In the light of big companies taking a "subscription" dive, I thought this thread might be useful to some. I propose sharing personal opinion on 1-3 effect plugins (or bundles) that are non-subscription. Perhaps how you arrived to that specific plugin. I will start with a couple of examples.

Fabfilter
remains my #1 plugin set for EQ, Compression, Limiting, Reverb and now Delay. Used it for 4+ years.

I started out with iZotope Nectar 2 suite (released 2013), which was my first expensive effect plugin set. It was/is very convenient, because it included major effects modules in a single block. Most importantly, it's extremely light on CPU. When the time was right, I upgraded to Nectar3, and it was a complete nightmare. My relatively fast computer was not pulling it well even with just a handful of instances. Reading further, I realized that many people (!PC users) complained of iZotope being a CPU leach. Did a bit of research and arrived at Fabfilter. From the first day I tried Fabfilter, I knew it is the right one for me. Most of their plugins are very transparent and extremely light on CPU. Very intuitive, yet have very deep features. Company has a loyalty program. Good customer service. The only plugin I didn't like was D-esser, but I have a feeling they are working on a new one. Their new Delay plugin is a state of art.

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MeldaProduction
This is a hidden gem company, similar to PGmusic. The two plugins that I personally would recommend are:
MStereoProcessor
Is a widener and exciter. It splits the input in four sections Bass, Low Mid, High Mid and High frequencies sections and can control each of those sections independently. Very deep in features, very customizable. Super light footprint - easy on CPU. I was considering Waves aural exciter prior, I am Sooo glad I got Melda instead!

MSpectralDynamics
This is a monster of a plugin. As title mentions it deals with dynamics. Multi module plugin that takes a lot from guesswork on things like "long term frequency balancing". Has extremely useful starting point "presets". If I had to describe it in one sentence, I would say it is a: Very elaborate compressor, with extreme tweakability.

A couple of other things about Melda. Updates are free. They run year long promotions were they 1/2 price four random plugins. So if you you don't see a sale that you want, worth waiting for few weeks. Licenses are transferable, so you can find their plugins on secondary markets.

I’ve been using Pure Limit by Sonible. I throw it on the master bus of my notation program when I render a score to audio. The interface is really easy and it uses AI to determine settings that improves the demo. It’s a little gem.

Good idea for a thread Misha.
I use VERY few non Reaper VSTs because the Reaper/JS bundles are REALLY good and very comprehensive...many of the JS bundle work with other DAWs too.
I've read & seen a lot about FabFilter. I was going to invest in it but saw a comparison video with the native ReaEQ. Fab wins but mainly in the area of cramping & phase.
As I rarely use EQ to the extremes that cause those problems to be audible I followed Dan Worrall's advice. He does some excellent reviews by the way.

I am a fan of SPAN...it's free and in master mode gives a good view of what's happening in EQ. It allows views of L/R overlap etc. It's only an analyser,so I used ReaEq before it on the stereo bus.

I occasionally use an old, free version, of the PSP Stereo Warmer 2. It is a multiband compressor/saturator that can give what the name suggests. The presets are REALLY good. It's CPU hungry in FAT mode though.


Density MkII is a good free compressor. I use it often with BIAB drum and with 12 string guitar. The 12 string preset really "pins down" the dynamics. It also has some excellent presets for drums.


Modern Deathcore is a free compressor I use for my vocals as it really does CRUSH the dynamic range when set up properly and gives a little of its own tone to things. It's also good on slap or wayward bass. Basically I set it to it's most aggressive ratio, crank up the input so that it's triggered almost constantly and then play with the output.

Trackspacer

This is a frequency-based ducker. This is really useful when you've got to tracks with overlapping frequencies. For example, you might have a vocal and an acoustic guitar, with both of them in similar mid-frequencies. Trackspacer solves the problem of making sure the guitar track doesn't stomp all over the vocal.

You can set Trackspacer to listen to one track, and have it automatically duck (lower the volume) of another track. What sets Trackspacer apart is that you can duck a range of frequencies, as well as ignore upper and lower bounds. This makes it much more transparent, avoiding the obvious "pumping" sound you get with traditional ducking, where you can hear the volume of the other track "pump" up and down.

Plus, it gives a visual display of the frequencies in real time, so it's dead simple to figure out where the overlap is, and only duck that portion.

Ordinarily, you'd want to EQ tracks to keep them in their lanes. But Trackspacer allows cutting the overlapping frequencies only when they are problematic, and otherwise leaves them alone.

Basically, it gives me an easy way of always keeping the vocal in front.

