# I did it.....I bought my first Subscription



## José Herring (Apr 3, 2021)

So I did it. I put down for a year of PA Mix and Master bundle and I'm afraid I love it. I can tell that I'm not going to be able to let it go so I got a year of sales to get the plugins that I like most before I give it up because I don't want to be locked in for another year. 

So far I have to say that I LOVE SPL Iron. Oh man. Not too fond yet of the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor but I'll give it another shot soon. The SPL was like insta magic for me. 

What are you favs on the Mix and Master side of things? I'd like to dig in make a list, check it twice and over this coming year picking them up for keeps.


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## doctoremmet (Apr 3, 2021)

Basically all the Unfiltered Audio stuff (is that in there as well?) and Louder Than Liftoff Chop Shop is a great tilt EQ.

Cool subscription.


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## José Herring (Apr 3, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Basically all the Unfiltered Audio stuff (is that in there as well?) and Louder Than Liftoff Chop Shop is a great tilt EQ.
> 
> Cool subscription.


The Chop Shop is but the Unfiltered Audio Stuff is not, but I can get those with the Coupon while it is on sale. Hmmmmm... I have one day to decide.


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## José Herring (Apr 3, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Basically all the Unfiltered Audio stuff (is that in there as well?) and Louder Than Liftoff Chop Shop is a great tilt EQ.
> 
> Cool subscription.


Oh wait they are included after all. These sales are confusing but it appears that they both may be on sale for $99 right now.


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## doctoremmet (Apr 3, 2021)

There is so much in there. A good PA purchasing strategy (for me) has been to get most 39.99 stuff on sales for like 15 bucks each and get the rest second hand on KVR and on here and then use vouchers ($50 bucks ones I either had received or purchased off of someone for like $10) for the license transfer fees.

For now, use the current vouchers to get cheap stuff even cheaper or just hoard free stuff (Lindell X series haha). Use the subscription. See which ones you end up liking and using, and then strategically acquire licenses and use vouchers for transfer fee.

This Is The Way
(cue Mandalorian flute loop)


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## doctoremmet (Apr 3, 2021)

Btw, my favourite non-UA PA plugins are:

- Blackbox Design HG2 (I only have the non M/S one)

- Vertigo VSM3

I think those are right up your alley, given that you are into (tube) saturation and colouring your tracks.


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## CATDAD (Apr 3, 2021)

ADPTR Metric AB! It's a reference tool.

Very unglamorous and I never thought I'd actually want anything more than dropping a reference track in to a project but...

It's just convenient for level matching and A/Bing multiple references quickly while giving additional graphical clues to what your track might be missing in comparison. I just grabbed it recently and I think it's been more useful to me than "another different flavour of the same tools". It also doubles as a detailed metering tool in it's own right without using the features it's built for. One of those plugs I think literally anyone working with music could find a use for if they don't already have an equivalent tool.


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## jcrosby (Apr 3, 2021)

José Herring said:


> So I did it. I put down for a year of PA Mix and Master bundle and I'm afraid I love it. I can tell that I'm not going to be able to let it go so I got a year of sales to get the plugins that I like most before I give it up because I don't want to be locked in for another year.
> 
> So far I have to say that I LOVE SPL Iron. Oh man. Not too fond yet of the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor but I'll give it another shot soon. The SPL was like insta magic for me.
> 
> What are you favs on the Mix and Master side of things? I'd like to dig in make a list, check it twice and over this coming year picking them up for keeps.


I demoed this the other day and bought it within about 10 mins. I also feel the same way about the Shadow Hills. I've had the UAD version for a few years and just don't use it much, I just never thought it sounded all that great. 

The Iron though really has its own character though... It has a really nice attack envelope on the longer settings that can punch things up if you need it to, and the release is really smooth. I also love that it's incredibly CPU efficient but adds no latency. Very template friendly, and really versatile...


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## doctoremmet (Apr 3, 2021)

Oh, and if DearVR Pro is in your subscription, definitely try that for spatializing your orchestral sections if and when needed (libraries not recorded in situ).


