Let's flex our plugins.(The less is better or the opposite)?

[makunkabana]

You know i used to download anything that was on my way,i was a plugin addict,i had to many plugins that i completely lost it.Then after some point when i bought a new laptop and i thought ''you know what''?Let's forget each of them and keep only the best ones so you can work simplier and also your pc will be grateful.And i did it.Right now i produce music professionally and i can tell you for sure that the less you have the better.

So right now my plugins are only the following:

1)Arturia's V Collection 7
2)Arturia's Pigments 3
3)Xo by Xnl Audio
4)Roland Zenology Lite (Free)
5)Soundtoys Panman,Filterfreak and Echoboy
6)Kontakt Free Player
7)Ethno World Instruments

And that's it.
I can tell you for sure that when you have fewer but you really know how to use them and what each of these plug ins can do,your productivity and your skills will go from 1 to 1000.
When you have to many plugins you feel completely lost and you keep scrolling,searching,downloading and that doesn't help at all.It kills your productivity.Start think ''what do i need for a track''?
In my case was ''Ok,i need some keyboards because i am a keybordist (v collection),i need a really cool synth with endless sounds and possibilities and also for bass (pigments).I need a really cool,fast,pro drum machine (xo) for my beats,i need something with many interesting sounds and instruments (zenology),i need some cool effects to experiment on the instruments i use (sounttoys) and last,i need a library with many ethnic instruments and percs so you can add an extra exotic flavour to your sound(ethno world) and that was it.I don't need nothing more,i can make anything i want with just seven plugins.

So anyone,what do you prefer?Minimalism or having as many as possible?
Let's discuss about that.

Ps:I don't have any mixing plugins because i work with a mixing engineer that he does all of my mixes.

[chk071]

I'm also a less is more guy. Still feel like I have a lot of stuff installed... I can totally relate to the "minimize your library" thing though. It's a good idea, and, it will make you appreciate and work with your plugins more intensively.

I can also only recommend to get rid of too many DAW's. Every time I load up one of my "alternative" DAW's, I feel like it's a waste of time. I mostly keep those installed to test some stuff now.

[nirm123]

So right now my plugins are only the following:

1)Arturia's V Collection 7
2)Arturia's Pigments 3
3)Xo by Xnl Audio
4)Roland Zenology Lite (Free)
5)Soundtoys Panman,Filterfreak and Echoboy
6)Kontakt Free Player
7)Ethno World Instruments

And that's it.

So anyone,what do you prefer?Minimalism or having as many as possible?

I wouldn't say that having 25 synths/instruments vsts just by Arturia can count as minimalism (Arturia's V Collection 7 contains 24 different synths & instruments, this is a huge number of vsts).

[jancivil]

Well, I have a not-terribly-low number of plugins in the fully inclusive sense, but I actually ignore most of it. I have whole sets of very reputable freebies, like Blue Cat, not a lot of dross but I stick to very few things (I think unless I've paid money it isn't a thing). in terms of instruments I could strip down to 10 and be done (some of these are quite vast tho). FX, I could get by with even fewer.

[OzoneJunkie]

I've personally yo-yoed between trying to keep a minimal set for myself and having everything that I own installed. At the end of it all, I find what's distracting is the actual curation process itself. Right now I have everything installed, and I feel less encumbered than when I was constantly trying to remove things to get to my minimal set.

I still think I could probably do most of the things I want to do with a single wavetable synth like Serum or Vital, and a couple of good effects plugins, followed by mixing/mastering stuff (FabFilter, in my case). Well, plus a guitar and a mic.

I've mentioned this idea before: I think there's a bunch of traps that musicians can fall into that detracts from music (and the process of making music). I've personally seen myself go through such things as focusing excessively on guitar technique, on sound design, on plugin collection curation, expanding the craft of mixing/mastering beyond what's necessary, and so on. All of these things can result in "making music for musicians (including oneself)".

And I have to remind myself that the music is inside. I can close my eyes in a quiet room, and hear numerous original songs. The craft comes in play to bring these songs into physical manifestation. But in those moments, guitar technique, plugins, craft, are all absent.

[whyterabbyt]

Subject is pointless, completely subjective and personal, and has been done to death.

[whyterabbyt]

25 synths/instruments ... this is a huge number of vsts).

lol, noob




for the hard of thinking, this is a joke.

[nirm123]

non sure what wasn't clear, but I see there is a need to explain again so it's a huge number of vsts for someone who aspires for minimalism.

[vurt]

Subject is pointless, completely subjective and personal, and has been done to death.

twelvty.

[vurt]

non sure what wasn't clear, but I see there is a need to explain again so it's a huge number of vsts for someone who aspires for minimalism.

i think the bit that wasn't clear, was the small print, explaining it was a joke

[nirm123]

non sure what wasn't clear, but I see there is a need to explain again so it's a huge number of vsts for someone who aspires for minimalism.

i think the bit that wasn't clear, was the small print, explaining it was a joke

no vurt, this stuff only happens to you, other people jokes are usually easily understood. adding a smiley face here just to make sure my message comes across clearly for you and that I'm joking

[nirm123]

Subject is pointless, completely subjective and personal, and has been done to death.

so for the hard of thinking, I could never understood why would people join thread they don't have any interest in, just in order to confess this in front of everyone, this is REALLY pointless. don't like the thread ? don't waste your time and move on to other thread, let other people enjoy the thread. and now, please back to topic and I'll show a good example:

yes, minimalism sounds great in theory but when GAS is kicking in, it's hard to control it for many of us.
and 2nd, just the fact that you can summarize 24 plugins into 1 line container (like "Arturia V collection 7") doesn't mean it's 1 plugin, it's not, it's still 24. if you want to be minimalist, you still have a lot to reduce

[whyterabbyt]

so for the hard of thinking, I could never understood why would people join thread they don't have any interest in, just in order to confess this in front of everyone, this is REALLY pointless. don't like the thread ? don't waste your time and move on to other thread, let other people enjoy the thread.

So, are you trying to tell me that you're in charge of deciding whether people are allowed to express their opinion as to whether a thread is redundant or not?

How very self-important of you.

[vurt]

absynth.
reaktor.
kontakt.
battery 4.

some audiothings fx.

[vurt]

oh and guitar rig 5.