, simple, transient designer:

http://www.fluxhome.com/products/freewares/bittersweet2

Thanks for the contribution!

Indeed some of the plugins are expensive, but my aim is not to list what is the easiest and cheapest to use. Im just trying to find all the easiest to use plugins that exist and add them to the list. I have labelled them all so people will know which are free and which are commercial.

[novelistus]

lets face it. There is no way IN to synths other than spending TIME

- understand the basics, because otherwise how are you gonna choose ? There are lots of primers out on the net on different subjects. And just a couple of hours of reading will help a lot understanding what you may really want. Or as the old saying goes - if you don't know where you're going, then you shouldn't wonder in case you arrive somewhere else.
- as some others have posted on this subject before. Unless you're the 16 limbed hacker with 4 * 27" monitors and two stand by genies in the bottle, a lot of emphasis should go on how YOU can work with the GUI. How easy it is for you to find a function and customize it. Everybody has their preferences and experiences.
- I think it is also important to understand that most of us are drawn to the synths wanting to make music, not to throw LFO's at filters and know the finer differences between a VCO and DCO. And never forget, although a lot of the great synth music may be rather simple musically, you still gotta play (or program ) it.

- I think it is really wonderful that most SW is available in a DEMO version. And I think that a great way to find what works for you. Works for you in regards of how easy does the tool make it for you to make the music.

And of course the list provided here is a wonderful source to find what's out there. Thanks for putting this up.


It is very tempting to get too much technology at hand and get frustrated. Every piece of equipment you add is like an additional instrument, and you need to learn to play it.


cheers

[manducator]

I would focus on freeware since it's a new hobby. Maybe your friend discovers he doesn't like it after a few months.

I'm doing a basic audiocourse over 3 years (evening school) and we remain with 9 people out of 21 in the last year. Some people think it's just having fun with a few buttons... And those people run away as soon as you start talking about the basics of synthesis or mic placement.

Music is fun but you have to be dedicated and some just don't understand that when they start.

[V0RT3X]

I would focus on freeware since it's a new hobby. Maybe your friend discovers he doesn't like it after a few months.

I'm doing a basic audiocourse over 3 years (evening school) and we remain with 9 people out of 21 in the last year. Some people think it's just having fun with a few buttons... And those people run away as soon as you start talking about the basics of synthesis or mic placement.

Music is fun but you have to be dedicated and some just don't understand that when they start.

Good point, I should hook him up with a copy of CM Magazine because they have a pretty good freeware selection. I think computer music has kind of turned into an addiction for me now, I just want to learn more and more.

[novelistus]

I would focus on freeware since it's a new hobby. Maybe your friend discovers he doesn't like it after a few months.

I'm doing a basic audiocourse over 3 years (evening school) and we remain with 9 people out of 21 in the last year. Some people think it's just having fun with a few buttons... And those people run away as soon as you start talking about the basics of synthesis or mic placement.

Music is fun but you have to be dedicated and some just don't understand that when they start.

cmon, admit, its like cooking class. Throw in some cables, put the mics and speakers at kissing distance(sometimes also called feedback), add some decent Midi wars on at least 16 channels, make sure the audio samples you use are of a good variance of sample rates 44, 48, 96. And then of course there is latency, you haven't mastered anything unless things happen at the same time, or are synchronized.

I agree, synths are not to be discovered in half an hour playing. But once you are under the skin and the basics make sense, the rewards are plentiful.
It took me more than half a year getting all my Midi stuff harmonize with each other, but then of course I have to admit that I do feel elated when I can change a Karma combi on my M3 via Midi from my Godin midi guitar and right after changing that I play Synthmaster from the guitar.