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## gst98 (Apr 3, 2021)

-SSL E channel, but all of the channel strips are good tbh.
-Metric AB
-Any plugin with the stereo width control - it's the best I've heard
-Lots of great saturators like the black box, vsm-3 and Big Al
-Shadow Hills
-Any Ampeg sim (b-15 is my favourite), both as amps but also for sound design.
-Townhouse

Truth is I love so much for the mega bundle and is one of the few subscriptions that I think is worth it because of the cost to out-right buy the plugins.


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## gst98 (Apr 3, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> I demoed this the other day and bought it within about 10 mins. I also feel the same way about the Shadow Hills. I've had the UAD version for a few years and just don't use it much, I just never thought it sounded all that great.
> 
> The Iron though really has its own character though... It has a really nice attack envelope on the longer settings that can punch things up if you need it to, and the release is really smooth. I also love that it's incredibly CPU efficient but adds no latency. Very template friendly, and really versatile...


Try the demo for the new PA Class A version of it


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## el-bo (Apr 3, 2021)

Lindell TE-100 (Yet to own, but demoed twice). Workflow is a little jarring at first, but it has some really smooth results with bass and higher frequencies.
Lindell Series 80 Channel strip (Mojo till Tuesday)

Lindell 354e (Put it on your drums for a good ol’ Bonham spanking. Brutal!)

UA stuff is always good for experimenting with. Sample-rate reduction in some of their plugs adds extra levels of fun, especially combined with ‘Sleep’ mode in 'Sandman Pro'.

DearVR PRO - Not sure how it fairs with ‘standard’ music, but for more experimental stuff, just put on your cans and play with the spaces. Would recommend composing into the plugin, rather than whacking it on at the mixing stage, as it can radically change the sound. But slapping it on at the beginning allows sound-design decisions to be tailored to the ambience.

Also, I’ve used the ProAudioDSP VSM 3 to good effect.


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## darcvision (Apr 3, 2021)

bx ssl townhouse and ssl console g


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## CoffeeLover (Apr 3, 2021)

i quit my subscription
its rent to own now


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## Monkberry (Apr 3, 2021)

José Herring said:


> So I did it. I put down for a year of PA Mix and Master bundle and I'm afraid I love it. I can tell that I'm not going to be able to let it go so I got a year of sales to get the plugins that I like most before I give it up because I don't want to be locked in for another year.
> 
> So far I have to say that I LOVE SPL Iron. Oh man. Not too fond yet of the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor but I'll give it another shot soon. The SPL was like insta magic for me.
> 
> What are you favs on the Mix and Master side of things? I'd like to dig in make a list, check it twice and over this coming year picking them up for keeps.


I know a lot folks do not believe in the subscription concept but I jumped on the Mix & Master Bundle last year and immediately knew it was a great deal for me. There are so many great and useful plugins that I would otherwise never get around to testing even with the 14 day trial. The Townhouse Compressor is unique, Lindell 80s channel strip is superb, SSL channel strips, Focusrite channel strip, Amek EQ 200, Bettermaker EQ, Bax EQ, ADPTR Metric, SPL Iron, Black Box HG2 MS and so many more . I actually purchase the ones I can't live without at a discount as I expect to leave the subscription model at some point but I will renew for a second round this year when my current subscription runs out.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 3, 2021)

The PA stuff never connected with me but they do offer a lot of the money. I was on Slate’s sub for a bit and thought their modules were much better. Stick to UAD, SoundToys, and FabFilter mostly now along with Softube Console 1. Once you have a set, you really don’t need much else.


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## Henu (Apr 3, 2021)

CATDAD said:


> ADPTR Metric AB!


Seriously SO MUCH THIS.

I'm starting to mix a soundtrack which I decided to utilize a bit more different sound I'd normally do. Owning Metric AB, I spent a couple of hours yesterday to build myself a reference palette of pieces of music having the same characteristics. Then I imported them all to the plugin, made loop points for certain parts and started A/B'ing my section EQ's, overall balances and reverb choices against the files.
I prepared the first draft of the mix today in just a couple of hours- and if I didn't have that tool to quickly compare stuff and make decisions fast, I think I'd be still working with the strings section.

As a tip, don't bring only "good" references to the table. I always have some pieces which I know to have e.g. way too much certain frequencies, too wide stereo image, etc and use them as a "line to not cross at any point".

