You need to ask yourself in your best Marie Kondo voice "Does this plugin spark joy?" and then, when you don't like the answer, as Smeagol "After all, why not? Why shouldn't I keep it?"
Here is an organization trick I am using for excess laundry and may apply to plugins at some point: give yourself multiple tiers, each with a limited number of slots. When you go over the limit hold a tournament to see which one gets demoted. You don't have to go straight from "actively using/learning" to "uninstalled", you can rank by tier and then hold the tournament to promote or demote a tier, with as many tiers as you like and whatever comparison methods you want. Even if you aren't consistent, you still end up with a mostly-sorted list and discover something about your preferences.
I find it really useful to use the collections as categories of plugins then pick 5 or so favourites for each Synths-Eq-Dynamics-Saturation-Space-Weird-Boss (my setup) Great for marrying the two ideas
In computer science we have an acronym - JIT - Just in time. I would apply it to this. You have a new clean machine. You also know that the plugins are available should you need them. Plugins tend to install very quickly. I would start with only installing my for certain go to plugins. I would then apply JIT and install anything else when I actually needed it.
Having hundreds of plugins is didital hauding and I don't like having to many choices it just over complicates things also newer plugins sound and affects can be achieved from older or more basic plugins. There is only so many knobs and sliders that change a sine wave or sample.
I was going to say just that. No need to even cure your collection now. If you need it install it if and when. Take stock one year later and be surprised how much stuff you've not used
Dude I’ve been watching you on and of for maybe 8 or so years. Your articulation and presentation of topics are unique and mature. Really appreciate you dude ! In terms of this video I agree with you so much ! Although it can be so easy to get “bored” and look for something new and go plug-in shopping to try and find that new initial inspiration. I write most of my stuff nowadays using operator/analogue & abletons stock drums on a really crappy pc just because I know it can’t run cpu heavy plugins. Really pushing your track in a simple form with simple sounds is great when it comes to the thought process you explained. Once I’ve wrote a basic skeleton on a crap pc I’ll throw it into the workhorse Mac and preset hop through sounds to bring it to life and use the plugins I don’t know to well as mostly sound design tools for flavour and use the ones I’m advanced with as a mixing shaper. Plus it’s good to have a bunch of Kontakt or emulations of old synths to just have a preset hoppers that you don’t really have to manipulate ever so much. When a new plug-in comes out and says next greatest new thing I tend to thing of the Gillette syndrome “best a man can get” as total bs unless it’s doing something insane. There’s honestly only been a handful which are very inspiring and new that I can say have benefited. The rest feel like a copy of a copy. And I feel like once you understand how to use one category of a plug-in the rest that live in the same world tend to be very intuitive and easy to understand .
Just install versatile plugins which can do more than 1 job like iZotope Ozone, which came with an audio manipulating package like Compressor, Maximizer, Equalizer, Re-Balancing, etc. Don't forget to use it a lot in your mix so you'll get a better understanding of how the related plugins work. Thanks for the great solution! It will surely help me in the future!
One of the biggest features that sold me on Reaper was being able to organize folders that act like keywords. So I can have a given plugin appear in my "compressors" folder, but ALSO in my "vocals" and "saturation" folders for example. And this can all be backed up!
Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was an app that managed the installation and organization of all plugins?? Swapping computers is a nightmare for this reason.
This is how we're all feeling right, over the whelmed, just checked my list...was at 528 plugs...only use 2 recently...sonically brain fried man.....love this, keep it rolling M, you're on the right track I'm thinking.
That was said so well. I have been going nuts to get rid or not to get rid. What ones to study or to simply go through presets. I think this just help me get a idea of what plan to go about the plug-ins I have and the approach to either learning or shuffle presets then maybe learning
I installed all mine in foldered categories, comp/limiter verb delay saturation eq transient etc etc, then it's fun picking a different candy to eat along the way... And in general I'll use the colour tabs for the go to regular simple choices or favs for a desired outcome
I payed for neural dsp's and STL tone packs and then downloaded the pirates versions. Running ilok software to constantly scan your PC for stuff is a no go for me, I still payed the people.
Haha this rings a bell, new machine 2 years ago and was going to be very strict on what I installed. I then bought a waves bundle which felt like about 100 or more different plugins once all the stereo/mono variants appeared. After that it became a free for all where I was back to too many pkugins to use land. I guess on the flip side, if you know the basis of synthesis, EQ and compression then those core plugins do share a unified structure which can be globally applied. So, rather than you having to learn them in a deep manner, they warrant an existence based on character alone. I.e. You don't need to deep dive into a moog to be able to benefit from its sound, just a basic sweep shows its character.
