Do You Really Need Hundreds of Plugins?

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In this video I make the claim that the notion that you need loads and loads of plugins for modern music production is false. Rather, a comprehensive understanding of the tools you already own will actually make or break your mixes.

[@lostreligion1313]

That feeling of relief you get, when you get what you want, is not from getting what you want, its from no longer wanting it. Learning to want less and have more is a life skill for sure.

[@treyhudson73]

Unfortunately we usually end up too soon old and too late smart. The Beatles had it right when they wrote "All You Need Is Love".

[@tholos6630]

+1 to Seed to Stage courses. I learned so much of what i know through the Mixing and Mastering course and it was more beneficial as a total educational experience vs trying to sort through a zillion different Ableton videos. Highly recommended if you use Live and want to evelvate your production skills and understanding of audio, mixing concepts, etc.

[@brianwdowling]

Wise words. On any potential plugin purchase, get the demo, devote the time to learning how it works. Very often, once you've evaluated in-depth over a couple of weeks, you'll find that you really don't need it. Another approach is to try and design/create what the plugin is doing in your DAW, for example, chains in Ableton can do some very complex processing/effects which can negate the need for specialized plugins.

[@fakshen1973]

Fill up on free plug-ins. There are TONS of great free plug-ins. With the money you save, put it towards a new computer that's faster, has more storage, etc.

[@Alej_915]

Trackspacer is the shit. I love it so much.

[@eddy4719]

God damn. Thanks for the honesty man. I needed this. This is not only for music production. This advice is for everything creative related! Just do your work and focus on your craft and not the shiny fancy things ok social media!

[@coreymumper2208]

I was thinking at the beginning of the video i should suggest the book "Atomic Habits" talks about changing your relationship to things and how they make you feel and what cues fire you up to make good or bad decisions. Anyone that is reading this, go check it out! It has honestly changed the way i look at the world and it gives you incredible tools to encourage the best in your daily life! I hope your doing well Anthony! Thanks for all the great tips and hope this helps people think, they truly dont need all the extra swagg, only plug in i would say is excluded is Shaperbox, that thing is in a league all its own! Maybe soothe 2 but its all about what tools you have and sharpening your skills! You can make it bang without all the extra bucks baby!

[@nickpmusic]

You're totally right here, just upgraded my Komplete 13 to 14 and Ableton Live from 10 to 11. Couple of hundred quid, however I have to say these two companies have really upped their game with new sounds and features that are pretty awesome. Just can't help myself.....

[@esahm373]

Glue Compressor is not developed by Softube, but a developer called Cytomic. I agree with the whole "less is more" idea. It's really easy to get overwhelmed with too many redundant options at hand.

[@RandomNoiseMusic]

You and your channel are so underrated in my opinion. One of the very few in the community that actually demonstrates true creativity despite or maybe because of the bounded constraints of the tools you are using. I am guilty as well in having plugins GAS, and your videos always inspire me to dig deeper and better understand what I already have before running after the next shiny thing.

[@HoveyKraft]

Great advice! It's so true that so much can be accomplished with only Ableton effects, especially when combining them in racks. One small correction though, the beautiful Glue compressor, the different filter models, and much of the EQ code are the work of Andy at Cytomic. Softube is responsible for the Guitar Amp sims.

[@SeedtoStage]

WHOOPS! Thanks and Kudos to Cytomic!

[@infinitedurr]

Great message, I'm glad you're saying it. And, I'd like to offer a constructive counterpoint to your main message here: 1- _Some of the newer plugins coming out can absolutely be recreated with stock plugins or plugins we already have, but they often package together processes into a streamlined interface that saves valuable time_ . A great example of this is the recent Jaycen Joshua God Particle plugin. His workflow and plugin choices for certain tasks is already known and can be recreated for free. But, it does this all for you very quickly, helping you to get those better results in a fraction of the time. I didn't want to buy into the hype when it first came out, but after trying it, I couldn't deny that it made getting to a great result faster and easier. 2- _Some new plugins offer you a sound that you may not consider to go after on your own, which can teach you new things about processing audio_ . Using that same God Particle plugin as an example, left to my own devices, I typically don't mix with such a mid forward sound. But after playing with this plugin, it's taught me a lot about why my old mixes didn't quite sound 'pro' and why my masters from labels would come back sounding strangely midrangey. This in turn pointed me toward looking more closely at correcting my monitoring. All in all, a useful jouney into learning that I wouldn't have had without the experience of that plugin. Another is that MAAT FiDef plugin, which while I didn't buy it, tuned me in to using enveloped noise in my mixing for the psychoacoustic effect. I found a free version that does the same thing, and I'm happy to have it in the arsenal. 3- _Some plugins do the same thing on paper, but end up sounding really different in application_ . A possibly unfair example of this is one of my favorite physical modeling synths, Plasmonic. It's _very_ similar to Logic's Sculpture plugin, which I've had as long as it's been in Logic for. But I never used Sculpture, partially because of the awkward interface, and partially because it just doesn't sound as pleasing as Plasmonic. But I absolutely adore Plasmonic. So yeah, same thing on paper, totally different in use. 4- _Interface matters_ ! This is something I've learned the long way, but a good interface totally shapes how you relate to and perceive-- and therefore what comes out of-- the plugins you use. Often, these newer & shinier plugins have better interfaces (sometimes worse though too! 😁 ) and that goes a long way toward enjoying using the plugin and getting a great result. When it comes to music, interface is a big deal. It's often what separates hardware from soft synths, consoles from console emulations and flat feeling DAW mixing, and even one DAW from another. For example, I massively admire Bitwig, but I know that that interface is _not_ for me! I've tried it, and it's a hard no from me every time I try to play with it and learn it. Doing all ITB music without decent interfaces (both graphically, and in terms of controllers) would be deeply boring and much less exciting. I would know, I started making music back when DAWs were incredibly boring to look at. Anyways, you're right, I'm glad you're saying it, and I love your content in general. Mindless consumer culture and dopamine chasing is something we all should be mindful of. It is better to get busy making music and not continually be on a chase for new plugins and then new learning curves for each plugin after we buy it. Much love and respect to you as an artist and as a teacher. Keep up the amazing work!

