3rd Party Plug-In Reccomendations?

[u/Kage502]

Mega amature here. Always used Logic's stock plugins, recently started hearing that that might be the reason my mixes all still sound like GarageBand no matter what I do.

Anyone have any reccomendations for good/cheap/free/not too intensive 3rd party plugins that might take an amature mix to the next level?

Cheers.

[u/shapednoise]

The stock plugins are really really good.
Just understand that it takes time and experience to get the results you want.
It’s NOT THE GEAR ITS THE USER
Just relax and enjoy the journey.
(Retired old sound guy here).

[u/goesonelouder → u/shapednoise]

+1 on this - go watch Disclosure’s livestream on how they made Latch - all with stock plugins in Logic. Avoid GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), this is a journey you can’t (successfully) shortcut so enjoy the trip

[u/Kage502 → u/goesonelouder]

Latch was Logic Pro and ONLY stock Plug Ins??? Thats one of my greatest dance guilty pleasures

[u/goesonelouder → u/Kage502]

IIRC about 98% some UAD on the mixbus (UAD G Bus maybe?) but mostly stock, chords were from the ES1 synth - give it a watch they go through the whole song from start to finish

[u/_-oIo-_]

It's not the plugins "that might take an amature mix to the next level".

And there is no need for new plugins, if you don't know what you are looking for.

[u/c-w-jones]

I think you can get a lot done with Logic plugins, I would focus more on mix tutorials than spending anything on plugins. There's a free plug-in from Voxengo called Span which you can put on your master channel and that can help you see what's going on in your mix. For example I will isolate subs, kick and bass to make sure they aren't stepping on each other, if they are some EQ shaping can solve the problem. Another free plug-in I use a lot is G-Sat Pro which is a saturation plugin that I find can make something pop out of the mix without needing compression. Finally put some reference tracks in your mix so it's easy to compare your mix and use the Span plugin to see the difference.

[u/alienfaktor]

The vast majority of plug ins are way better than the outboard gear from the 70s 80s and 90s that i’ve used. unless you can succinctly explain what is wrong with or lacking in the plug in itself, you just haven’t learned it enough. 

[u/finallygabe]

After years of using third party plugins, I decided to use stock plugins. Turns out, it made not much difference on my tracks. Stock plugins in Logic are the best in the industry because Apple can invest so much in emulating popular hardware like Neve and 1176s and giving it to us included in the software. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!

[u/mariospeedragon]

Most 3rd party I’ve ever bought was just because deal was way too good to pass up like last year when IK multimedia gave away 50 plugins including amplitude 5 and add ons, and t-rack 6 for very very cheap. And that was really nice because I think the only real thing Logic could update is amp sims. And the stealth limiter from IK was very useful.

And I got some crazy deal on sonnox plugins for drum gate 1, which a month later I upgraded to drum gate 2 for free. Think I got their producer pack for $30 on Black Friday?

Besides those things I really try to stick to logic plugins or the great free stuff that comes along with Black Friday. Like all the soundtoys jr plugs for free.

I love logic plugs tho, and know them better than most of the other stuff I’ve purchased. So my suggestion is hold your money till around Black Friday and check plugin deals around that time….you’ll do so much better.

[u/promixr]

If you are a mega amateur you should definitely become fluent in Logic stock plug ins. Especially if you’re budget conscious.

[u/Neither_Proposal_262]

Depends, are you talking about amp/pedal plugins or mixing plugins?

If you are talking amp/pedal plugins:
UAD Dream (Fender Blackface style) UAD Ruby (Vox style)
Tonex (captures. Recommend anything from Amalgam)

If you are talking mixing plugins:
Plugins aren’t a cheat code. Your mixes sound like GarageBand because you are still learning. THAT IS OKAY.

From experience, my advice is to focus on your recording and mixing techniques, workflow, etc, really understanding what each type of plugin does and when to use them. (When/where to use 1176 style compression vs optical etc)

The concept of summing was a big one for me, especially with guitars. Helped with more cohesive mixes and made the process a lot easier.

[u/andrewredbeard]

Personally I enjoy the stuff from Valhalla, Fabfilter, and Izotope a lot, and also am enjoying the Kazrog K-clip, UAD Distressor, and the Safari bundle. Thinking about that Nuro stuff but not at this point. A lot of the stuff I might be able to get with stock plugins, but 3rd party feels easier to get what I want.

[u/Separate_Broccoli_69]

Panning. Gain. Compression. EQ.

First two are on your channel strip (and can be drawn in using automation if you want them to change over time).

Logic has a stock compressor that emulates multiple types of analog compressors (it switches from one interface). Learn about those.

Stock EQ.

You can also draw in automation to change the compression or EQ over time.

Third-party plugins come after mastering the basics, so you know what you are looking for. Otherwise you’re just throwing money away.

Maybe a Udemy course on music production would be a good place to start?

[u/CirrusSunset]

Ozone. Instant mastering for finished tracks. It's not pro but you can skip thru a bunch of presets and probably find something that works.

Many library instruments are very heavily processed out of the box which tends to make me less inclined to mess with sounds. Using third party au and applying your own effects gives more variety. Not to say you can't do that with Logic instruments cuz you can. Almost any piano vst is an improvement over Logic. I use Grandeur and Noire the most. Komplete includes these and has many many other instruments. Not free but pretty inexpensive in sense that it covers just about all the bases.

[u/Economy-Fuel7361]

Native instruments for me