You can build your own custom acoustic panels with rockwool rock sono slabs 50/100mm thick, create some frames, have custom fabric covers printed, wrap them and tack it on.
There are any specific rules, but don't sleep over a category you created. The most tough process is creating categories but important one. It is really a good question when one plugin is learned full on and if there are more technical parameters like for example responsiveness of the plugin, the dynamic sweetspot for example -20dB or - 12dB, surgical depth and so on. Otherwise it would make sense to categorize by mixing & mastering maybe counter examples could be the analog vintage eq of ozone9 which is awesome for all the stuff not just for mastering so it is not even worth making that category of mix & master. If your journey is of learning it is easy to make a category of how that is connected to your brain but then again there is that happy accident moment or serendipity missing when making too many categories. If you are restricted to only one plugin, what could it be, interesting if it will have some use of dynamics. So maybe creating a "restricted" category enjoying both of the two worlds. Counter example would be to categorize plugins by complexity, likeliness, love&hate or usefulness. Maybe another more technical approach for making installations, not categories would be the ACID rules (atomicity: this plugin is undividable in other words not replaceable by other, consistency: destructive /not destructive, maybe easy to automate, isolated: by applying that plugin doesn't interfere with others, in other words it doesn't change gain structure in a serial fx chain durability: well it should not crash or having too much cpu load. Finally you could even make categories which are matching with your state of mind for example happy mood, sad mood however that would be too fuzzy. A nice drastic alternative would be just to delete the plugins which are in the learned category for a pragmatical intent to learn the unlearned, but then there are tons of plugins which are not learned, maybe a few ones where you could grasp the essence of in the learned category. There could be a stretch to it but also a set of fx chains, plugin presets could be cated. However stacking just ozone 9 plugins or stacking oversampling plugins like Kclip as example can kill your CPU so an extensive testing is required. The most important part is if it brings you closer to your goals. xD
I dont know man...kinda like why Ive stuck with W7- everything works. Installing trying to find installers the sn numbers etc. just seems like a nightmare- while user forums are just filled with posts by folks trying to fix something that was broken by some "upgrade"
So many plugs, fun fun fun! I would install and uninstall and reinstall every Friday haha - Seriously, perhaps just a white noise Plug and a few fab Filters - Cool.
Simple, how many of them are being used in your old work. 🤨 ? because I can’t think of anything more frustrating than having to download and reinstall plug-ins when they are requested. I have a few extras in folder which are just bloat now, or more often than that, have been superseded by better ones.
New subscriber here and I was having this exact same plugin talk in comments on Reason 12 vids and about how there are littrelly hundreds of plugins. Its digital hauding in My opinion and so many or the new plugins abilitys or outcome can be achieved with older plug ins or no plug ins at all. I loaded up reason 4 today and made a banger of a drum and bass track.
Except...by installing a lot of plugins, you can remove the impetus to learn a few, or any. Which do you choose to learn, and why? Why choose THAT one to learn, and not another? Upgrading my studio PC this year after 7 years and have inventoried all my plugins...and really wondering how I can cut down how many I have installed. Maybe I should just install them all and not worry about it after all.
I think it's necessary to learn a few KEY plug-ins that will allow for a high transition to another plug-in if need be. For instance, it makes sense to learn sound design on Serum first since it's very intuitive, or EQing on Pro Q3 for the same reason. Whereas if you have 5 different EQs and grab something more complex before knowing how to approach a certain sound, you'll be trying to find your way in the dark I also think foremost factor of your first question is the combination of function, features, usability (UI/UX), stability, and longevity. Pro-Q3 or any of FabFilter's offerings would be a staple in the many people's studios. I think the downside to have tons and tons of plug-ins is the same pitfall of having too many presets: it's overwhelming and unnecessary in the sense that it would be a PITA to reinstall that many, because you decided to use some of them here and there in projects, so you end up having to reinstall every time you set up a new machine
@@ACDevastation I tend to have more instruments than fx. A decent EQ, compressor, delay etc and I can't see the point in having several things that do the same job - ultimately I only need 1 of each. Virtual Instruments on the other hand are something else. Totally my downfall. Just glad I don't buy hardware any more. New music PC on the way - a good time to take stock and trim down a bit.
Certainly 542 is too high. 100 is a sweet spot. I know I am stuck using about 30 plugins + 20 vsts for almost every other project, so you can definitely slim down to the essentials and most adaptable plugins.