[@michaelbarker6460]

As a counter counter point interfaces can really suck you in and lead you to believe that generally "good" or "the right" stuff is happening in the mix because of what is visually going on in the plugin. You're right in that it is super fun especially during sound design sessions where you are just experimenting or coming up with presets you can use in the future. But as someone that used to rely heavily on what I was seeing instead of hearing I now have the (maybe a bit strange) habit of closing my eyes and really tuning into the sound while I adjust a slider or knob on my midi controller to change a parameter that I can't seem to decide on. I'm often surprised when I find what sounds perfect to me to then open my eyes and see that it falls outside of what I would normally be looking for visually. I also now prefer to only listen to things like plugin or gear reviews instead of watching them. If it actually sounds like something I want to incorporate in my music then I'll watch them and see how intuitive or not of an interface it has and decide from there. I get that this is just the most obvious thing in the world for some people but for others like myself its really easy to be captivated and persuaded by pretty looking things.

[@fransbuiten9777]

soooo true, used to have 100rds of plug ins, now i only use 3 vst synths, 2 reverbs,2eqs,distortion,delay..and some fidgety stuff. maybe 5 % of what i used to have. saves you a lot of time for actually producing music, and really learning to understand your instruments.

[@djrage73]

Man I love this channel...lol. I swear you were talking to me cause I have in the past got myself wrapped up into this same topic. I have found myself purchasing plugins just because someone made this fancy video to market it and once I got it I realized that what I had already was working for me....I just didn't take the time to use it. I absolutely love Abelton's stock plugins and everytime I work within it I don't even use my third party plugins like that. Anyway...sorry to be long winded but thanks for this. It was spot on!

[@allanckny]

Your mixing course is one of the best purchases I’ve got on this music journey. I’m looking to buy the sound design course.

[@mcclary8225]

my goat, literally dont know where i would be as a producer without this channel.

[@Thayne2222]

Spitting straight truths. At this point to me mixing only using stock plug-ins is more of a bragging point than having whatever new iteration of the same old plug-in is hot right now. And yeah, the marketing machine for this stuff gets SOOO freaking tiresome. Every other IG story I see right now as an ad for this shit. But tbh it just makes me appreciate the companies and creators that don’t feed the beast even more. And thanks to you though for providing so much great educational content while refusing to feed the hype machine 🙏🏻

[@skelhain]

Perfect timing, right before I was going to buy iZotope Ozone you come along and convince me to stop that nonsense. Thanks!

[@carpo719]

It's so strange you just posted this anthony, I just had a discussion about how I love using switches and levers and how plugins have become overwhelming. Digital has become overwhelming. I love my old school analog dear, it's definitely going to make a resurgence. I'm trying to explain this to my son he's 13 and just learning how to use some of these programs. I'm trying to explain to him Simplicity is the key to music.. The dopamine hit for shopping is a good point. Hope to see you soon 😁 Found my cloud

[@normapadro420]

Hi. I like your video. I did a lot of research on many plugins. I noticed that my DAWs could do different things. I have 5 of them. I use them for different things. I also got over 47 vsts. I got them all for free. They all do different things. There are a few things that I have today that I got for free. It's really the final product that counts. I use everything to my advantage. I have thrown away a lot of things that I don't need.

[@CNTRRNDM]

This is so true 💯 great piece of advice!!!

