Inside the Studio - Plugins That Do One Thing and Do It Exceptionally Well

As time goes on, I feel like I am intentionally looking for less and less options in life—especially in the world of music and engineering. Whether it’s a new guitar, processor, plugin or even the things I consider when helping people design their dream studio, I love simple, focused designs that do one or two things extremely well rather than single “Swiss Army knife” products that claim to do everything, but often end up doing so marginally well.

I could wax poetic and say that those type of products do not align with my value system, or I can be candid and admit that I just a little impatient—both of which are true. I’ve worked on a lot of recording projects over the years and I’ve learned that impatience leads me to seek efficiency. When patching in a processor or effect, I just want it to do what it does without having to wade through too many options, choices and outcomes which can be a huge workflow killer for me and the musicians I am working with.

Today there are a ton of software choices out there, but every now and then you run across a plugin that you tuck away in your back pocket—a secret mix weapon, if you will. Here are a couple of choice cuts that I like to use across multiple genres of music, and they haven’t let me down yet.