I have learned a lot from several excellent producer mentors, and I’ve also exchanged ideas with many musicians about their favorite tools. I’ve found that top-tier producers rarely have cluttered toolboxes. Their approach is often praised under the philosophy of “less is more”, and the real reason behind this lies in their superb technical skills and deep familiarity with their tools.

In my opinion, the entire purpose of effect plugins is to help you shape a sound into exactly what you want. Deconstructing this broad statement and working backward from the result, the reason you prioritize a specific plugin simply comes down to efficiency, rather than “quality” or “personality.” Some friends reading this might think I’m talking nonsense, so you might as well read on and see if I can convince you.

The Pultec EQ is a passive equalizer with a long history and a stellar reputation. It is universally recognized as one of the great EQ masterpieces. Among its variants, the Pultec EQP-1A is favored by many audio engineers for its smooth curves and warm tube texture. What makes the Pultec so special and unique? What makes me prioritize the Pultec as my go-to equalizer?

In truth, if you really go down the rabbit hole using Plugin Doctor to analyze its curves and harmonics, you can use Pro-Q3 and Saturn to recreate a sound that is infinitely close to the original. I can’t say it will be 100% identical, but I am absolutely certain no one could hear the difference within a full mix. The trade-off, however, is a massive amount of time and effort. You might ask: “Since Pro-Q3 and Saturn cannot achieve a perfectly identical effect, and a physical-modeling Pultec plugin accurately recreates the hardware’s non-linear behaviors, isn’t choosing the former a waste of time that still falls short, making it completely redundant?” Setting aside the necessity of such microscopic “details,” this brings us back to what I said at the beginning: if we only talk about efficiency and not just quality, then choosing a Pultec plugin to achieve a “perfect Pultec sound” is naturally the right call. At this point, we already have our answer.

But in this entire process—from asking the question to answering it—I deliberately removed a crucial link. Let’s ask ourselves another question: Did you choose the Pultec because your goal was to bring a warm texture to the sound, or simply because you like the Pultec? If it’s the latter, is your mixing decision driven solely by your affection for the plugin? Have you ever actually considered what kind of sound you want, and whether the Pultec is truly the best tool to achieve it? If you hesitate here, there are only two possibilities: either you don’t know what kind of changes the Pultec will actually bring to your audio, or worse, you have no idea what end result you are trying to achieve. In this scenario, aren’t your reasons for choosing OTT and choosing Pultec exactly the same? Driven by preference, not familiarity and understanding.

These are the questions I asked myself countless times before making mixing decisions. My current progress is inextricably tied to these countless Q&A sessions with myself.

Going back to the beginning: why did I say that the fundamental reason for prioritizing a plugin is “efficiency” rather than “quality” or “personality”? I only want to express one thing: the prerequisite for buying and using a tool is that you actually need it. And knowing what you need relies on three prerequisites: first, having a clear understanding of “what your goal is”; second, understanding the results of your choice; and third, being convinced that this choice will help you achieve your goal most effectively. In other words, it’s not the tool itself that dictates your actions; it’s your needs that dictate the tool.

After all, how do you define quality? How do you define personality? Why was Skrillex still using Ozone 5 almost a year after Ozone 9 was released in 2020 (and maybe he still uses it today)? Is it possible that iZotope downgraded Ozone for four consecutive versions? Highly unlikely. There must be another reason he stuck with Ozone 5. In my opinion, it’s because Skrillex knows Ozone 5 intimately enough to know exactly which operations will yield which sounds. For any scenario requiring that specific sound, reaching for Ozone 5 is the fastest route to his goal. He doesn’t need to think about “how can I achieve the same result using other methods”—there is simply no need to.

Returning to the example, if your thought process when adding a Pultec is: “I think this track would sound better if it were warmer, and in my experience, using a Pultec gets me there the fastest, so I’ll use it here,” then congratulations! Not only are you making the best use of your gear, but you have also purchased a tool that genuinely brings you value. Conversely, if you blindly make decisions without knowing what you want, no decision will carry any real meaning. Personality and quality both serve a purpose. There are many paths to reaching your goal—which one will you choose? The most efficient one, or the one that looks the flashiest?

I would choose the first, because I only care about the goal, not the means. People listening to my music aren’t going to sit there wondering, “What exact plugin did he use to make it sound like this?” How about you? I hope you’ve gained something from reading this.

Part 2: Excellent Plugin Recommendations

I’ve been involved in music production for four years now, and I’ve found that the truly useful tools are actually quite few.

I started out making electronic music, and now I also mix vocals while composing for games. Looking back, there was a period when my desire to buy gear was sky-high. I used to check online every day to see if certain plugins were on sale. I did buy a lot back then, but the ones I used the most remained my “old friends” from before that buying spree. Spending time with them made me even more convinced that “less is more” is a real thing. Because I’ve played around with many times more plugins than I actually use daily, I have a decent grasp of both highly versatile plugins and those specialized for specific tasks. Thus, I wanted to compile a list to share.