[@delfean2666]

I need to watch this video everytime before checking out! :D

[@JakeSweeper]

Yeah... guilty of having a bad case of GAS, even where DAWs are concerned; started with Live Lite and suddenly I have Suite with so many options that I may never get around to using. *sigh* But as far as 3rd party plug-ins go, I haven't really bought anything beyond virtual synths and sound packs; having been told by many youtubers to learn the FX my DAW has already before dropping cash on things I'll likely never need or use.

[@raamsanghani9187]

Confession: I bought an op-z a couple months ago and have barely touched it -_- of course my thought process was that this would be a magic pill for my beats. In fact I’ve spent quite a bit of money this year on gear compared to the lack of music that’s made it out of Ableton. I learned the hard way to learn to use what you have to the max before spending wayyyyy too much money on gear/plugins. 😢

[@roikorginal]

very important subject , thank you man !

[@vicsardou9654]

Great perspective. Thanks. We need more focus on G.A.S. on many aspects of music production.

[@JamesWilliams-se3vr]

Wise words.

[@qtyqty4]

very precious video.

[@SkyMasters]

Well as long as you're thinking that that's not the answer to all your problems . I believe that the different interfaces and seeing the different ways they are built are educational. I also think that you can only get certain sounds out of high quality products. Like orchestral sounds. Or all these new crazy effects that are coming out. Sure you could do it regularly it'll just take you 40 years to program it. I also think that this endeavor should only be taken after you have fulfilled your other Studio needs. Like a good core computer. You don't know how many people I see trying to shove down a brand new $300 VST in an old $80 laptop

[@jdtorian]

Word to all of this. Music released is inversely proportional to sh*t purchased. 🎉

[@zero2herobeatspaul882]

I don't buy what i need, i buy what I want because of the novelty. I don't buy watches, expensive coffee, other luxuries, i don't travel. Plugins are my guilty pleasure. I can afford it easily, so no problem there. I might look into reselling or gifting licenses for plugins i hardly use anymore. (FL Studio and Logic user, so not a prospect for your courses)

[@DexterPiano]

Thank you...I have big problems with that !

[@jammanmcguin]

Good man!

[@kapilatoeran]

True!

[@orbmortslaw2744]

Unrelated, but is that an OB-6? Man, I would LOVE a tutorial video demonstrating MPE capabilities of Ableton 11 and some MPE enabled hardware like some of the DSI synths.

[@mitchdodgemusic]

Wise words 👏

[@mansamuli6575]

I'm using Ableton Lite coz I can't afford Ableton Standard 😭. But the silver lining is, the limitations are forcing me to focus on the basics. I downloaded free plugins to fill the gaps but most of the time, the stock plugins are better.

[@markmdn6307]

Well stated.

[@minggamratan8921]

How do I get the 40% discount on suite i would love to get the course as well

[@bobfrode]

who needs more plugin when having what you need in ableton :) there are insane a lot of useful plugins in ableton. like you said its better to learn the plugins you are using

[@kmjansen]

This was the video I didn't want to need.

[@treyhudson73]

Yo man! This is a perfect topic for me right now. Have you been a little quiet lately or is the algo being a D? You haven't been in my feed for a MINUTE

[@SeedtoStage]

naw im a new dad, building a studio in the basement, and im busy touring etc etc SO MUCH AHHH

[@treyhudson73]

@@SeedtoStage Right on, man! I'm glad to hear it's "life" getting in the way and not the evils of the algo Congrats on the offspring. It's absolutely one of those things you can't understand until it happens.

[@Kkidzz]

HEDD 20’s on my list. ;)

[@neoconnor4395]

Hey do you have any promotional offers for your course?

[@bcornels]

yesssss

[@kmdglobe5402]

Buy a loved one something instead. 420th like, I took your advice and went for a beer with my step dad.

[@parboilrice]

Yes Edit- No. That buy something for a loved one concept is the correct answer tbh

[@andreavailati8292]

I totally agree. Would be good to understand which are in your opinion the vst worth to be used vs ableton stock ones because even if I share your thoughts I still have around 30 vst in my toolbox

[@SeedtoStage]

i think ill make a sister video to this one about a short listn of plugins in my opinion would supplement ableton suite

[@andrewcampbell8938]

Very true. Same can be said for online courses.

