Spend less time programming, and more time playing

WHAT DO you do for an encore after you’ve produced compressor, EQ, delay, reverb, and other “bread-and-butter” plug-ins? Easy: Get creative, and pay attention to all the musicians out there clamoring for a simpler, faster, more streamlined workflow.

For most of these plug-ins, the key words are simpler, faster, better. Sure, some buck the trend— for example, Universal Audio’s emulations become more sophisticated with every new project. But compared to the original hardware behemoth, even their plug-in is definitely simpler and faster (and you don’t have to comb eBay to find the original, or pay eBay prices).

Waves has reduced some plug-ins to a single knob that morphs among settings, while Toontrack gives you a ton of presets and a limited number of controls so you can get sounds fast. Native Instruments has transformed Guitar Rig into a general-purpose processor that loads unique components, like their trio of cost-effective, vintage compressors—with some “unvintage” features to up the ante. Softube bundles a simple, easy to use junior version of their TSAR-1 reverb if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to navigate the big brother’s interface, while Slate Digital has reduced the incredibly complex task of getting an analog console sound in a digital world to a set of two, easy-to-adjust plug-ins.

Want to play more than program, but don’t want to sacrifice sound? Read on.

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