Question.
I'm using Reaper with only the stock plugins, eg EQ, compressor, multiband compressor, limiter.. and I can't seem to get a mix that's anywhere near as classy as some other folk on here. I want to know, is it because I'm bad at mixing and mastering or is it generally regarded that the stock plugins are pretty rubbish and everyone struggles to get a decent polished mix with them and I should do myself a favour and get some decent plugins?
Note, noone is allowed to say....a bit of both.
I'm hoping for some seasoned Reaper users to tell me their results were unsatisfactory too until they moved away from stock plugins.
Comments
I was using ReaEQ on everything, and ReaComp, and was getting pretty good results, but I also have the Slate package, so was keen to actually use some of it. Then I got the Fabfilter bundle, which is probably the best set of EQ tools out there.
Look up Dan Worrells vids on YT re- making ReaEQ work as Multiband, and more advanced stuff, I think it is capable of doing most things, but sometimes it is easier to use something a bit more fancy.
The stock Reaper stuff , plus the JS stuff is enough to never need to buy third party plugins, I just wish I had the patience and time to get to know it all.
Having said that, I am guilty of indulging in 3rd party plugins to "help" my mixes, mainly reverbs.
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep
For basic track EQ (and frequency sculpting) I just use ReaEQ in Reaper. Apart from that, my use of VST effects is largely limited to the following. And it's usually because they have a certain character I like.
Delay: Mainly Valhalla Delay these days. I think it's good to have a delay with characterful options.
Schwa CMX: Good for a polished doubling effect.
Plus a couple of free ones that help with mixes, which are utility VSTs:
Youlean loudness meter. I've recently started to use this one as a check on overall loudness. Also checking that my ears aren't deceiving me. For example, that I'm not crushing the life out of my mixes by getting carried away with Voxengo Elephant
Voxengo Span: Just a visual check on the overall frequency response and whether there might be anything amiss that my ears are missing. I've got Span Plus, but so far Span does what I need I need.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Presents/dp/1138556378/
I'm pretty sure Reaper plugins are not the limiting factor (I'm afraid!) but there's no doubt third party stuff can make certain things much easier. Like most skills you need to keep working on it - and also appreciate that while tracks might sound wrong when soloed (e.g. severe EQ cuts) they're right when part of an entire mix.
^ and note that I've written all that having received and installed the iZotope Music Production Suite 3 update this week...! :-)
Why not post some mixes for feedback or get involved in the mixing competitions? Or post some stems from a project and see what others can do with them (with only stock plugins)? Could be a good learning experience for all of us.
Yes, I read the first edition of that book when it was released in 2011. I didn't know it had been updated to a second edition, so I just got it. Time for a refresher.
There are loads of good free (or trial) plugs to have a go at.
I wonder if it might be fun to have a mix challenge using nothing but stock reaper plugins, im pretty sure the guys with the best mixes will still have the best mixes
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep
if anyone fancies it... the challeneg is here:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/165587/mixing-challenge-no-7
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep
But
I still think I'm excellent at making my tracks sound worse, just too dull, they lack sparkle. Maybe it's my ears. On the videos the producers are moving their dials by small increments as if they can hear a difference and to me it sounds identical.
What is the secret sparkle plugin that everyone else must use?
Do you have any hearing issues?
80% of a mix is volume balance. Make sure everything can be heard as much as it needs to be. After that, I'd EQ and compress the tracks as needed. It would help if you could hear the changes while mixing, I assume you're using reference monitors to mix?
I haven't found a secret sparkle plugin, but one process that has helped my mixes alot is mix bus compression.
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep
There's not much I can do about my situation as I'm at the end of a dining room, so options are limited. I have to A/B on other systems a lot to check what's going on.
Also, the compression used by YouTube can restrict what you're able to hear, so don't be too disheartened when you can't hear the differences.