##PRO TIP## - Many Many Plugins do not need installation. I install them on a shitty computer and then snag the dll and vst3 files to put on my producing computer, no installation of unnecessary stuff
why did you recommend to your subscribers "unison", a complete and utter scam selling "midi chords", something so obviously and blatantly laughable as someone who has worked on music as someone close to audio and producing, to your audience? was the pay that good? just curious
I did a experiment with reason 4 to see if I could make the sounds from the newer Eruorpa synth and Mimic sampler by using reason 4 synth and sampler. I was able to creat very similure sounds to Europa using a combanatore Thor and melstrums and sample slice was done using NNXT but I had to export the sample clips in and out using Goldwave to pitch the sounds but it worked.
He was a hauder of physical gear and got rid of it all and having all those plugins in digital hauding. Despite all of the hundreds of reason plugins I really only use what come with reason 4. I am getting reason 12 for friction as that's very nice but as for the rest of the newer rack it's not needed.
Thank you Multiplier that's a great idea to organize plugins like that in Ableton, you're awesome
"I fear not the man that has practice 10,000 kicks once but i fear the man that has practiced one kick 10,000 times" - Bruce Lee
You need to ask yourself in your best Marie Kondo voice "Does this plugin spark joy?" and then, when you don't like the answer, as Smeagol "After all, why not? Why shouldn't I keep it?"
Man, I love your videos so much, I could listen to you discussing these ideas for hours. 💚
Here is an organization trick I am using for excess laundry and may apply to plugins at some point: give yourself multiple tiers, each with a limited number of slots. When you go over the limit hold a tournament to see which one gets demoted. You don't have to go straight from "actively using/learning" to "uninstalled", you can rank by tier and then hold the tournament to promote or demote a tier, with as many tiers as you like and whatever comparison methods you want. Even if you aren't consistent, you still end up with a mostly-sorted list and discover something about your preferences.
I find it really useful to use the collections as categories of plugins then pick 5 or so favourites for each
Synths-Eq-Dynamics-Saturation-Space-Weird-Boss (my setup)
Great for marrying the two ideas
In computer science we have an acronym - JIT - Just in time. I would apply it to this. You have a new clean machine. You also know that the plugins are available should you need them. Plugins tend to install very quickly. I would start with only installing my for certain go to plugins. I would then apply JIT and install anything else when I actually needed it.
Having hundreds of plugins is didital hauding and I don't like having to many choices it just over complicates things also newer plugins sound and affects can be achieved from older or more basic plugins. There is only so many knobs and sliders that change a sine wave or sample.
@@HOLLASOUNDS True
@@shinji1264 😀
I was going to say just that. No need to even cure your collection now. If you need it install it if and when. Take stock one year later and be surprised how much stuff you've not used
You used google translate, didn't you. : P
Dude I’ve been watching you on and of for maybe 8 or so years. Your articulation and presentation of topics are unique and mature. Really appreciate you dude !
In terms of this video I agree with you so much ! Although it can be so easy to get “bored” and look for something new and go plug-in shopping to try and find that new initial inspiration.
I write most of my stuff nowadays using operator/analogue & abletons stock drums on a really crappy pc just because I know it can’t run cpu heavy plugins. Really pushing your track in a simple form with simple sounds is great when it comes to the thought process you explained.
Once I’ve wrote a basic skeleton on a crap pc I’ll throw it into the workhorse Mac and preset hop through sounds to bring it to life and use the plugins I don’t know to well as mostly sound design tools for flavour and use the ones I’m advanced with as a mixing shaper.
Plus it’s good to have a bunch of Kontakt or emulations of old synths to just have a preset hoppers that you don’t really have to manipulate ever so much.
When a new plug-in comes out and says next greatest new thing I tend to thing of the Gillette syndrome “best a man can get” as total bs unless it’s doing something insane.
There’s honestly only been a handful which are very inspiring and new that I can say have benefited. The rest feel like a copy of a copy. And I feel like once you understand how to use one category of a plug-in the rest that live in the same world tend to be very intuitive and easy to understand .
Just install versatile plugins which can do more than 1 job like iZotope Ozone, which came with an audio manipulating package like Compressor, Maximizer, Equalizer, Re-Balancing, etc. Don't forget to use it a lot in your mix so you'll get a better understanding of how the related plugins work. Thanks for the great solution! It will surely help me in the future!
