Does anyone avoid using plugins?

mechmusic · Post by **mechmusic** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:35 pm

There is so much info on this board about plugin's, it would seem absurd to try to use Live without them. However, I am wondering, is there anyone who works with only Ableton instruments and specifically avoids plugins? What are your experiences? Is your music lacking anything?

slow riot · Post by **slow riot** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:52 pm

i'm addicted to plugins. there, i said it.

live's plugins are perfectly nice though.

aqua_tek · Post by **aqua_tek** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:00 pm

I usually try to get by with the included plugins in Live and Logic, plus one or two extra if it's REALLY necessary.

hujib · Post by **hujib** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:02 pm

If I'm using LIVE from beginning to end than I'll create sounds with various hardware and software but then bounce to audio. Leaving the mix and creative/live stage to just the LIVE included effects/instruemtns. This leaves me the option of opening the project on various computers with no issues what so ever. For me, this ability is the #1 advantage of LIVE over other DAWS. Excellent included tools and samplers that bring referenced samples into the project folder. It's a beautiful thing!

minimal · Post by **minimal** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:44 pm

I avoid autofilter, EQ8 most of the time and the reverb, they sound crap to me.

tjwett · Post by **tjwett** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:03 pm

i got sick of waiting for stuff to work on intel macs and tired of compatibility issues and keeping track of versions etc and i'm just generally a lazy bastard so i chucked every single plug i had (mostly fx, couple synths though) and am now using only the hardware instruments i own and Live's fx and instruments. i make mostly ambient/sleep shit anyway so the Ableton plugs work great and it doesn't quite matter much.

mechmusic · Post by **mechmusic** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:42 pm

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like a few people have this idea.

What about saving all VST synth sounds as samples & using simpler to play them in Live? That's probably just crazy, but I'm interested to know if someone has a successful workflow like this.

Pasha · Post by **Pasha** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:02 pm

In my experience there is only one thing to consider when using only hw synths.
As a sometimes lazy one, I find too much work having to bounce the MIDI tracks to audio. That's why I use internal Live instruments, especially Impulse even if I'm going crazy about tons of GM MIDI drum clips...

- Best
- Pasha

Haselmeier · Post by **Haselmeier** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:38 pm

THANX, this is a fantastic point, nice that you spoke it out.
to be honest, i have some high quality plugs, i have 2 Poco, 1 UAD, both with mostly all optional plugs you can get. Aslo i have some nice VSTi's from Arturia, NI, Linplug, Spectrasonic, etc....

Now to Live!
I am Live - user since the first version and that time when this update came out, which made live able to use third party plugs i was amazed. But than? i never started to use them much. Honestly. The way i work with live,i don't miss external Plugs. But i have to say, that i use Live more as an instrument on itself, not as my recording or master Software. For this i use Samplitude, Wavelab and still sometimes Cubase SX3, but want to get rid of it.

Anyway, i love Operator and also bought the new Sampler from Ableton but don't know why. Normaly i never use Sampler, and when i use Independence from YellowTools or Kontakt. But i like how Ableton integrate their own Plugs into their main Software, so...
I like Live's including EFX very much, they sound exactly the way they have to for my needs when jamming with live, so...
...sometimes i plug some enhancments from UAD to the drums or the Sony Oxford EQ, but only because i have them, on my notebook i do not miss them.
So, for Live7 i wish some VideoEFX from Ableton, some more Templates for Midicontrols would be helpfull (i am sooo lazy in this stuff)

andrewbrewer · Post by **andrewbrewer** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:09 am

the only plug-in I use is melodyne. otherwise, it's live-only stuff.

i have a wierd philosophy about software ... when i used fruity, it was fruity-only plugs. whe i occasionally use audiomulch, it's mulch-only contraptions. don't know why i approach it that way....

mechmusic · Post by **mechmusic** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 1:26 pm

Sometimes I feel the need to create limitations to excite my creativity. When I can do ANYTHING, I get stuck thinking about what I should do...