I believe Izotope has something similar, but I'm not sure what it's called.

Panagement 2

Panagement (a play on "panning" and "management") is a plugin for placing sound in space by using a slight delay (aka "the Haas effect") instead of adjusting the volume of the signal in each channel. It's also got an integrated reverb (concrete/heaven/wood/cave/dark) precalculated for that space that sounds very nice.

For me, Panagement "just works", placing the sound in a way that makes my ears happy. YMMV.

There is a paid version of the program, but to me, the best features are these available in the free version. ( got the full version on sale for $12).

RealPhones

This is a solution for using headphones to simulate listening in different environments. However, it's not something that you want on the final track. You can use Panagement to get something similar that does work on the final track, though.

I used to have use a Focusrite VRM Box, which simulated various speaker systems. It made it easy to test the mixes in virtual environments, and was less fatiguing to listen to than plain headphones. Unfortunately, VRM Box didn't play nice with newer versions of Windows, locking up other USB devices. (I just tested it, and my USB mouse froze, requiring a system reboot before it saw the mouse again). So I needed find another option.

Waves Nx was the first option I looked at, but for reasons not important here, I wasn't thrilled with it. It did have headphone correction, which VRM Box didn't have. Goodhertz' CanOpener was also similar, but had far less options and more expensive.

I ended up settling on dSoniq's RealPhones. In addition to simulating a number of environments (recording studio, car, Apple EarPods) and giving headphone correction, it also ran in in System mode, so it can be used when listening to audio outside the DAW. It was a bit pricey, but I also managed to find it on sale.

If you're on a budget, you can look at HoRNet's VHS (Virtual Headphone Simulator). It's not as nice as any of the other options, but it's much more affordable, and can be used without the room simulation if you only want headphone correction. They seem to have sales every other week.

as well as what has been mentioned…
I would highly recommend people interested in plug ins BEFORE laying out any money…
check out the 80 plugins that come with computer music mag uk.
here are vids // details on each…

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?app=desktop&list=PLE90EC6DE32E81D76

and lots of net sites have lots of free plug in threads. (eg gearspace.com)

eg reaper.fm…oodles…includeing its own loads of plug ins included

https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=563


and MARIO if your reading this…re soundtracks by leading people...…cm mag 320…

https://www.musicradar.com/news/issue-320-of-computer-music-is-on-sale-now

imho used properly if one cant do a fab song with the above (and pg's own plug ins..) one wont with anything.


hth/ymmv etc

om

I have a large suite of Waves and Izotope products. The only others I use are those that come with Logic Pro X — it offers a huge library of sounds, fx and loops. All free for life and very frequently updated after the initial purchase of Logic.

Regarding Izotope I use many of the Ozone 10 modules, Neutron 3, Nectar 2 and Tonal Balance 2. I prefer Nectar 2 over later editions because the reverb is an EMT 140 Plate reverb that I really like. Izotope is invariably late releasing MacOS compatibility updates and their products are pricey but no subscription required … at this point.

Incidentally my Mac is an older 2017 model which I long ago upgraded to 32gb RAM and I don’t have memory issues with Izotope products even though I use a separate instance for each track.

Bud

I used to get that magazine but no one around here carries it anymore. I signed up for that digital issue but it would only go to my cell phone and not my computer. I want it on my computer so I can easily DL the effects/sounds and it is easier to read. So I am out of luck but thanx for thinking about me.

Mario.
(just tryin' to help.)

thats odd…doesnt a code to access the cm plug in vault from your computer come on your phone so you input that on your pc ?

once a year i used to get the mag for the free plug ins….there are some gems.
i accessed the plug in vault on pc n' dl'd to my pc.

heres a help contact email i found…

help@magazinesdirect.com

they are on facebook too i believe for contact .

looks like the digital mag is only a few bucks.

hth.

happiness

om

Can't you just forward it to yourself?

Mario.

you need to set up a vault acct on pc...
then you indicate if you have a digital version.

heres details...on how to access the plug in vault.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/how-to-use-the-computer-music-vault-627315

if this works you can thank my beautiful wife..
she is like a terrier with this stuff..lol.
she also wants to get all the 80 plug ins for my coming b'day...

i just thought you might find the soundtracks issue interesting mate.

looking back i seem to remember my wife did this for me awhile back.

jeesh...all these companies these days...hard to get a HUMAN to phone...lol.
(a reason i like pg.)


hth

om

OM, no disrespect, but you probably missed the goal of this thread:
"NON-Subscription effect plugins you would personally recommend."

Unrelated posts resulted in watering down original intentions and a good start....