One of the biggest features that sold me on Reaper was being able to organize folders that act like keywords. So I can have a given plugin appear in my "compressors" folder, but ALSO in my "vocals" and "saturation" folders for example. And this can all be backed up!
so happy you are back bro
Definitely agree with you! Install em all but spend a lot of time learning certain ones
Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was an app that managed the installation and organization of all plugins?? Swapping computers is a nightmare for this reason.
My dream is a plugin manager that could find out if any plugins are out of date, and then download updates for them.
Steam for plug-ins would be a game changer.
@@ACDevastation bro....
Slave computer with vienna ensemble pro gets you partially there. I just bought it recently, but has been a game changer for my bigger sessions/scores
This is how we're all feeling right, over the whelmed, just checked my list...was at 528 plugs...only use 2 recently...sonically brain fried man.....love this, keep it rolling M, you're on the right track I'm thinking.
That was said so well. I have been going nuts to get rid or not to get rid. What ones to study or to simply go through presets. I think this just help me get a idea of what plan to go about the plug-ins I have and the approach to either learning or shuffle presets then maybe learning
It's a question. Not a specific answer you are presenting. I love it!
I installed all mine in foldered categories, comp/limiter verb delay saturation eq transient etc etc, then it's fun picking a different candy to eat along the way... And in general I'll use the colour tabs for the go to regular simple choices or favs for a desired outcome
love the vids. Been subbed for like 5, 6 years at this point? great channel, love hearing you talk
The real question is if this man is either a very rich man, or a simple pirate! 👍
There are hundreds, if not thousands of free VST instruments and effects on the web for free. No money or pirate skills necessary. 👍
that might not be the case if more companies adapt the subscribe-to-update business model some companies are establishing
I payed for neural dsp's and STL tone packs and then downloaded the pirates versions. Running ilok software to constantly scan your PC for stuff is a no go for me, I still payed the people.
Haha this rings a bell, new machine 2 years ago and was going to be very strict on what I installed. I then bought a waves bundle which felt like about 100 or more different plugins once all the stereo/mono variants appeared.
After that it became a free for all where I was back to too many pkugins to use land.
I guess on the flip side, if you know the basis of synthesis, EQ and compression then those core plugins do share a unified structure which can be globally applied.
So, rather than you having to learn them in a deep manner, they warrant an existence based on character alone.
I.e. You don't need to deep dive into a moog to be able to benefit from its sound, just a basic sweep shows its character.
You can build your own custom acoustic panels with rockwool rock sono slabs 50/100mm thick, create some frames, have custom fabric covers printed, wrap them and tack it on.
There are any specific rules, but don't sleep over a category you created. The most tough process is creating categories but important one. It is really a good question when one plugin is learned full on and if there are more technical parameters like for example responsiveness of the plugin, the dynamic sweetspot for example -20dB or - 12dB, surgical depth and so on. Otherwise it would make sense to categorize by mixing & mastering maybe counter examples could be the analog vintage eq of ozone9 which is awesome for all the stuff not just for mastering so it is not even worth making that category of mix & master. If your journey is of learning it is easy to make a category of how that is connected to your brain but then again there is that happy accident moment or serendipity missing when making too many categories. If you are restricted to only one plugin, what could it be, interesting if it will have some use of dynamics. So maybe creating a "restricted" category enjoying both of the two worlds. Counter example would be to categorize plugins by complexity, likeliness, love&hate or usefulness. Maybe another more technical approach for making installations, not categories would be the ACID rules (atomicity: this plugin is undividable in other words not replaceable by other, consistency: destructive /not destructive, maybe easy to automate, isolated: by applying that plugin doesn't interfere with others, in other words it doesn't change gain structure in a serial fx chain durability: well it should not crash or having too much cpu load. Finally you could even make categories which are matching with your state of mind for example happy mood, sad mood however that would be too fuzzy. A nice drastic alternative would be just to delete the plugins which are in the learned category for a pragmatical intent to learn the unlearned, but then there are tons of plugins which are not learned, maybe a few ones where you could grasp the essence of in the learned category. There could be a stretch to it but also a set of fx chains, plugin presets could be cated. However stacking just ozone 9 plugins or stacking oversampling plugins like Kclip as example can kill your CPU so an extensive testing is required. The most important part is if it brings you closer to your goals. xD
Make up your mind... Don't be unstable...
I dont know man...kinda like why Ive stuck with W7- everything works. Installing trying to find installers the sn numbers etc. just seems like a nightmare- while user forums are just filled with posts by folks trying to fix something that was broken by some "upgrade"
So many plugs, fun fun fun! I would install and uninstall and reinstall every Friday haha - Seriously, perhaps just a white noise Plug and a few fab Filters - Cool.
