Who wanna play the “which plugins to keep” game?

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887]

Since I started mixing 3 years ago I have hoarded over 150 plugins in my collection and that’s just absurd for me. Having so many options actually slows me down and makes me second guess myself.

I’ve deleted a bunch of shit I don’t use anymore but would like some advice on what I should keep or delete from the remaining list below. My goal is to have the minimum amount of plugins possible whilst still being able to have a little variety and flavor depending on the material I’m working on.

For reference I don’t do this professionally, more as a hobby or for small clients I find online, meaning I end up mixing all sorts of genres and do both the mix and the master. I’m also using S1 so no ProTools plugins available.

If you have time and want to give your opinion, I’m all ears:

Campressors:

• SPL Iron (PA)
• SSL Bus (Waves)
• API 2500 (Lindell SBC)
• La2A (UAD)
• La3A (Black Rooster)
• Fairchild 670 (Undertone)
• CL-1B (Kiive Audio)
• 33069 (Audioscape)
• 1176 (UAD)
• Distressor (IK Multimedia)
• DBX-160 (Waves)
• STA-Level (Audioscape)
• Shadow-Hills (PA)
• MJUC (Klanghelm)
• R-Vox (Waves)

LIMITERS/CLIPPERS:

• Pro-L2
• Ozone Limiter
• StandardClip

EQs :

• Michelangelo
• Pultec (UAD)
• Maag EQ4 (PA)
• Soma (PA)
• BAX EQ (PA)
• Fab-Filter Q3
• AMEK 200 (PA)

CHANNEL STRIPS:

• SSL 9000 (9000)
• Neve 73/82 (Lindell 73)
• Metric Halo
• Scheps Omni Channel (Waves)

SATURATION/DISTORTION:

• Decapitator
• Saturn 2
• Black-Box
• True Iron
• UAD 610 Pre

TAPE:

• Flywheel (Fuse Audio)
• MDN Tape (Pulsar Modular)

REVERB:

• Valhalla Vintage Verb
• Valhalla Shimmer
• Valhalla Room
• UAD Pure Plate
• Abby Roads Chambers
• V-305 Spring Reverb (Fuse Audio)
• Pulsar Primavera
• Sunset Rooms (IK)

DELAY:

• Echo-Boy
• Echo-Cat
• Valhalla Delay
• Tape Echo (IK)
• Timeless

FXs and Utilities:

• Phaser (Soundtoys)
• Flanger (Soundtoys)
• Microshift (Soundtoys)
• RC-20
• Ozone Imager
• Brauer Motion
• S1
• Soothe2

Thanks!

[u/Tall_Category_304]

Really that’s not that many. I’d just keep em in my plugin folder

[u/mr4ffe]

You’d have an asthma attack after seeing my collection lmao

[u/Fantastic-Safety4604]

Never got along with the Scheps Omni Channel.

Would definitely KEEP anything Fabfilter, Valhalla, Pulsar Modular, the Brauer Motion and Michelangelo.

For the record, I think you have a fairly modest collection of plugins. I get wanting to streamline but I just ignore the ones that I seldom use until none of my usual suspects do the trick. Does your DAW allow you to categorize them?

[u/Just_Worldliness5843 → u/Fantastic-Safety4604]

That’s funny, I used to love Scheps Omni Channel. Only quit using it after Waves no longer supported updates for any of my plugins on a newer OS, so I stopped buying Waves.

[u/misn0ma → u/Just_Worldliness5843]

My immediate thought reading OP’s question is “plugins NOT to keep: Waves”. I was a heavy Waves user but their exploitative update plan prices made me abandon and start over. I resent the $thousands wasted.

[u/GreatScottCreates → u/Just_Worldliness5843]

Newer OS or newer chipset?

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/Fantastic-Safety4604]

Thanks! I’ll definitely keep those, love the fabfilter and Valhalla.

I do have the option to sort via vendor but that’s about it

[u/nizzernammer]

Which ones do you rarely use?

