What for every project?

[DCrown]

Yesterday I got aware of the fact that I use two plugins on every project for all kinds of purposes.
I have twice the 3 compressor emu ( so it's 3 plugins I always use) and Split Eq is always on some tracks, well and not a specific plugin, but there is always some Soundtoys or Waves plugin, have and use them for many years.
I am not talking about stock plugins, 3rd party.


What is your plugin(s)

[AGIGA]

What's the "3 compressor emu"?

[ksandvik]

Neutron 5 for kick and bass (eq based sidechain ducking) and clipping for both, and some eq. Might change next year, but it's handy just now.

[billinder33]

Production:
Samples - Splice
Synths - Serum 2, Nexus 5
Kick - Kick2
Snare - DC Snares
Sub - Beatsurfing LOW or SublabXL

Mixing:
Comp - TB Pro Audio Impress 3
EQ - FF Pro-Q4
Clipper - TB Pro Audio TBPA Clip
Ducking - Trackspacer and/or khz Compactor
Panning/width/verbs on hats & other- Shaperbox
FX - my projects are littered with Minimal Audio's FX. Also the Melda verbs and delays and ADPTR Utopia.
Buss glue - Vertigo SS2

Mastering:
EQ - Slick EQ
Extreme high and low filtering - TDR Special Filter bundle
Stereo compression - AMEK Mastering Compressor
Mid-side compression - Unisum
Clipping - Krafter
Metering - TB Pro Audio TBPA dpMeter

Tons of other stuff in the arsenal, but these are about 75% of my standard project workflow.

[DCrown]

What's the "3 compressor emu"?

oh sorry, LA3a, apogee and Waves, don't like Tim Petherick's version
great on vocals, guitar, electric bass, e-piano and even on drums sometimes

[AGIGA]

What's the "3 compressor emu"?

oh sorry, LA3a, apogee and Waves, don't like Tim Petherick's version
great on vocals, guitar, electric bass, e-piano and even on drums sometimes

Ah, I see. I often use Fuse Audio Labs VCL-4 (Urei LA4) for these instruments. Great plugin.

[DCrown]

What's the "3 compressor emu"?

oh sorry, LA3a, apogee and Waves, don't like Tim Petherick's version
great on vocals, guitar, electric bass, e-piano and even on drums sometimes

Ah, I see. I often use Fuse Audio Labs VCL-4 (Urei LA4) for these instruments. Great plugin.

I hate you haha I have never heard of this plugin and now I will have to demo and probably buy it.
I love opto compressors. I hope they also have sales.

[Vortifex]

Voxengo SPAN
Fircomp 2
Barricade 4
Klanghelm SDRR (usually Desk mode)

I use all these on everything.

[Hooskter]

Shaperbox for sidechain

[sin night]

Softube Bus Processor and Sonnox Limiter are often on my two bus (or later in Wavelab, especially the limiter) when I want to add loudness and a bit of pumping.
And Decapitator on drums.

Not on every session, but they are some of my most recurring plugins.
People may argue they are not the latest toy, but that’s ok…

[AGIGA]

What's the "3 compressor emu"?

oh sorry, LA3a, apogee and Waves, don't like Tim Petherick's version
great on vocals, guitar, electric bass, e-piano and even on drums sometimes

Ah, I see. I often use Fuse Audio Labs VCL-4 (Urei LA4) for these instruments. Great plugin.

I hate you haha I have never heard of this plugin and now I will have to demo and probably buy it.
I love opto compressors. I hope they also have sales.

Yes, they have sales. I got it for around 16€ from Plugin Boutique (with some "Virtual Cash"). The plugin is from Reimund Dratwa of NEOLD and Brainworx fame.

[DCrown]

What's the "3 compressor emu"?

oh sorry, LA3a, apogee and Waves, don't like Tim Petherick's version
great on vocals, guitar, electric bass, e-piano and even on drums sometimes

Ah, I see. I often use Fuse Audio Labs VCL-4 (Urei LA4) for these instruments. Great plugin.

I hate you haha I have never heard of this plugin and now I will have to demo and probably buy it.
I love opto compressors. I hope they also have sales.

Yes, they have sales. I got it for around 16€ from Plugin Boutique (with some "Virtual Cash"). The plugin is from Reimund Dratwa of NEOLD and Brainworx fame.

Oh I see, I use one Neold and one bx plugin sometimes..I read some reviews of VCL-4 plugin and it is said to be great for bass, I pay attention to a good bass sound more than to any other instrument, I mean for instance vocals are simple for me, I prefer them dry just some lc and maybe a small dip at 200 hz, but bass is a different challenge, so it seems to be a must have for me

[HOTF]

Nothing third party makes it on every project - No gods, no masters.

[AGIGA]

On bass often the ACME Opticom XLA-3 emulation works really well. It's much grittier than most of the other optos. Reimund Dratwa did this one too. He knows a thing or two about opto compressors. The bx_opto, Neold U2A, Black Rooster Audio VLA-3A and VLA-2A were programmed/emulated by him.

Not an opto but one of my favourites right now:

From the hompage:
NEOLD
U17
Analog Heritage
In 1954, a truly unique compressor appeared on the scene: the U17. Built by Allgemeine Telefon-Fabrik in Hamburg for the NWDR broadcasting network, only a few dozen units of this exemplary analog masterpiece were manufactured, making this gem one of the rarest compressors ever built.
Crossing Bridges
The U17 combines a solid state diode bridge using Germanium crystal semiconductors with all-tube and massive transformer-coupled amplification – a most sophisticated hybrid design. The best of both worlds!
The original hardware was intended to provide gentle and unobtrusive compression, and the plugin offers just that in the most beautiful way… but it also adds a couple of serious setscrews, mutating the gentleman into a veritable two-face.
Dignified Power
A preceding soft clipper adds pleasant coloration while taming heavy transients before entering the actual compressor, which can blend from gentle and transparent to straight and aggressive operation with its powerful Torque control. In fact, the U17 combines everything we love about the golden era of analog design with a very modern and experienced approach to dynamics processing.

[jamcat]

UAD Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ
UAD Studer A800 Multichannel Tape
UAD SSL 4000 E Channel

UAD SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor
UAD SSL Ampex ATR-102 Master Tape
IK Multimedia Stealth Limiter