Simple, how many of them are being used in your old work. 🤨 ? because I can’t think of anything more frustrating than having to download and reinstall plug-ins when they are requested. I have a few extras in folder which are just bloat now, or more often than that, have been superseded by better ones.
"¿Por que no los dos?" as applied to the studio.
New subscriber here and I was having this exact same plugin talk in comments on Reason 12 vids and about how there are littrelly hundreds of plugins. Its digital hauding in My opinion and so many or the new plugins abilitys or outcome can be achieved with older plug ins or no plug ins at all. I loaded up reason 4 today and made a banger of a drum and bass track.
I haven't found a "hall" reverb plugin where you can set custom dimensions like length, width and height. Can you help me find one?
I always wondered that
Except...by installing a lot of plugins, you can remove the impetus to learn a few, or any. Which do you choose to learn, and why? Why choose THAT one to learn, and not another? Upgrading my studio PC this year after 7 years and have inventoried all my plugins...and really wondering how I can cut down how many I have installed. Maybe I should just install them all and not worry about it after all.
I think it's necessary to learn a few KEY plug-ins that will allow for a high transition to another plug-in if need be. For instance, it makes sense to learn sound design on Serum first since it's very intuitive, or EQing on Pro Q3 for the same reason. Whereas if you have 5 different EQs and grab something more complex before knowing how to approach a certain sound, you'll be trying to find your way in the dark
I also think foremost factor of your first question is the combination of function, features, usability (UI/UX), stability, and longevity. Pro-Q3 or any of FabFilter's offerings would be a staple in the many people's studios. I think the downside to have tons and tons of plug-ins is the same pitfall of having too many presets: it's overwhelming and unnecessary in the sense that it would be a PITA to reinstall that many, because you decided to use some of them here and there in projects, so you end up having to reinstall every time you set up a new machine
@@ACDevastation I tend to have more instruments than fx. A decent EQ, compressor, delay etc and I can't see the point in having several things that do the same job - ultimately I only need 1 of each. Virtual Instruments on the other hand are something else. Totally my downfall. Just glad I don't buy hardware any more. New music PC on the way - a good time to take stock and trim down a bit.
Certainly 542 is too high. 100 is a sweet spot. I know I am stuck using about 30 plugins + 20 vsts for almost every other project, so you can definitely slim down to the essentials and most adaptable plugins.
Ohhh, i only have... Uhh Ap. 30 plugins, couse i cant find good/free/cheap plugins
massive X is under rated.
I know right
i havent got it yet, need to download it already
@@nofood1 i got the 30 minutes demo💀
@@nofood1 Black Friday sales are the go its really good but overpriced IMO half price come Xmas time.
@@truthbetold2012 cheers mate that's what I was going to do for a couple plug-ins on my wishlist 👍
How much work was that to get all these screenshots from those plugins?
izotope is the way to go..
Soon as I upgrade to a better PC (clean slate) a lot of plugins will be trashed, well, left on a memory stick just in case (that s*** cost money) 🙄
##PRO TIP##
- Many Many Plugins do not need installation. I install them on a shitty computer and then snag the dll and vst3 files to put on my producing computer, no installation of unnecessary stuff
Value
Me: Omnisphere, Omnisphere for everything.
....🥀
why did you recommend to your subscribers "unison", a complete and utter scam selling "midi chords", something so obviously and blatantly laughable as someone who has worked on music as someone close to audio and producing, to your audience? was the pay that good? just curious
before we had GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) now we have PAS (Plugin Acquisition Syndrome)
the day you can torrent the schematics of a hardware synth and 3D print them, is the day everything changes haha
Me with stock fl studio and serum…”heh”
Absolutely and respectfully: NO! Go lean and be super selective. Good luck!
I did a experiment with reason 4 to see if I could make the sounds from the newer Eruorpa synth and Mimic sampler by using reason 4 synth and sampler. I was able to creat very similure sounds to Europa using a combanatore Thor and melstrums and sample slice was done using NNXT but I had to export the sample clips in and out using Goldwave to pitch the sounds but it worked.
subtitle
"do I reinstall all 542 plugins?"
- I hope not, be a minimalist
He was a hauder of physical gear and got rid of it all and having all those plugins in digital hauding. Despite all of the hundreds of reason plugins I really only use what come with reason 4. I am getting reason 12 for friction as that's very nice but as for the rest of the newer rack it's not needed.
skrillex made millions off operator... thats all you need xD
😂