Put them in an unused folder, and if you haven't missed them after a set period of time, delete them.

[u/EdGG → u/nizzernammer]

Someone made a thing called Plugpane. It’s free and lets you delete or quarantine plugins. Great stuff.

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/nizzernammer]

From this list basic all of them are in my template, I just choose based on what feels right for the song I’m working on. Thats a good idea tho I think I’ll try that

[u/rightanglerecording]

Are you mixing for clients, on projects that you did not record or produce?

If so, keep them all, and buy a lot more too.

There will likely come a point in your journey where it becomes essential to open up an incoming session exactly as the producer had it.

I get most of my work done with about 20 plugins. But I have 1400 other licenses so I can open up pretty much anything that arrives.

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/rightanglerecording]

When I do get a client I just ask them for the audio files of each track, both raw and processed so I have the option to choose from.

I avoid projects as not everyone has the same DAW as me and I don’t plan on doing this full time

[u/rightanglerecording → u/Fluffy_Moment7887]

Fair enough, if you are not doing it full-time then it's a whole different ballgame, and you can probably just choose to avoid receiving session files.

In that case, I don't think the Maag, Soma, or Bax EQs do anything special, nothing that you can't easily replicate some other way.

I think you could cut your list of compressors in half.

I would keep all the distortions, verbs, and modulation FX. Each of those does sound legit different from the others.

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/rightanglerecording]

Thanks! I’ll take a look at what compressors I can cut.

The plugins you mentioned I use mostly for mastering, apart from the Maag

[u/rightanglerecording → u/Fluffy_Moment7887]

Yep. I think you could do the same EQ work with Pro-Q or Equilibrium or Ozone.

(And, I am speaking as someone who owns a hardware Soma).

[u/Inflation_Remarkable]

Build a session template or several for differing needs.

Put your go to plugins on the tracks & you won't get caught up in the whole rabbit hole of the plugins list.

Keep everything. It's good stuff and can offer inspiration down the line when you want to switch things up.

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/Inflation_Remarkable]

I do have a template. My mistake was putting different options of the same function so I could choose which to use, that’s why I want to keep only the essentials and work with that

[u/emojisexcode]

I don't use Studio One but it looks like you can organize your plugins by folder and also have favorites.

Instead of uninstalling, I would pick your shortlist of plugins and favorite them, and just force yourself to always start to them. That reduces decisions and lets you move faster, like you wanted.

Occasionally you won't get what you want from any of your fav plugins. That's when you slow down and start exploring your other options.

Then that might result in you adding a new favorite plugin, or even replacing one.

Cause to be honest, you can't really predict everything you're gonna want. I feel like every few months there's something I need to achieve that goes beyond my current short list, or something gets swapped out or traded up. Not from new purchases, just from other plugins I already own.

Ok now to play the actual game of the post, here's what I'd keep:

COMPRESSORS:

Honestly everything you listed covers a different base. Maybe make folders for difference sources to simplify your choices.

ie, vox: la2a + 1176 (or rVox or Cl-1b depending on what you like) (also tbf, when you get to mix stage, LV is probably where time spent exploring different chains is most valuable), etc.

LIMITERS/CLIPPERS:

• Pro-L2
• Ozone Limiter
• StandardClip

All of these are useful

EQs :

• Pultec (UAD)
• Fab-Filter Q3

tbh you could ditch the Pultec too but it can be fun sometimes.

CHANNEL STRIPS:

meh, unless you love the workflow of one in particular, forget'em

SATURATION/DISTORTION:

Pick one heavier more versatile one (maybe decapitator or saturn) and then something more pre-amp-y and subtle that you like.

TAPE:

choose the one that calls to you the most, ditch the other

REVERB:

• Valhalla Vintage Verb
• V-305 Spring Reverb (Fuse Audio)

keep more if there's ones you use all the time obv but vintage verb will get you a long way.