P.S. Ray, David, J&B thank you for picking up the torch. Some interesting suggestions!

Rusty.

its the price of a coffee or two once a year....
not loads of moolah. and the enjoyment is HUGE.

just see the 80 plug in vids on you tube..
to see the value for a coffee or 2.

i'll now exit this thread .....

best

om

"just see the 80 plug in vids on you tube."
OM, that's still not the point of this topic... If you used any of these 80 plugins from that list and believe a couple worth mentioning/recommending, that is what I am hoping to get out of this thread.

Misha,
that's OM's MO.

I see the point of people giving suggestions the way they are for the same reason I won't necessarily like the same kind of girls you do. I see what you want to do because someone may have a killer widget that you have never heard of. It comes down to asking what difference would it make what I like? If they are free, collect them like Dan does and have them there to test and see what YOUR ears like. This is the plugin version of Goldilocks here. Too hard. Too soft. Juuuuust right!

This one ought to be easy for you Eddie - just scroll passed.
Amassing VSTs to assess some time down the track is an option. It's also a bit of a collection/gas/acquisition thing that not all folk are interested in. Some of the suggestions folk make may end up being downloaded and left for some or all time.
The added benefit of this thread is that folk can read about a VST, have a listen to the music produced by the recommender and determine if they are a set of ears or produce work that makes them a reliable source.
I am familiar with the work of Misha and David, for example, so can read/consider their suggestions with some awareness.

"What difference would it make what I like?" Well, you've been asked to offer an opinion.
Your Goldilocks simile is interesting but misses the point. You're not shy with your opinions, suggestions & "what I do"s across the forum. This thread may not offer you anything but others may find it useful.

Eddie, sorry, it makes no sense what you wrote. You can get trials for 90%+ of software free or paid. And marry the perfect "girl" of your dreams.

I am genuinely interested of what people have to say here, because I listen to their music, know a tiny bit about them as people, and value their opinions. It absolutely doesn't mean that I will run and buy all the plugins they own, but I will certainly check out some they recommended. So far I looked into one Matt suggested and two from Ray's list. David for example suggested Trackspacer, which he actually talked about in a very different conversation time ago. I was reading that post in 2021, decided to investigate and fell for that plugin. I liked it so much, I bought one more copy and gifted to a friend for Christmas.

P.S. About 1/4 of the plugins I use came from recommendations from people I met on this forum.

I like the idea of this thread. I don't use a lot of plugins and I expect to learn about some new ones. I'm not one to try tons of cold demos, or download boatloads of free plugins, so a personal recommendation here from one of you is so much more valuable. I also recognize people like to present information in different ways and I won't get hung up on how someone decides to present their recommendation, unless there are unnecessary personal dings.

These are a couple freebies I use but don't often mention in our posts.

One of the FWIW things I notice on the forum is that a lot of members take the old school "loud is better" approach to their mix downs. Of all the major streaming platforms SoundCloud is the only on that lets you get away with this. ALL of the others will reduce your volume and possibly introduce artifacts doing so. Given the state of my hearing (need to avoid anything over 80 db) I have to be very careful when listening to songs on the User Forum as some are exponentially louder than others - something that would not happen listening on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, etc. So ...

Here a great free plug in that makes it very easy to set your limiter at the desired 12-14 LUFS ... assuming you are interesting in the streaming platforms, etc.

https://youlean.co/youlean-loudness-meter/

And here is a link to a website that lets you drop your song on it (without actually uploading it) and it will then inform you how much the different streaming platforms would reduce or raise the volume of your production.

https://www.loudnesspenalty.com

Even if you don't submit your tunes for streaming you might find them of interest ... particularly the second one.

Bud

When I entered the digital realm and discovered those magical plugins.... I started collecting just about everyone that I could find for free or for a reasonable cost. When I moved from my first DAW on a windows 95 machine, I pared back my plugin holdings to a more modest list. And when I built a machine, I decided that only the essentials would be loaded. Of course, who can determine what is essential vs "oh, that looks interesting", maybe I do need that too? I did however tend to use only a very small handful of plugs and they are my "got to have essentials". Everything I do now revolves around using these to one degree or another.

Well, I have my favorites that I do recommend. Ozone and Melodyne. Those are my "go to" plugs. I also tend to use a number of the stock Cakewalk FX in my production path. Those are the EQ's and Reverbs.

However... I recently upgraded my computer and am building again from the ground up. So many of the old things no longer work or are included in the new Cakewalk by Bandlab. I did however purchase the upgrades to Melodyne and Ozone. Ozone in particular has undergone some pretty drastic changes in what it does and how it does it in this new version. So I have to learn it a bit and figure out how I'm going to work around and through those changes.

