Loved Nectar 2 and Ozone 5 because of their reverb modules. Although I have current versions of both, they only come out when there are problems to be solved such as having a lead singer on a track die before singing the take we needed.

I use very few effects—rarely compression and often no reverb at all. The two I am most likely to reach for are the Brainworx bx_masterdesk True Peak Mastering Plug-in to tame the occasional peaks and Eventide SP2016 Reverb Plug-in, the closest I've found to the old iZotope reverbs. Melodyne Studio comes in handy when doing audio restoration or recording singers way past their prime. In all three cases, they were purchased as parts of bundles to save money but the other components are never used.

For audio restoration, iZotope RX Advanced (currently v.12) is absolutely essential but RX Standard now has most of the tools (Denoise, Mouth Declick, Deplosive etc.) formerly found only in Advanced.

I rarely do pop music of any kind.


BIAB 2026 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia/Tahoe, M1 & M5 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, Logic, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScore/Notion/Overture