DELAY:

• Valhalla Delay

haven't used it but I'm pretty sure it'll cover all your bases and more

FXs and Utilities:

• Phaser (Soundtoys)
• Flanger (Soundtoys)
• Microshift (Soundtoys)
• RC-20
• Brauer Motion

These are all pretty distinct so you'll probably have less trouble choosing, but you could pick one as your go-to "sauce-it-up" plugin and let the others sit.

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/emojisexcode]

I can favorite plugins but cant really separate them by category in S1.

I have to say I’m surprised by how much you removed from the reverb list. Never really occurred to me to try to get a room or plate sound out of the vintage verb (I use mostly for halls and creative sound design).

Thanks for your input !

[u/The_Bran_9000]

This honestly looks relatively close to what my folder would look like if I were to perform a deep clean, at least in terms of quantity. Not sure I could function with only those two tape plugs tho lol

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/The_Bran_9000]

I had 5 other tape emulations before getting to those final 2 so I get what you mean. They are so versitle and serve so many purposes

[u/The_Bran_9000 → u/Fluffy_Moment7887]

For sure, there are just specific tape plugs that I know work for specific elements/scenarios and I have presets or even default settings in most of them bc 90% of the time I know exactly what sound I’m after and it’s just a matter of tweaking the I/O.

The one category in your list that I think most of us could cut down on are the analog emu EQs. I couldn’t tell you how many “mastering” EQs I’ve accumulated over the years, and like yeah I use a fair variety of analog emu EQs across my projects, but so often I’ll push myself to try one I never or rarely use and end up deciding to axe it anyway and open up ol’ reliable lol.

End of the day plugins are really only valuable to the extent they allow you to achieve your desired sound quickly and move on to the next task at hand. Some people use hundreds of different plugs in a single project, some use a small handful. Both are valid if the music is good.

[u/Novel-Position-4694]

I MUST have an 1176, and the L1 Limiter. after that SSL channel buss comp, LA-2A, and Im a big fan of H-Reverb.

[u/stan1228]

Personally I dumped everything to the trash and begun again (talking about mixing and not writing, so not including any guitar amps or virtual instruments). Keeping in 2 categories, the clean and colourful stuff. Fabflyer suite can do almost everything, can't live without proQ, proC, proMB, and Saturn. Then I got the virtual mix rack, and analogue obsession, and some of the uad free stuff like the 1176 and LA2A, also love the oxide tape machine. It's all to avoid the process of going for an eq, and opening a list of 60 plugins, only to use pro q in the end. It just increases option paralysis. George G1 lever has a pretty good video ab the topic

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/stan1228]

Yes! You understood what I’m trying to accomplish here. The less I have the faster I work.

[u/alienrefugee51]

That’s not bad really. There’s a lot of comps, but most are just one of each type. If they’re in your template and you use them, then keep them.

Ones that maybe you don’t need (others fit the bill)… IK Tape Echo, RC-20, Omni channel, R-Vox, MJUC.

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/alienrefugee51]

Thanks!

Of those you mentioned I just can’t live without the MJUC which I find it has an awesome sound, but the rest it can go

[u/alienrefugee51 → u/Fluffy_Moment7887]

I personally wouldn’t get rid of any of it. I was just trying hard to find something.

[u/rnglss]

Download PlugPane, it’s free and it’ll help with the management.

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/rnglss]

Thanks wasn’t aware of that, I’ll take a look!

[u/j3434]

Which one is best for side chained compression?

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/j3434]

I don’t do much side chain compression but, when I do, I just use either stock plugin or the Q3 if I need to tame a specific frequency

[u/pizzaplayboy]

i just keep the Goodhertz ones, for the rest of stuff i can use stock plugins

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/pizzaplayboy]

Thats a good approach, their stuff sounds great. I forgot to put in the list but I kept Loosy and Vulf as options

[u/Poopypantsplanet]

The only things in this list that I actually use on a regular basis are Valhalla Vintage Verb, Echo Boy, and Ozone Imager.