I'm now in the process of trying to get my older legacy Ozone 4 reloaded and working on my new machine. I'm in touch with Isotope support to hopefully, get what I need. I loved the features in O4 that are apparently no longer included in O10. Gotta see if I can load my Kontakt Komplete package too. That was a handy little synth that sounded pretty nice.


Oh yeah... another cool plug is the Sheppi widener from Open Ambience Project. It's pretty sweet. definately affects the sound of your project in a nice way. Remember that a little goes a long way.

I have just downloaded Ozone 10 Standard. As someone who has used Ozone, how do I install it into RealBand? When I open options under VST/DX Plugins, and try to register it, Realband says it's not supported. I'm using RealBand 2021 (6) (64 bit).

Thanks!

Bob Young
Jericho, VT

My use of the "home studio" recording world is limited by my lack of skill and smaller scope than many people, so my plugin use is also limited. I am much more interested in playing music than recording music.

I record stuff, so I have something to play over. If I record a bass part using a bass guitar or a keyboard, I often don't get it right and have to "correct" things using plugins that serve that purpose.

Plugins that I use every day.

Melodyne, which I highly recommend. I also use autotune, but it is a subscription and expensive.

All the plugins that came with PreSonus Studio One Pro

My money gets spent on music production software like BIAB, Synth V, Toontracks, Addictive Drums, or Trilian which is a super good bass "plugin/insterment". It is expensive but worth the money.

This whole subscription thing is irritating as hell, but in some cases there is no way to get around it.

Billy

Ozone 10 is likely a VST3 plugin, not supported by RB.
You can poke around and see if it also included a VST2 version.
Otherwise there are wrappers out there that you can load into RB that would allow RB to use VST3.

I think Elements is one, https://www.reatrak.com/downloads/biab/vst3shell_v1.2.1.zip (VST3Shell) is another .. maybe MiniHost ..

Misha,
it might be worthwhile deleting, or having moderators remove, the contrary posts so that others who come to this thread for the suggestions don't have to scroll down or get turned off by the side arguments.
It's a solid idea well worth keeping on the rails.

I use a lot of the T-Racks stuff from IK Multimedia. If you wait for one of their group buys, you can get a bunch of stuff dirt cheap. The Sunset Sound reverb is phenomenal.

Other than that, I mix in Harrison Mixbus 32c, which is like one giant channel strip plugin itself.

Harrison's XT-DC Drum Character and XT-TG Tom-Tom Gate are awesome.

Ray,
Unfortunately it's life. People who post completely unrelated stuff should be the ones to delete their posts. There is nothing crazy that they posted, just unrelated doodles. Besides, PG team is red hot now with recent Mac release
----

Byron,
+1 on T-Racks
I have some of them that I picked up a few years back, but that Sunset reverb was only a demo in that package. I did try it and liked it. I do have some credits with IK, will check if I can get it.

While on IK subject, another VST piece that came with one of their monster packages is called:
Lurssen Mastering Console.
David Cuny showed it to me some time ago. I just couldn't justify $160 retail. But, once that super-hot-flash-once-in-a-lifetime sale came up, I got it as a part of the package. I do use it quite often now. While controls are basic, it seems they emulated some interesting hardware. Sort of fake mastering as most modules don't have individual controls, but presets, still makes mix sound richer. As Byron mentioned, the trick is to get IK stuff when it is on wild sale.

While IK software is available as non-subscription, the key is to save installers and keep them in safe place, as they would disappear from site. IK is usually good about courtesy, but sometimes they are very stubborn.

If you haven't already done so.... Go get cakewalk by bandlab and download it. O10 runs perfectly fine in there. It's a free full featured DAW.

On the current project in my DAW I have the following free VSTs:
Compressor - Density MkII (for Punch/presence/etc), ModernDeathcore (to even things) & PSP Vintage Warmer 2 (for a little, gentle, tape like compression and saturation)
https://freevstplugins.net/density-mkii/
https://plugins4free.com/plugin/1176/
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/psp-vintagewarmer-by-pspaudioware
EQ - analysis Span by Voxengo
https://www.voxengo.com/product/span/
Delay - Classic Delay by KjaerhusAudis
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/classic_delay_by_kjaerhus_audio
Reverb - Ambience by Smart Electronix
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/ambience-by-smart-electronix
&
LIMITER No.6 when I want some mix bus compression to assess the impact on reverb etc.
https://vladgsound.wordpress.com/plugins/limiter6/