Do working producers actually use loads of plug ins ? or do they keep it minimal ?

[dartfordyes]

a question to any professional producers here

“do you have many instruments and fx plugins or just learn what you need and get on with it ? i’m not pro but i find too many options hinders me.

[vurt]

a question to any professional producers here

“do you have many instruments and fx plugins or just learn what you need and get on with it ? i’m not pro but i find too many options hinders me.

many have their first waves plug ins and use nothing else, for mixing.
others have every new thing that comes along.

theyre just humans, there will be many different solutions to getting things done!
if you find too many options problematic, then reduce what you use.
maybe try only using the actual host plug ins for one month, see if that helps you feel less hindrance

[KBSoundSmith]

Learn what you need and get on with it. Most of the stuff that comes with your DAW is good enough to start. If you want 3rd party stuff, Tokyo Dawn EQ/Compressors (on sale for very cheap frequently enough) will do everything you need. If you have a DAW that doesn't have instruments (like Reaper) or has instruments that don't suit you for whatever Reason ( ), then get a decent collection like Komplete on sale -- it will seriously cover just about any conceivable thing you'll ever need, short of specialized Orchestral libraries (and if you need those, you'll know). But start with free synths like Surge XT and see if that does everything you want first, they very well might.

Start with what you have, learn more about how you like to work and where you find yourself to be limited, and address those limitations bit by bit over time. Keep your overhead low. And exhaust all free options before spending any money -- a lot of free stuff is seriously good these days. Pick a small amount of stuff to try, and give them a serious effort before trying something else.

[Daimonicon]

Pro’s find the plugins they like and stick with them. They don’t use many either. Many use only or near only the stock plugins in Pro Tools. Actually you could use only the stock plugins in your daw and nothing more.They might not look sexy like third party plugins but they do the same good job. Anyone else claim something else don’t know what they are talking about. Dev’s claim but they want to sell so beware of their bs. It’s not the tools that matter. It’s the user that matter. And less instruments is good. Limitation makes you think and get the best out of what you have.

[dartfordyes]

Pro’s find the plugins they like and stick with them. They don’t use many either. Many use only or near only the stock plugins in Pro Tools. Actually you could use only the stock plugins in your daw and nothing more.They might not look sexy like third party plugins but they do the same good job. Anyone else claim something else don’t know what they are talking about. Dev’s claim but they want to sell so beware of their bs. It’s not the tools that matter. It’s the user that matter. And less instruments is good. Limitation makes you think and get the best out of what you have.

after dabbling i like the look of Luna tbh( after trying it for. a week ) it doesn’t really come with fx though and the only free collections i can think of are kilohearts and melda , i did snag the curve eq snap heap , and the dynamic eq from melda when they were free though , and i have some waves freebies but luna comes with a superb instrument in shape ( some quality sounds in there ) i also have the uad polymax synth but you cant use it offline is the only issue so may try some other synths out , just want to see if the main producers actually spend time getting to know plugins rather than always going for the next best tool , very interesting , more answers please and thank you so far .

[vitocorleone123]

If it’s a hobby, then do whatever brings joy.

If it’s a job, then allocate some hours per week to exploring the new. Maybe 1hr reading / watching YT focusing on a specific area (eg compression or reverb, etc. with maybe an emphasis on workflow improvements) and then get a plugin or two and spend 3 hours doing a demo. And then that’s it until the next week.

Nothing wrong with staying current and trying to optimize your workflow and sound. Over time.

[mixyguy2]

Pro’s find the plugins they like and stick with them. They don’t use many either. Many use only or near only the stock plugins in Pro Tools. Actually you could use only the stock plugins in your daw and nothing more.They might not look sexy like third party plugins but they do the same good job.

Sometimes...not always.

It’s not the tools that matter. It’s the user that matter.

It's both. Tools do indeed matter.

[t.o.t.s.]

My 9-5 is audio production for about 20 yrs now. I have my “go to” stuff for regular tasks but often during “off” hours I’m playing with new plugins quite a lot. It’s good to know what’s out there. If something grabs my attention I’ll work it into things to see if it sticks or not. If not I’ll move on. Personally I like to compare different developer’s methodology in design so sometimes I’ll play with stuff just out of casual interest with no real intent in using it.

[_leras]

Loads. There are utility types tools, then there are plugins that give you the sound or flavour you are after. Both are needed.

[WackyZoundz]

I use a lot of plugins nowadays. There is no compressor, no EQ, no distortion that gives me all the features I need to achieve a certain sound.

[cmarais]

It really depends on the session

It's a push-pull thing

I think there's a discipline in restraint, even if you end up finding yourself piling on the plugins - it's always good to ask yourself, "if I took this away, will it sound better?"

A process of addition and subtraction - it's all an editing process ultimately