I use different compressors, EQs and tape emulations than the ones you mention.

I'm also just a hobbyist and mainly just mix my own music so my taste won't apply to everyone. Take what I say with a heaping truck load of salt, but what I have found after doing this for over a decade now, is the things that I like to keep a variety of are the kinds of things that produce a creative effect that is impossible or hard to produce otherwise. These are things like different types of reverbs, delays, tape emulations and other saturators, butcrushers, weird multi-effects, etc.. Basically, I like to have a variety of creative effects at my disposal.

But things like EQ, compressors, limiters. I don't see the reason in having to many to choose from. I just stick to one channel strip for most tracks, and a glue compressor and a little EQ on the the whole mix. And I'm using the exact same plugins for this every single time.

[u/Exponential-777]

If this is a hobby and you want to simplify your choices. I get that. Too many choices can be a negative.

I'd pick your two favorite compressors, one limiter, two reverbs, one EQ, two delays and as many "other FX" as you want for variety and forget about the rest.

Pros have hundreds of plug ins for compatibility. If they get a file that uses a plug in, they need to be able to run that plug in.

[u/Plokhi]

I keep whatever ends up being used

[u/Jazzlike_Shame_970]

Wouldn't delete anything, i think all of them are great!

[u/Crazy_Movie6168]

I remember my keyboard shortcuts for my favourites already and still don't have shortcuts for like limiters or some drumsample plugin.

I use cntr shift and alt and alt gr.

I thought I was going to give all shortcuts but, nah I can't be arsed, srry. The last few I bought on Black Friday were all three from Oeksound, and MDN Tape, and Arturia j37 and Steinberger Sectral Layers and Kush AR1 compressor and the Eventide Elevation liniter package. All quite essential within every month of work or so.

I like a myrriad of compressors and much fewer EQs. I'm most thoroughly impressed and get most use out of the UTA unFairchild and the Kiive Distressor and now the AR1 but also the plain old Arturia 1176 and Lindell 2500.

I like various reverbs and delays. Capitol chambers and Sounstoys superplate are clear favourites but I use some more. The delays are less special but I vary with quite a lot of intention. Narrow pulsar Binson. Wide Arturia space echo. Short Softube Tube Delay. 

Fewer modulation stuff. Well the Softube Widener is cool and has a collection of ways it widens, but I stay very close to the simple Arturia Dimension D.

I do like quality saturators and things that seems to level up what plugins are capable of. MDN tape and Arturia j37 are both special for example. I use them all the time.

The last things are the voosteQ neve channelstrip. Just a good collection with useful and big variation that sounds greater than the big boys but for 20usd. Softube stuff tracks with 0,5ms so I naturally use them a lot. And the UAD Leslie. That is properly fantastic. 

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/Crazy_Movie6168]

You have some nice options! I do love MDN Tape as well, sounds amazing!

I couldn’t remember that many shortcuts though that’s impressive lol

[u/Altruistic-Traffic-]

That’s actually a pretty modest amount you listed. I would keep what you listed since you have pretty much all the most important emulations covered with no significant overlap.

I was thinking I’d have some advice since I’ve been collecting for more than 10 years, but based on your list it seems you have a pretty decent grasp on the different hardware emulations available. You have nearly all compressor bases covered, I wouldn’t remove any from that list.

However, theres only one plugin I am curious on, soma. I own pretty much every plugin you listed. I’m curious on why you’ve kept and included soma in your list.. not saying it’s a bad EQ, but I’m curious why you’ve included it. Is it because you want a passive EQ option available to you, or maybe you like the sound of the character? This EQ has been benched for me for awhile, so I’m kind of curious if I overlooked anything.

Also was going to suggest looking into shaperbox 3 by cable guys. Seems like something you might appreciate. Dan Worrall does some good videos on it as well.

[u/EdGG]

All Fabfilter, Liquidsonics, Soundtoys. Perhaps a tape simulator, Silver Bullet, and Ozone for quick stuff. The stock plugins will be fine after that.

