In 2020 Free Plug-Ins Surpass Paid Ones?

[ATS]

People spent way too much on plugins when it’s totally unnecessary. Your daw probably has everything you need to make killer records. Add some free stuff and you are set for life. Most of us should spend our money on front-end gear instead and spend more time learning composition and production. We didn’t get into music because we want to collect expensive bits of code, but because we have something to express/communicate. Consumerism has made us into slaves and as a consequence the world has been deprived of the music that we haven’t made because we were collecting stuff we don’t need. Damn shame. And yes, I know this is KVR and I included myself in this too.

new tools always give me inspiration and get me to actually make music.

[plexuss]

Here's how I look at it: high end analogue gear is expensive because there is consdierable effort put into manipulating the audio in ways that are "musical", where-in the gear not only is a tool to achieve certain technical goals with the audio, but also to impart a nice sounding character to it. I think as a producer once you get over the learning curve of affecting the technical aspects and being able to quickly work with tools to achieve your goals, you start to want more. And this is where high end gear comes into play.

Like hardware, software development effort is incentivized by the ability to make money off it. Sure there are some devs that put the same effort into their free product as might be in a paid product, but not many.

Most free plugins do a great technical job on the audio, which is easier to code, and a passable analogue job on the audio. For example Logic Pro built-in plugisn. They are great especially for the money, but they will only take you so far. So to really code in a way that sounds amazing usually takes a lot of effort and to go to that degree of effort is helped by being able to sell the end product. This is why so many great plugins that blow free ones out of the water, cost money. It takes time to get it right. Just like the difference between a $5000 compressor and a $150 compressor.

So, no for me I couldn't do the same quality of work with free plugins. I've tried. Doesn't work for me. I am happy to pay for these tools and oohhh have I paid a lot. But for me it's worth it. I can supply examples if you want.

[Tj Shredder]

I'd love to hear a mix/master from someone who only uses free plugins on their work, including DAW built-in plugins. Let's hear it!

Listen to the OSC champions...
Free tools are so much more than the Producers of 20 years ago had at hand. Its more about inspiration and skills than about anything else... I wonder always how these huge collections of vintage emulations can be sold at all. I have zero interest in them... The great producers had maybe one or two in their studio and obviously that was sufficient...
If a tool inspires, its worth to pay for. As easy as that. It is faster to pay than search for something else...

[plexuss]

I'd love to hear a mix/master from someone who only uses free plugins on their work, including DAW built-in plugins. Let's hear it!

Listen to the OSC champions...
Free tools are so much more than the Producers of 20 years ago had at hand.

This is simply not true. Twenty years ago was 2000. Even going back to the 60's the analogue gear at hand was far better than a lot of commercial software we use now (except for perhaps the recorders used then). Hence why so much effort is put into trying to create software versions of said vintage hardware, and then successfully sell them for $100's. So far the free vs paid argument is failing, as it should.

[Magnut]

Used to produce with many free plugins. Until I needed support, may it be because of new OS or bugs in the plugins. That was the point I better started investing in some companies I soundwise do not expect much from free plugins (unless they are coming from companies with a fair share of paid plugins too). I see them more as tests for some to see if they are interested in DSP, bought DSP for dummies books or like to start gaining attention for their company. Don't get me wrong there's great free stuff and some really surprised me, but imo the mindset of devs spending much time in creating paid plugins is just different. And this is results in the quality and workflow of the plugins.

[SneakyBeats]

One thing that comes with payware is a GUI that looks shiny. And as everyone knows, a plugin that looks good also sounds better.

[Tj Shredder]

I'd love to hear a mix/master from someone who only uses free plugins on their work, including DAW built-in plugins. Let's hear it!

Listen to the OSC champions...
Free tools are so much more than the Producers of 20 years ago had at hand.

This is simply not true. Twenty years ago was 2000. Even going back to the 60's the analogue gear at hand was far better than a lot of commercial software we use now (except for perhaps the recorders used then). Hence why so much effort is put into trying to create software versions of said vintage hardware, and then successfully sell them for $100's. So far the free vs paid argument is failing, as it should.

Back then everybody hated the artifacts and noise the gear produced. We got used to it and finally loved it as we thought it has to be like that. In the end any producer would use their ears and tweak the available knobs until it sounded good. The sheer amount of tools we have access to today is overwhelming.
If digital reverb like one of the Valhallas had been there in 1960, the gold plate had never been appeared...

[Ploki]

People spent way too much on plugins when it’s totally unnecessary. Your daw probably has everything you need to make killer records. Add some free stuff and you are set for life. Most of us should spend our money on front-end gear instead and spend more time learning composition and production. We didn’t get into music because we want to collect expensive bits of code, but because we have something to express/communicate. Consumerism has made us into slaves and as a consequence the world has been deprived of the music that we haven’t made because we were collecting stuff we don’t need. Damn shame. And yes, I know this is KVR and I included myself in this too.

this doesnt belong into this post at all

[pekbro]

Another thing to consider is the actual knowledge of the developer, while much free stuff
is technically well done by folks who study DSP, just as many are completely conjured up
by the author and feature amazing new DSP tech that they invented which outshines
every previously know technique according to them. Although, I admit there are more paid
devs who like to claim this than freeware devs.

