# Specialist Plugins ?



## Orkpack (Apr 24, 2019)

Do you have any specialist Plugins for special Instruments in Orchestral kontext?

I know there are Plugins that are used on every Instruments like some EQs (Fab Filters Q3). 

But I whant to know witch Plugin do you uses always on a special Instrument because thes sound very good on this.

For example i alwys use plugin alliance maag on Drums. The Air band sounds very good.


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## Henu (Apr 25, 2019)

It usually depends. A LOT. I always start from a clean "desk" and add things on the go, depending on the needs of the channel and the project.

For orchestral VST stuff, I usually go with ProQ-3 and Waves Renaissance compressor for single instruments (due to it's transparency) and RenEQ for groups. One of my favourite group compressor is Kush's Novatron, which works wonders on strings and brass. And if I want some more character to my strings, I tend to reach for Soundtoys' Decapitator. I also pretty much always multiband compress the low mids with Fabfilter's Pro-MB from the string group.


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## re-peat (Apr 25, 2019)

Whenever I use anything from SampleModelling/AudioModelling, or other dry(-ish) sources like, say, solo instruments from VSL, XSample or whatever, *IrcamSPAT* is never far behind. The perfect spatializer, I find: limitless possibilities, sonically 100% reliable and musically always totally convincing.
After 25 years of buying tools to improve my mock-orchestral work with, SPAT still reigns supreme (and will, I'm sure, forever do so) as the best thing, by far, that’s ever come my way.
If you’re not familiar with what SPAT is all about, here a litte *introduction video* I made some time ago.

Other tools I'd hate to be without: Clariphonic, Dynamic Spectrum Mapper, Equilibrium and the Waves F6.

_


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## Dietz (Apr 25, 2019)

If I'm allowed to toot my own horn: I had (virtual) orchestral music in mind when I came up with this. 

Other than that I think that a good dynamic EQ and properly done multi-band dynamics are crucial tools for all but the most transparent virtual renditions of orchestral music.


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## Henu (Apr 25, 2019)

re-peat said:


> Equilibrium



I recently tried it out on a couple of masters and was completely blown away with the sound. It's just beyond my comprehension how good it sounds. I know it's prolly about the curves, oversampling, etc, but still I don't get it how it sounds better than e.g. Fabfilter with the same-ish settings. I've been trying to not to buy it for the last month, but will definitely do it any day now.

EDIT: Also, I'm trying to find any info of Spat, but it seems impossible to found the plugin with same UI that was in your video. Is this particular version still sold somewhere?


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## pmcrockett (Apr 25, 2019)

Henu said:


> EDIT: Also, I'm trying to find any info of Spat, but it seems impossible to found the plugin with same UI that was in your video. Is this particular version still sold somewhere?


Spat V3, which is what I use and probably what re-peat uses, is no longer sold or supported. It's been replaced by Spat Revolution, which is both more expensive and doesn't run natively as a VST. It seems to be targeted more at production houses than composers now, which is a shame because I share re-peat's enthusiasm for Spat.

You might still be able to find a second-hand license to V3 if you really want to pursue it.


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## Orkpack (Apr 25, 2019)

Mybe intresting 

https://www.uaudio.de/blog/how-the-...um=email&utm_campaign=2019+-+April+Content+#7


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## brenneisen (Apr 25, 2019)

re-peat said:


> Dynamic Spectrum Mapper,



how are you using DSM?


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## re-peat (Apr 25, 2019)

The way it’s supposed to be used, I guess. Have the software scan the incoming signal for a few or several few seconds (to determine a workable average of the signal's spectrum), and then adjust whatever my ears tell me needs adjusting. 
At first, it’s not a straightforward plugin to use I must say, and it requires some preparatory reading and quite a bit of practice — because abuse or misuse always lurks around the corner — but once you get the hang of how it works, things come out sounding invariably better than they did going in. A pippin of a tool.

Didn’t like the look of the interface though (with its old-fashioned and rather dark brushed metal look) , so I made one myself. On the left, the original, on the right, my version.


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## brenneisen (Apr 25, 2019)

re-peat said:


> The way it’s supposed to be used, I guess.



there are many; manual suggests on single tracks, entire mixes, de-essing, enhancement, final limiting, multi-band compression.



re-peat said:


> so I made one myself.



so much better


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## re-peat (Apr 25, 2019)

Ah, I see. (Sorry, by the way, for that hint of flippancy in my previous opening line.) So, to answer more helpfully: all of the uses the manual suggests. (Except de-essing, cause I do very little with vocals.)