[@luciengrillet]

I see the irony in my question considering the topic of the video, but I've been wondering something for a while : Is it possible to get the educational discount on the FabFilter plugins when we purchase your online courses? I would seriously consider to buy them if that was the case (since I already own an Ableton Suite licence). I really think that you're one of the best music production teachers out there and I realize that the price of your courses is ridiculously low compared to the one of a regular college tuition, but it's still a lot of money for a hobbyist musician who's got no ambition to make profit with its music. Therefore it would be great if it was also away to get some of the most appraised plugins on the market. 😅

[@1andahalfmen268]

Hi - I have purchased all of the seed to stage courses, which by the way are phenomenal --every one! If you buy one you get discount from the rest. I emailed fabfilter about the educational discount and was originally told no. However when I sent a screenshot of the individual prices of the seed to stage courses I was granted the discount. I also know that another student was given the discount too. But there are no affiliations and therefore no guarantees; I think persistence is key. This said, the best money you will ever spend relating to Ableton production is the seed to stage course bundle. I've subscribed to multiple course providers and nothing compares! 99% of plugins used are stock and Anthony shows you how to use them effectively. I agree that fabfilter plugins are next level, but after going through the course content, they are the only plugins I've purchased since, because they are the only thing that adds value to what is already there. As part of the course you get access to a discord group, with other members. The members are great, offer feedback on mixes, advice on functions, and Anthony himself actively participates. I am not affiliated with seed to stage and my KZbin name won't be recognized by the discord community either, so this is purely based on my experience with the courses, Anthony (responses to questions on the chat) and the discord community. I am also a hobbyist, but the money I spent on these courses was money very well spent because I enjoy my hobby so much more now that I know what I am doing. Also, once you buy one course, you will be very surprised at the discount for the rest (huge) So back to fabfilter, I would say you are 90% likely to get the educational discount, but if you are initially trading off between the two, get the courses and you'll be far better placed to use fabfilter in the future any way.

[@1andahalfmen268]

Also. Really not trying to plug myself as my monthly Spotify subscribers are unlikely the surge as a result (currently 4 per month 😂). But if you have the time, check out my Spotify and listen to Giants compared to flower shop. Giant was badly mixed using a well known AI subscription bundle with cpu usage through the roof. flower shop was mixed entirely with stock plugins aside from fabs limiter on the master bus. It's no professional mix (I'm a hobbyist), but the difference is so clear. I still reference the course content every day.

[@mjKlaim]

I have been following that advice for some time (and would like to invest in your lessons at some point but lacks moneyz for now), but one thing that I find frustrating: every time I use instruments coming from Ableton Live Suite, even synths based on wavetable etc, I'm told it feels old-school and not very modern (by other more experienced music makers reviewing my song without knowing me). It is not clear to me if it's my lack of understanding of all the tools I have available that leads me to "old school" sounds or if this is because while the tools in Ableton Live Suite are complete, some tools (notably instruments) are worth being replaced by , say , something like Falcon 2 or whatever other synths etc. What do you think? Are there weak parts of the suite that one should be aware of? Or is it just because I'm still not good with these specific tools? Basically: should the advice to learn the tool already invested in first be nuanced for some of the tools provided, typically instruments? (note to clarify: "old school" is usually not what I would like my sounds to sound like, so I'm often baffled at these remarks - I suspect I might miss something realted to mixing or mastering or basically sound design)

[@starkid9736]

good plugin sound is real sure u buy a lot that u dont use after 3 years but u learned also a lot collect favs along the way and know how to use them dont be cheap have fun and learn try arturia fx bundle and hear 4 ur self and get good headphones

[@mjKlaim]

@@starkid9736 Sure but following that mindset I would by Arturia's stuffs, Native Instruments stuffs and Falcon 2 and Reason and etc. and basically I agree I would like to have all that but I also have no money left after having invested in Live Suite and Superior Drummer 3 TT__TT But I get what you mean, apparently I should still experiment with these other plugins see if I can find better sounds than what I have in the Live Suite.

[@starkid9736]

@@mjKlaim its about information detail !!! how ever!!! u achieve that thats y analog is real the old crosstalk circuits synths i work with focal stellia headphones and once u see the deep valeys where only record needles go u know🤣 sure u get bass and stereo width and what not with standard stuff but u cant trick ur ears for DETAIL ( imperfections ) thats y the cultur volture exists it sucks that it boils down to money and yes u can become a dopamine gear slut thats only out to buy the latest... after 20 some years in this i like to say have ur and now ur favorite tools (3 comps 2 eqs 5 filters 3 tapes 3 reverb 4 delays..) wich takes time and a lot digital dust collectors u dont use after a while its life.. HAVE FUN Klaim at ur music journey🥰

[@mjKlaim]

​@@starkid9736 thanks! I think I see what you mean haha

[@tholos6630]

GLUE COMPRESSOR is BAE. I have others ... I still use GC all the time.

[@stuartleighton]

Who needs plug ins when you have M4L?

[@ivazhu]

Sorry for unasked advice, but please use de esser on your voice next time

[@SeedtoStage]

@@Positive_Tea I normally use a UAD manley voxbox de-esser which i now realize was bypassed for this video shoot DOH! Sorry bout that wont happen again. Good ear

[@johnhawkinshawkins1284]

...so how to delete them....simply!

[@user-lj4fl3mn8w]

no but its too late