Hype Check: Your Picks for Most Overrated & Underrated Plugin / Sample Libraries

[LinkedMusicians]

We’ve all seen the sea of ‘game-changer plugin’ thumbnails and maybe even watched the YouTube videos. But let’s get real. We need tools that deliver. With that in mind:

1. What is one plugin / sample library that completely under-delivered for you despite the hype?

2. On the flip side, what is a ‘sleeper’ plugin / sample library that has become a go-to for you that doesn’t seem to get the attention it deserves?
   

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3

[Brian]

 

Category #1)  I can’t really think of any off the top, but I probably tossed and forgot about them.  I will say that (AND IT COULD BE ME) that the Izotope stuff never really “hit” with me.  BUT I still consider myself very much a “student” (a really OLD student), so I still try to use “manual” fx rather than auto-magic ones, just to further my understanding of the process. If I want “magic”, the Sonible stuff resonates better with me.

 

Category #2) This is one I have been using and preaching for years- Hornet Plug-ins VU Meter Mark IV.  This little gem is 6 Euros FULL PRICE at Hornet, and you better know it goes on sale 😛  Who needs a meter?  Nobody! But this plug-in makes gain staging a breeze. Put one at the top of every track and they can talk to each other, as well as be grouped.  Makes a chore a lot easier.  There are probably alternatives but I found this back at version 1 and it still does the job.

3

[fretman]

Hyped? Have Audio Balkan Series anything. It’s loop-based and thus very limited. The VI doesn’t have enough range or articulations.

Studio One, Windows, RME UFX, Yamaha MSP7

1

[MagicRuss]

I think Massive X manages to check both boxes for me.  A lot of people hate it but I have been able to generate a fair amount of decent sounds quickly.  On the other hand, they still need to fix the preset management.

Underperformers:

For plugins, iZotope Trash is one of the most disappointing for me.

Bias got a lot of hype in the early days, but got left behind when I moved to a new machine last fall.

The Attic by Soniccouture is probably the most disappointing library for me.  There are a few cool things but overall does not get a lot of use.

I remember how people hyped the Ultrafunk Sonitus plugins to the heavens before Cakewalk bought them.  When they were included in Sonar I was less than impressed with most of them.

A lot of people seem to like IK’s Tape simulations.  I think they use a lot of CPU for an effect which is hard to hear.

Then there was that Cakewalk plugin which was supposed to be the ultimate drum thing which turned out to just be a refill player.

For the most part OG Massive.  People raved about it but I just thought it sounded buzzy and required a lot of work to sound good.  However, Michael Adle (Leap into the Void) put out some unexpectedly good presets for it which surprisingly sounded almost more like Absynth.

Overperformers:

The library that has overperformed for me is the Wizoo Sound Platinum drums.  I got it 25 years ago and paid $25 for it in LM-4 format.  It’s not as well detailed as more modern libraries are but it sits well in places I might want relatively dry drums.

Arturia’s Pure Lo-Fi doesn’t seem to be particularly popular, but I have been having a bit of fun with it lately.

I don’t hear a lot of people talking about MTurboDelay, but it covers an awful lot of ground.

Likewise, I don’t hear a lot of love for Echoes, but I use the Oil Can mode a lot.

People don’t rave about NI’s Dirt.  For the most part it’s just another saturation plugin.  However, I managed to tweak one of the presets to get a pretty good Black Keys type fuzz.

Also in Guitar Rig, they added a new Fuzz called Red Fuzz.  Mode III has a certain raspiness that I like that doesn’t seem to be commonly found in guitar modelers.

2

[Ken (Zarg)]

!: The plugin that under delivered the most for me is the Izotope Trash.

2: The plugin that has over delivered the most IMO is the free Softube Saturation Knob. I use it on almost every project.
All the best.

Check out my music: https://soundcloud.com/zargg

3

[mustakatu]

1. PluginGuru Unify

2. Everything Audiothing

1

[LinkedMusicians]

On mustakatu said

1. PluginGuru Unify

2. Everything Audiothing

+1 for AudioThing. I know Carlo. I gave him some advice last year and recently touched base about LinkedMusicians. He’ll eventually pop in at LM.

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READ/WATCH: Mag Articles / Podcasts, Audio Production & Songwriter's Dictionaries

2

[Author]

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