In a mock-orchestral contest, for example, I'll often use the DSM on pizzicato, to simulate a bit more commitment from the players. (It’s that frequency-dependent type of dynamic processing which can remove some of the dullness you often get in sampled pizz.)
Percussion is another obvious candidate of course. Or the bus where the short articulations of the strings, winds or brass are sent through and where the DSM will, again, add some snap to the proceedings. 
All sorts of situations really where the DSM has proven its value: tighten up rhythmic parts, clear away mud, keep the lows in check, add some impact and punch, …

Moving away from the orchestra: I don’t think I’ve ever mixed a drumtrack without one or more instances of DSM being present somewhere between the source and the MasterOut. And it’s great on basses, pianos and keyboards too. Anything really, from the humblest isolated triangle to the most massive and dense full-mix.

Come to think of it, I don't really use it as a tool to solve problems with, but more as a kind of 'intensifier', so to speak.

The one thing to watch out for when using this plugin, is that it’s very easy to make things really loud. And loud, as we all know, often gets confused with better, which is of course rarely the case, but it’s tempting to move in that direction anyway.

_


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## Markus Kohlprath (Apr 25, 2019)

Is there any chance to get that far better gui? I don’t have the slightest idea how to do that...


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## re-peat (Apr 25, 2019)

Markus,

I hope you're on Mac. In which case you simply proceed as follows:

(1) Download the "Background.png" file (right-click on the image below, and download)
(2) Navigate to your Components folder, find the file "Dynamic Spectrum Mapper V2.component"
(3) Right-click the file and select "Show Package Contents"
(4) Inside "Contents", there's a "Resources"-folder. Open it.
(5) Replace the existing "Background.png" with the one you downloaded. Done.

(Unfortunately I've only made a replacement for the stereo version of the plugin. I never got round to do one for the mono version as well.)

It's possible to do this replacement in Windows too, yes, but it's nowhere near as straightforward as it is on a Mac. In Windows, you have to use specialized software like ResourceTuner or something similar, to hack your way into a program's resources (an operation always fraught with danger, especially if you're not absolutely sure about what you're doing), whereas on a Mac it's as simple as outlined above (provided, that is, that the program file which you want to modify, allows its contents to be accessed, which is not always the case — luckily it proved to be so with the DSM).
I've done it once successfully on a PC, when I desperately wanted to change some splash screens of Adobe CS6 software (because I really didn't like the way they looked), but it was a very tedious job which took me ages, and it's very unlikely I will ever attempt it again.

Here's the 'Background.png' image:






_


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## Markus Kohlprath (Apr 26, 2019)

re-peat said:


> Markus,
> 
> I hope you're on Mac. In which case you simply proceed as follows:
> 
> ...


Hey Piet, this looks gorgeous. I’m on an old Macpro and will check this out. Thank you so much. Hope it works with the vst as well since I work with cubase. Or does changing the component file also effect the vst plugin? I’ll check tomorrow. Didn’t know that this is possible.


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## re-peat (Apr 26, 2019)

Markus, I have no experience with VST’s (I’m a Logic user) so I don’t know what the exact procedure is with those things. But if they also allow you access to their ‘resource folder’ (where you find and can replace the ‘Background.png’ file), it should work.

Don't forget to make a back-up of your VST-file first though, just to be safe, in case something goes wrong while attempting the replacing.

_


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## Saxer (Apr 27, 2019)

I use Match-EQs a lot. Works for me to use different libraries in one track like pizz from AB and legato from XY. And I use it to analyze the differences of libraries. Why does XY sound harsh but AB fine? When I compare via Match EQ I can see the differences immediately as a curve. Often it's enough to know this differences and then I use another EQ.


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## Henu (Apr 27, 2019)

I also do that myself, it's a very good tactic for quickly checking out differencies which are hard to point out due to overtones/ phase cancellation etc masking the problem areas.

For example, metal guitars are sometimes a real pain in the ass to mold closer to sound X, so it's easier to compare sound X with the client's guitar track and notice that "_it's not about the 1-2k area in general, but there seems to be a complete brickwall -15 dB absence of 1250-1340 hZ which causes the sound X to behave this way_". Even though I'm supposed to do mixing rather professionally, those sort of things are yet beyond my hearing to point out immediately, hah!


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## Markus Kohlprath (Apr 27, 2019)

re-peat said:


> Markus, I have no experience with VST’s (I’m a Logic user) so I don’t know what the exact procedure is with those things. But if they also allow you access to their ‘resource folder’ (where you find and can replace the ‘Background.png’ file), it should work.
> 
> Don't forget to make a back-up of your VST-file first though, just to be safe, in case something goes wrong while attempting the replacing.
> 
> _


 I tried it out with the vst. But it doesn't work as it is supposed to be unfortunately. The new gui is there but very small with some strange lines going through the picture and the authorization wizard from PA wants a new authorization for all PA Plug ins. Above all there are no knobs or sliders to adjust settings. 
Was interesting to see the possibility. Thank you for your effort. Anyway I'm not that bothered by the gui that it hurts my ears but it would have been a nice, fresh thing.


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## re-peat (Apr 27, 2019)

Damn, that's a pity.

_


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