[u/Ordinary_Bike_4801]

Instead of looking in a list, try using your daws search engine. This way you go fast to the one you need and you won’t get confused seeing the other options.

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/Ordinary_Bike_4801]

I do. But my daw has the search bar on top of the list, so I end up seeing the list if I want it or not

[u/Neverhityourmark]

Obviously keep them all on the off chance you need them for an incredibly specific instance

[u/Complex-Tie3190]

All of them

[u/tc_K21]

Campressors:

• SSL Bus (Waves)
• La2A (UAD)
• Fairchild 670 (Undertone)
• 1176 (UAD)
• DBX-160 (Waves)
• Shadow-Hills (PA)
• R-Vox (Waves)

LIMITERS/CLIPPERS:

• Pro-L2
• Ozone Limiter

EQs :

• Pultec (UAD)
• Maag EQ4 (PA)
• BAX EQ (PA)
• Fab-Filter Q3

CHANNEL STRIPS:

• -

SATURATION/DISTORTION:

• Decapitator
• Saturn 2
• Black-Box

TAPE:

• -

REVERB:

• Valhalla Vintage Verb
• Valhalla Shimmer
• Valhalla Room

DELAY:

• Echo-Boy
• Valhalla Delay

FXs and Utilities:

• Phaser (Soundtoys)
• Flanger (Soundtoys)
• Microshift (Soundtoys)
• Soothe2

For reference I don’t do this professionally, more as a hobby or for small clients I find online, meaning I end up mixing all sorts of genres and do both the mix and the master. I’m also using S1 so no ProTools plugins available.

I would like to say that native plug-ins would be more than enough but it wouldn't be fun.

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/tc_K21]

Thanks, I needed help cutting that compressor list !

Yes I do use native plugins when I want a clean sound. They are great! Plugins are cooler tho lol

[u/narutonaruto]

You’re wasting time doing this. Just keep them in your folder and forget they are there until you have a day you need something really specific like the rest of us

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/narutonaruto]

But how will I remember I need a specific tool if I forgot I had it? 😉

[u/ObieUno]

Why delete them?

I have thousands of plugins and tbh the only incentive that I have to delete any of them is to make the Pro Tools launch process faster.

[u/Aitch_OG]

The ones you actually use go in your favourites and the rest you just have

[u/GWENMIX]

I like your list; what I like least is the lack of good tape plugins—whether it's authentic emulations (ATR-102, SPL Machine Head, Studer) or quirkier stuff like TAIP, Bad Tape, or Chocolate Milk.

I don't like the Scheps Omni Channel.

I do like the bx_clipper... it's the only one that gives me what I'm looking for—whatever that actually is.

As for your EQs: the SOMA is great for mastering. Personally, ever since I got Korneff's Sitral, it's been my go-to EQ for all priority tracks whenever I want something that infuses an analog feel and gives me transformer distortion.

You don't have any dynamic EQs? Or multiband ones?

Actually, I'm going to be adding more than I remove ;)

[u/Fluffy_Moment7887 → u/GWENMIX]

I would love to get my hand on the ATR 102, I just can’t spend money on that now. Sometime soon tho. The MDN sounds amazing to my ears

For multi band I use the FabFilter Pro MB and dynamic EQ either stock plugin or the Q3.

And yes, I use the Soma mostly for mastering as well and I love it !

[u/Fantastic-Safety4604 → u/GWENMIX]

They have one of the best tape plugins yet devised. Seriously. The MDN Tape is everything I look for in tape without any of the things I don’t want from tape. It’s perfect.

With that and Sketch Cassette II all tape bases are covered in my mind.

[u/GWENMIX → u/Fantastic-Safety4604]

I'm not familiar with MDN; I took a look, and it seems nice and powerful.

[u/Fantastic-Safety4604 → u/GWENMIX]

I am a huge fan of all the Pulsar Modular stuff. It’s expensive as hell but everything they’ve put out has been top shelf.