Anyway, it's relatively easy to make something sound or behave in a particular way or
to simply copy existing code from the internet and piece-mail it together without
really understanding what you are doing.

[Guillaume Piolat]

Like hardware, software development effort is incentivized by the ability to make money off it. Sure there are some devs that put the same effort into their free product as might be in a paid product, but not many.

Yes, but you can make money out of free plug-ins.

Many companies features one or several free plug-ins, solely as a way to entice users to buy their paid offering. On that ground, there is no reason they would make the free plugins sound lesser than their paid counterparts ; I'd say quite the contrary.

[ATS]

Like hardware, software development effort is incentivized by the ability to make money off it. Sure there are some devs that put the same effort into their free product as might be in a paid product, but not many.

Yes, but you can make money out of free plug-ins.

Many companies features one or several free plug-ins, solely as a way to entice users to buy their paid offering. On that ground, there is no reason they would make the free plugins sound lesser than their paid counterparts ; I'd say quite the contrary.

So they make the free ones sound better than the paid ones? Sounds like a great business model.

[planetearth]

Like hardware, software development effort is incentivized by the ability to make money off it. Sure there are some devs that put the same effort into their free product as might be in a paid product, but not many.

Yes, but you can make money out of free plug-ins.

Many companies features one or several free plug-ins, solely as a way to entice users to buy their paid offering. On that ground, there is no reason they would make the free plugins sound lesser than their paid counterparts ; I'd say quite the contrary.

You make a good point, but before you sign off on "there is no reason they would make the free plugins sound lesser than their paid counterparts", you might want to check out pretty much any/all of the "cut-down" versions of commercial plug-ins offered in Computer Music magazine ("CM"). Most of the synths and effects they offer either don't have the same number of oscillators, waveforms, modulation options, effects (or all four), to the point where they really don't sound quite as good as their full-version counterparts, and you can't even exchange presets. Just look at Dune CM or Curve CM compared to the original, full versions, for example. The CM versions just don't sound as good, and when you look at the price of the full version (and what else it offers), you have to basically wonder if the extra oscillator/waveform/modulation/effects would make enough of a difference in the sound to justify the $149 (or whatever they're charging), and you have to imagine how those extra features might affect the sound.

I'm not suggesting the CM versions sound bad, but they certainly don't sound as rich and full as the paid versions, and I have yet to hear one that could show me how the full version might sound. (By contrast, the Beat magazine versions of plug-ins are almost always the same thing as the full version, and if there is any difference, it's usually minimal. The Dune Beat and Dune CM synths sound very different for example, with the Dune Beat synth sounding much more like the full version of Dune.)

Steve

[El°HYM]

To be fair here; Monsieur Piolat could also just be referring to his own plugins, which are full - functional and only slightly cut - down Versions of the payed Ones, which are also reasonable priced. Yet, this is also not the common - case in the vast universe of Plugs, as been stated Above.

[kvotchin]

Re: planetearth’s comment, indeed. And along with CM versions, there are many other cases of cut down alternatives (e.g., Zebralette). As well as outdated / 32-bit legacy versions in some instances (e.g., TAL-U-No-62).

In the first place, there is nothing wrong with the idea of people making money from creating and offering up software. It can take quite some doing, for a start.

Right. Just so that’s clear.

And secondly, if you insist on only spending your money every other way, I mean ... fair enough? Go make music with all that freeware, have fun, er ... yeah, that’s it. What is there to prove, really?

[GRUMP]

Here's how I look at it: high end analogue gear is expensive because there is consdierable effort put into manipulating the audio in ways that are "musical", where-in the gear not only is a tool to achieve certain technical goals with the audio, but also to impart a nice sounding character to it. I think as a producer once you get over the learning curve of affecting the technical aspects and being able to quickly work with tools to achieve your goals, you start to want more. And this is where high end gear comes into play.

Like hardware, software development effort is incentivized by the ability to make money off it. Sure there are some devs that put the same effort into their free product as might be in a paid product, but not many.

Most free plugins do a great technical job on the audio, which is easier to code, and a passable analogue job on the audio. For example Logic Pro built-in plugisn. They are great especially for the money, but they will only take you so far. So to really code in a way that sounds amazing usually takes a lot of effort and to go to that degree of effort is helped by being able to sell the end product. This is why so many great plugins that blow free ones out of the water, cost money. It takes time to get it right. Just like the difference between a $5000 compressor and a $150 compressor.

So, no for me I couldn't do the same quality of work with free plugins. I've tried. Doesn't work for me. I am happy to pay for these tools and oohhh have I paid a lot. But for me it's worth it. I can supply examples if you want.

+1

Additional: some Plugs are really special like DSM V3 or just have a great Workflow. Brainforce. Others are based in costly Research and Development (Acustica) and there is one Point free VSTs will never make - Future Security. Further Development. I'd never invest my Time in free Plugs again because of the missing Perspective.