Metric A/B isn't the sexiest and flashiest hardware emulator or the latest AI- driven instahit tool, but goddamn it's one of the best tools you can have at your hands when mixing (and mastering) stuff.


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## SupremeFist (Apr 3, 2021)

José Herring said:


> So far I have to say that I LOVE SPL Iron. Oh man. Not too fond yet of the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor but I'll give it another shot soon. The SPL was like insta magic for me.


I already have Too Many Bus Compressors but I couldn't help using my voucher to get this just on your say-so. Curious to see if it might edge out my Waves Puigchild...


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## SupremeFist (Apr 3, 2021)

Of the other PA mixing/mastering stuff I have I'm a huge fan of the bx_masterdesk (for my trance/synthwave stuff), and I've recently been putting the SSL G on channels/stems for chamber/orchestral pieces, where I think it imparts a really nice bit of definition and separation to the overall mix.


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## lux (Apr 3, 2021)

got it as well, found myself using a lot the Lindell bus stuff to add color to single tracks, my faves so far, but I barely scratched the surface.

It may be just me but I can't find easy to use the channel strips (N, SSL, Focusrite) and mostly I end up using single plugins for coloring, eq, comp and filter. Maybe I should just force myself on the consoles for a while.

In general PA subscription is a game changer, so many nice plugins. Altough I can't avoid using a lot of Softube and IK Multimedia while mixing.


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 3, 2021)

I sold Iron awhile back. Too unnecessarily fussy to use (for me), plus it doesn’t have good oversampling - it really needs to work at 96khz, else you run the risk of aliasing. I’ve found happiness elsewhere. I hung on to Shadow Hills A for now. Purple MC77 is a keeper. Townhouse is a keeper (the last plug-in I acquired before they changed their pricing model).

Anything by Lindell is worth trying. By far the most consistently great plugins across the board. I use the Lindell less as a strip and just use one function only (EQ or compression) and get the vibe- note that the vibe happens when you enable oversampling, as the high end frequencies get reduced.


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## SupremeFist (Apr 3, 2021)

lux said:


> It may be just me but I can't find easy to use the channel strips (N, SSL, Focusrite) and mostly I end up using single plugins for coloring, eq, comp and filter. Maybe I should just force myself on the consoles for a while.



I mainly leave them at default settings and just have them there for the overall mix vibe. Maybe dial in a high or low cut if that's all that's needed but for compression or more surgical eq I'll use a separate plugin afterwards.


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## rrichard63 (Apr 3, 2021)

Monkberry said:


> I know a lot folks do not believe in the subscription concept but I jumped on the Mix & Master Bundle last year and immediately knew it was a great deal for me.


Me too. But it's not (just) a subscription. It's more like paying in advance for plugins and waiting to decide which ones to buy until you have tried them all on your own projects and at your own pace.


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## el-bo (Apr 3, 2021)

rrichard63 said:


> It's not (just) a subscription. It's more like paying in advance for plugins and waiting to decide which ones to buy until you have tried them all on your own projects and at your own pace.


Haha! They should use that in their advertising copy


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## MartinH. (Apr 3, 2021)

el-bo said:


> Haha! They should use that in their advertising copy



They kind of do. When you try to buy anything, they show you this:


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## lux (Apr 3, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> I mainly leave them at default settings and just have them there for the overall mix vibe. Maybe dial in a high or low cut if that's all that's needed but for compression or more surgical eq I'll use a separate plugin afterwards.


yup, they can be used just for basic colouring as you suggest, they're also quite easy on cpu. Although there's lots of functionalities under the hood. 

speaking of which, I have to admit that I don't completely get why they got so many functions crowded and hard to read/manipulate while they could just make them more usable than in original consoles. After all the reason why real consoles have functions compressed is the lack of physical space, something you don't have in the virtual realm, where you have various levels/layers/labeled planes.


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## Russell Anderson (Apr 3, 2021)

vitocorleone123 said:


> I sold Iron awhile back. Too unnecessarily fussy to use (for me), plus it doesn’t have good oversampling - it really needs to work at 96khz, else you run the risk of aliasing.