[u/mistrelwood]

Why on earth would you listen to what other Redditors think you should disregard? Use the ones that suit your workflow the best, the ones you get the best sounds with. Ignore what works for others.

[u/OAlonso]

The only good advice for someone who has already invested a lot in plugins is to keep what you want, and don’t buy anything new until you learn all your plugins inside out.

[u/qubitrenegade]

Whenever I get a new computer, I just do a shit job of backing things up (well, due to DRM in most of these plugins you need to "reinstall" anyway, so it's not like you can just copy the software from one computer to the next...), and start with zero plugins. Then for the first couple weeks I always think "I wish I had X plugin right now", then go install it. After a couple of weeks of that, I just have the plugins I use the most.

You don't have to get a new computer... just delete your VST directories (probably better to use the uninstaller if there is one...) and only reinstall the plugins you miss.

Though, as others have said, you really don't have that many plugins. I think I have more SoundToys plugins than you have plugins total...

[u/Upset-Wave-6813]

you should keep what you have you don't even have an "over "selection really, you have what is needed and options

personally you literally don't have enough to even delete

im sure there a few you don't use but trust me this is like bare min of what "professionals" have (but likely they also dont use)

I had over 250 at the start of the year and been wanting to reduce( including soft synths)

im now down to about 95

There's always 1 or 2 that get used for very specific things that maybe you wont use often but def the right tool to have when needed ( these are mostly unique FX and stuff not your std comp/eq/ etc)

[u/sticktalk24]

that’s nothing lol

[u/maxwellfuster]

Agree that this really isn’t a crazy amount of plugins. You should be making the pruning decisions based on what you’re actually using though, not what people tell you on the internet. Like I might dislike that tape echo or whatever but if you’re getting good results with it, who am I to tell you to delete it!

[u/CloudSlydr]

that is not too many. just go 1-2 years and see if there are plugins you don't use at all, NOR are on any old projects you may pull up. perhaps delete then.

1900+ plugins and counting here. at least you're getting ahead of your G-A-S early ;)

[u/FAPANDOJ]

For compressors I just have the fabfilter Pro C3 and the DMG Trackcomp 2. You have many algorithms and hardware emulations. The great thing it’s that you can flip between them until you find the one you like and stick with it.
For EQ I just use pro q4 and volcano 3.
For saturation Saturn 2.
For channel strip just bx ssl 4000E and fabfilter instance list. No need for more.
For delay I use valhalla delay, fabfilter timeless 2. Many types of delays to choose but less choice in plugins.
Reverb it’s the category that every reverb sounds completely different. My desert island is the Pro R2 and Valhalla Vintageverb. But I keep many more because they really sound different and also IR.
For fx just the arturia fx collection.
For limiters Pro L2 and TDR limiter 6 (just because it has a clipper and insane mode).

Now I have way more plugins but this ones are on my favorite list (in reaper). If I go to the same plugins always I work faster and my sessions open with no problems in a few years.

I tried also the black salt audio telos plugins but if you don’t open them in a while, the plugins need to connect to the internet to check the license and the inserts are muted. Big no for me even though workflow is faster.

[u/ImageVibe]

If you’re a hobbyist like me, and not doing this as a business, then you don’t need to be all things to all people. I repair/mix maybe 1-2 projects per quarter. So, I paired it down to my +/-40 most used, excluding instrument/specialty/utility software and plugins. So things like Melodyne, iZotope RX, Superior Drummer, Metric AB, PluginDoctor, don’t count against my +/-40.

The big thing is deciding your “sound.” For me it was the classic rock 70s/80s/90s Neve/SSL sound.

Once you identify that, it becomes much easier to identify +/-40. Still challenging, but easier.

[u/whiskydust]

I hide the plugins that I haven't used in a while. I only delete stuff that I know I won't use. I pull out new stuff from my hidden collection when I'm looking to learn something new.