I made that track over a year ago and my plug-in collection was notably smaller back then. What would Physical Layer not be complete without? I don’t squash it too hard because I like to leave some dynamic range. Sometimes I use a preset as a starting point, but I tend to start from scratch. Then I finish off the chain with the Pro-L. Sometimes stock, sometimes third-party – especially Waves’ J37. I use a variety of saturation plug-ins for that. Then, I move to some extra EQ and saturation if I feel it needs more warmth. Then, I move to Pro-MB, where I tweak three or four bands. I cut frequencies below 20hz with Live’s EQ so that there aren’t any offensive frequencies affecting anything that I can’t hear. I start with the Ableton stock Glue Compressor for some light compression to glue the track together. I like to have other people master the final product, as it’s always nice to get a fresh set of ears on a track. I generally stick to a similar chain for my demo masters. Which plug-ins always end up on your master bus without fail? Those are just a few of my favourites, but I use most of the stock plug-ins in general. The phaser just sounds great, and that’s all I need to say about that.
The reverb I can pretty much just slap on a chain and change just a few things with just a few minutes of tweaking to get the perfect sound, which I love. The EQ has a straightforward interface and I love the easy monitoring capabilities that allow me to hear what I’m cutting out. They are so simple and do the job so well without having to do too much, so I intend on continuing to use them. I use Ableton Live’s stock EQ, phaser, reverb, and occasionally the compressor on almost all my tracks. Do you have an Ableton Live stock plug-in you always use? This especially helps me keep my kick and snare in check as I’m developing a song. It can help me visualise my mixes and make sure I don’t have anything cranked way too loud. I will often put one on my master bus and only use it as a monitoring device. I put it on my bass bus a lot to try and glue my bass sounds together a little more. That is the only limiter I use, and it is just as versatile as the MB. You’ll find that plug-in all over my project, from the individual chains all the way up to the master bus. It’s my go-to compressor to sidechain my busses, de-ess vocals, EQ and tame synths, and more. The MB is the multiband compressor, which I use for so many things. They are also some of the best plug-ins I have, so they’re well worth the price. What’s the most expensive plug-in you have? Sometimes, I will also put instruments through it because it can do cool unexpected things if you tinker with it for a few minutes. It also has a decent effects section to apply stereo widening and distortion. It can also be used in MIDI control mode, so I can switch up the melody on anything I sing – I use this for building harmonies all the time. I primarily use its great vocoder sounds, mixing that with my raw vocals to make a natural yet heavily processed sound. That plug-in has done a lot more for me than I thought it would. I bought iZotope Vocalsynth 2 during a sale for around 30 dollars. What about the best value plug-in you own?
If you were to go through my project files, you will most likely find it buried somewhere in there. It can be dangerous, though, because if you use it too much it can suck the life out of a track. I use this on sharper sounds to make the high-end pop a little more. A lot of people making electronic music have encountered this plug-in, and it’s a well built versatile plug-in that squashes a sound if you need it. I move between computers a lot and need plug-ins that I don’t need to worry about.
I try to avoid getting many free plug-ins because they are generally prone to not being built that well and can bog down the CPU. What’s your favourite free plug-in that you own? I paid 20 dollars for it and I’m using it on a bunch of new unreleased songs, so I would say it was worth it, 100 per cent.
Soundtoys is a great company, and they make the download and license management process pretty easy. Scrolling through the different emulations is an ideal way for me to dial in a sound that is inspiring to keep my production moving. It allows me to do some more rhythmic effects with that nice phaser sound I adore. I love it because it has a lot of LFO control, which is something I haven’t had much of on phasers I have been using. It’s a plug-in that emulates a ton of different hardware phasers – phasers are my favourite, and it was on sale.
My most recent purchase was Soundtoys’ PhaseMistress. Hey Lamorn! What’s your latest plug-in purchase?