Do you have DDMF MetaPlugin? As far as I understand it, that plugin singlehandedly makes the problem of "lack of oversampling" a thing of the past, though I won't disagree that fiddly workflow is reason enough not to use something if you're getting the results you want with something simpler.

Eventually I'll experiment with the impressive line of compressors/consoles they've got, but for now I just bought Phil's Cascade as it's the only thing I'm confident I'll actually know how to use and will use. Later on, HG-2MS. But I've got a good amount of learning to do before I can pick up anything else with confidence, as absolutely awesome as some of these plugins sound.


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## el-bo (Apr 3, 2021)

MartinH. said:


> They kind of do. When you try to buy anything, they show you this:


I was thinking much more in terms of the frontline.


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## rrichard63 (Apr 3, 2021)

el-bo said:


> Haha! They should use that in their advertising copy


Would I get royalties?


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## Jeremy Spencer (Apr 3, 2021)

José Herring said:


> So I did it. I put down for a year of PA Mix and Master bundle and I'm afraid I love it. I can tell that I'm not going to be able to let it go so I got a year of sales to get the plugins that I like most before I give it up because I don't want to be locked in for another year.
> 
> So far I have to say that I LOVE SPL Iron. Oh man. Not too fond yet of the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor but I'll give it another shot soon. The SPL was like insta magic for me.
> 
> What are you favs on the Mix and Master side of things? I'd like to dig in make a list, check it twice and over this coming year picking them up for keeps.


Not really a fan of the PA stuff, but I did buy the Brainworx bx_console Focusrite SC for $29 last year, it's really cool.


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## José Herring (Apr 3, 2021)

Russell Anderson said:


> Do you have DDMF MetaPlugin? As far as I understand it, that plugin singlehandedly makes the problem of "lack of oversampling" a thing of the past, though I won't disagree that fiddly workflow is reason enough not to use something if you're getting the results you want with something simpler.
> 
> Eventually I'll experiment with the impressive line of compressors/consoles they've got, but for now I just bought Phil's Cascade as it's the only thing I'm confident I'll actually know how to use and will use. Later on, HG-2MS. But I've got a good amount of learning to do before I can pick up anything else with confidence, as absolutely awesome as some of these plugins sound.


If you have a plugin that doesn't oversample if I put it in DDMF MetaPlugin it will allow a non-oversample plugin to oversample?


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## José Herring (Apr 3, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> I already have Too Many Bus Compressors but I couldn't help using my voucher to get this just on your say-so. Curious to see if it might edge out my Waves Puigchild...


Great. Now I'm curious about the Puigchild.


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## jcrosby (Apr 3, 2021)

gst98 said:


> Try the demo for the new PA Class A version of it


I assumed there wasn't much difference but it looks the like compression behavior is different on it... Thanks, I'll give it a go...


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## Russell Anderson (Apr 3, 2021)

José Herring said:


> If you have a plugin that doesn't oversample if I put it in DDMF MetaPlugin it will allow a non-oversample plugin to oversample?


Yes, the whole chain. It’s a somewhat modular host, so you can use it to host any number of plug-ins and you set up the routing of the audio signal however you want, meaning you can run dry/wet parallel processing inside of that single host and then oversample the entire process up to 16 times real time, or 64 times off-line. The host takes up one effect slot, I believe you can also run it as a generator (or at least you certainly can load generators inside of it). It’s my preferred way of doing “wet sends”. You can also just stick a synth or saturation plugin inside of it and oversample that by itself, it’s very flexible.


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## José Herring (Apr 3, 2021)

Russell Anderson said:


> Yes, the whole chain. It’s a somewhat modular host, so you can use it to host any number of plug-ins and you set up the routing of the audio signal however you want, meaning you can run dry/wet parallel processing inside of that single host and then oversample the entire process up to 16 times real time, or 64 times off-line. The host takes up one effect slot, I believe you can also run it as a generator (or at least you certainly can load generators inside of it). It’s my preferred way of doing “wet sends”. You can also just stick a synth or saturation plugin inside of it and oversample that by itself, it’s very flexible.


Hmmmm...might breath life into my older synths and FX. Thanks I'll try it tonight.


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## el-bo (Apr 3, 2021)

rrichard63 said:


> Would I get royalties?


Apparently not


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