Before I begin, I want to clarify: the third-party plugins I recommend here are all ones I purchased over six months ago and continue to use to this day. I will share the stock DAW plugins I use daily in a separate article.

If you want to keep things incredibly simple from the start, these six plugins completely cover the three dimensions of sound processing: dynamics, frequency, and space.

  • FabFilter Pro-L
  • FabFilter Pro-C2
  • FabFilter Pro-MB
  • FabFilter Pro-Q3
  • Valhalla VintageVerb
  • Soundtoys EchoBoy

For soundstage manipulation, iZotope Ozone Imager is my top choice. It provides multiband stereo expansion, is completely free, and is highly reliable. For an exciter, Slate Digital’s free plugin Fresh Air is fantastic for adding airiness to a sound. If you need saturation or distortion, consider FabFilter Saturn, which covers most coloration types.

Those looking to maximize efficiency can look into Soothe2 and SplitEQ. Although they are expensive, introduce high latency, and are CPU-heavy, they save massive amounts of processing time on specific tasks. Soothe2 analyzes and suppresses harsh resonances in real-time, while SplitEQ provides transient shaping capabilities across the entire frequency spectrum.

I don’t think dedicated analysis tools are strictly necessary, as the FabFilter plugins mentioned above feature excellent dedicated data displays. But if you need one, check out the free Voxengo SPAN: a very powerful spectrum analyzer. If you are proficient with your DAW and the tools above, I believe you can handle almost any mixing scenario with ease.

There are also some plugins here that I absolutely love. They are great to have, but not strictly necessary.

Dynamics and EQ:

  • UADx Neve 1073
  • UADx 1176
  • UADx Pultec EQP-1A
  • UADx API 2500
  • UADx Empirical Labs Distressor
  • UADx Capitol Mastering Compressor
  • Softube TUBE-TECH CL-1B
  • Softube TUBE-TECH SMC 2B
  • Softube Opto Compressor
  • Softube Chandler Limited Curve Bender
  • Plugin Alliance Mäag EQ4
  • Plugin Alliance Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor

A quick digression: Most of the options above are analog-modeled compressors and EQs. You might ask: “Why pay extra for so many tools in the exact same category?” If you think that way, you probably haven’t been swept up by modern consumerism, which is a great thing. However, if you are specifically chasing hardware-like character or have a soft spot for a particular sound, “Virtual Analog” plugins are the fastest way to hit that target. If you want to explore “Virtual Analog” plugins, I highly recommend searching for reviews of the hardware you like and downloading the trial versions first. It’s always best to decide whether to buy them after understanding their sonic characteristics and identifying if they hold valuable application scenarios for your workflow.

As for iZotope’s two “mixing and mastering suites,” Ozone and Neutron, I generally do not recommend them simply because I prefer separating my plugins and using them individually. However, if you love the All-In-One workflow and don’t want to waste time making choices, they are worth considering. Their internal modules are very comprehensive, covering all bases, including unique effectors like Low End Focus and Transient Designer. To be honest, digital tools are largely similar (remember the Ozone 5 example above)—just pick one and master it. If you already know your way around certain digital mixing suites, don’t worry about buying others. There’s no need.

De-essers and Gates:

  • FabFilter Pro-DS
  • FabFilter Pro-G

Reverb and Delay:

  • Valhalla Room
  • Valhalla Shimmer
  • Soundtoys SuperPlate
  • Native Instruments Raum
  • UADx Hitsville Reverb Chambers
  • UADx Capitol Chambers
  • Eventide Blackhole

Other Types:

  • Soundtoys Decapitator
  • Soundtoys Crystallizer
  • Softube Tape
  • UADx Studer A800
  • UADx Brigade Chorus
  • UADx Manley Tube Preamp
  • Native Instruments Phasis
  • ShaperBox 3

Among these, the ones I use most frequently are Decapitator and Tape. Decapitator can completely tear a sound to shreds, while Tape adds just the right amount of analog warmth. ShaperBox is an envelope-based sound design plugin that can create countless unique effects.

I haven’t recommended others like Phasers / Flangers / Echoes / Choruses / Doublers / Pitch Shifters because I basically just use the stock plugins that come with my DAW (Ableton Live) for these tasks.

To wrap up, I want to remind you again: any plugin bought impulsively without thought will likely end up gathering dust in a corner of your hard drive, waiting for a day that may never come when it “might be useful.” Choices made blindly without careful consideration are essentially a waste of time and will likely cost you more in the long run. Doing your prep work makes every choice easier and leaves you with far fewer regrets.

That’s all.