MUX and the need/needlessness of VST FX...

[Trancit]

Shortly, I was really testing a lot...

MUX internals against VST effects plugins (expensive ones, midclass, free ones) and in most cases ( to my real and honest surprise) I found, that most of them are soundwise and from points of usability inside of MUX absoultely redundant...

I first wanted to write, what I deleted from my VST list in MuLab, but it´s much easier to write, what I kept:

- a reverb... I talked a few times with Jo about this topic and MuVerb and I are not best friends
- a time mangle FX for stutter effects and loop mangling... doesn´t exist in MUX in this way...
- an EQ with graphical GUI (to my shame I have to admit, I don´t even know a name for this type of EQ (i.e. like Fabfilter EQ) because graphic EQ is something different and parametric EQ is too general )
- a spectrum analyzer... doesn´t exist in MUX neither
- some tools like a VST Notepad...
- a more advanced Master Limiter (even if 90 percent could be done with MUX internals as well)

But that´s all...
I have to say, that I am no big fan of compressors respectfully don´t have much need of them in my music... nothing what a simple one like MUX Level compressor couldn´t do as well...
But epecially when it come to filters, modulation effects like chorus etc or distortions, I often like better what I hear from MUX...

I kept as well some Synths, but only in regards of their presets not because they sound better... often the opposite is true...

What do you think???
Is there many you couldn´t give up???

[urvieh]

thank you trancit.
i totally agree. the quality of the modules is realy good.
i have also dropped the eqs because i dont need a visual feedback of the eq-curve. i trust my ears
there are some nice eq-analyzer-mux-patches here in the forum. also a timebased effect patch.
mastering could be done in mulab as you meantioned above. i dont use other effect than mulab/mux, except of an master limiter.

can you please describe whats wrong with muverb?

[pljones]

I guess reverb must be very personal -- there are so many out there. I actually dumped all my others when the very first MuVerb came out (before MuX!). I have simple tastes in reverb, though - it's a hard effect when I use it.

I'm a fan of mda Limiter and Dynamics VSTs - I guess because I used them for so long before trying the MuX equivalents. Using the MuX version actually made me go and re-think how I use the effects but I still prefer the mda tools. I do plan to switch, though - it's not down to anything "special" about them... just "not got around to it" .

My sampling needs far exceed the current abilities built into MuX, though. I need all the complexity that SFZ format and Kontakt Scripting offer. But in both cases, I use MuX to enhance and simplify things, "wrapping" Sforzando and Kontakt.

[sl23]

Great topic! Despite my grievances aired on this forum, I do think Mulab is fantastic and Jo deserves masses of credit.

Anyway back on topic, I've been trying to rid myself of as many VST's as possible too. Sometime ago I had over 350! Ridiculous amount. So I cut down the synths to my absolute faves, and now I'm cutting my FX.

I've basically got around 40 or 50 different FX still to test out see what's really needed. But most things can be done in mux.

One of my many bug-bears is that there aren't enough presets. Imagine presets like dune, zebra, diva, or even sylenth! It's not something that is realistic given the situation, but imagine a collection of presets mimicking these synths and more to create a massive library. I'd be able to rid myself of many more synths

Ideally, mulab should have several thousand presets as standard. A decent drum synth with tons of presets would also be great addition. But it relies too much on user creation and inventiveness. Perhaps what's needed is a monster factory device as standard to create stuff like the big synths out there for the talented to create presets for.

As incentive for creating all these presets, Jo could offer a free license or upgrade for creating say, 1000 presets? Maybe that's a bit much? But just an idea.

I think most VST's though aren't required with mulab, just goes to show how good mulab really is!

[Trancit]

Good to see/hear/read/whatever that I am not alone with my test results...

can you please describe whats wrong with muverb?

There is nothing wrong with MuVerb...
It´s just a personal taste... for me personaly it´s sounding unpleasant at certain frequencies... and I don´t like how it is decaying...
I am a big fan of Lexicon style reverbs, big spaces with a lush sound and a smooth tail...
But again, it´s a personal reference and not a general problem in MuVerb...

[Trancit]

...One of my many bug-bears is that there aren't enough presets. Imagine presets like dune, zebra, diva, or even sylenth! It's not something that is realistic given the situation, but imagine a collection of presets mimicking there synths and more to create a massive library. If be able to she myself of many more synths
...

This was my behaviour before as well... I was a preset whore but now I am sublimated (is that the correct word???)
A problem with using presets (many of them) ... it takes long time to know them and it take ages to go through them to search the right one for this task...third you always risk to sound like somebody else... but that´s the smallest problem...

Now I try a different way:
I try to learn from existing presets (that´s what I keep the VST Synths for) to be able to create something I like in MUX...
Not only something that I like, something what I exactly need in this given situation... nevertheless can existing presets be a good starting point... not necessary to invent the wheel every single time again...

With some training, I guess/hope/believe, it´s possible to improve not only the sound creation understanding but saving much of the time I needed before to go through hundreds of presets to search this perfect one...
Not to speak from less hating the sequence I used for stepping through this amount of presets