Up until about a year ago, plug-ins were pretty much to domain of those using digital consoles and, more specifically, the Avid VENUE series. All of the console companies had their own plugs that came with the console, but the Profile was the one that really opened the door by allowing the use of any Pro Tools-ready plug-in live.
And that situation opened even more with the introduction of the Waves MultiRack, which lets you run Waves plugs on a laptop and interface with any system-analog or digital. Yamaha and DiGiCo have already announced the availability of cards that plug into their consoles and allow a direct connection to the Waves system.
Meanwhile, the growing core of SAC users point to the ability to use any VST or DirectX plugs on that system, and, truth is, anyone can use VST plugs via an outboard box like Muse's Receptor or Manifold Labs' Plugzilla.
It comes down to this-unless you are using actual analog outboard gear, then you are using the equivalent of plugs already. The advantage of the plug is that you avoid all of the analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion of using outboard gear.
We put the question to the ProAudioSpace tribe asking what plugs they like for live use and why. Here are some of the responses. BTW, there is a PAS group totally dedicated to discussions of software and plugs. You might want to check it out at proaudiospace.com.
Virtually every response included a reference to the Crane Song Phoenix package. It is such a staple that people list it without any other info. It is as obvious a choice as an XL4 was in the Analog Era. If you said that is what you used, no one would question it. It was a "given" in live performance audio.
But just in case some of us are not a familiar with it, we asked someone experienced with its use to explain.
Mical "Mikey" Caterina
"Phoenix is actually five plug-ins, all of which emulate analog tape (to different degrees or variants). The difference between them almost feels and sounds like different variations of comp/limiting and EQ. I've seen Paul David Hager (Goo Goo Dolls) and Eddie Mapp (STP) both use it on a festival, and it literally engulfed the crowd – not a smack in the face. It gave the mix depth and width yet didn't color the mix. I think the coolest part of the Phoenix is the harder you hit it, the more pronounced the effect."
Robert Scovill
"I've been using TDM Plug-ins for many, many years now, and I am a big advocate of the concept. I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg in regard to where it is all going, especially for live sound. Going forward, it's going to be imperative that manufacturers find a way to successfully generate revenue with plug-in products, especially given the currently limited scope of the live sound console market.
"But if and when we ever see some commonality in the console architectures and their ability to accept plug-ins, the plug-in manufacturers could then exploit it and turn it into a very rich market and that will spur more development. That development is sorely needed right now, as many of the currently available plug-ins are simply repurposed studio plug-ins. If you consider that live sound could make use of plug-in processing in other places besides just the console, you can start to envision the possibilities.
"As for my current use, I really like all the harmonic processing we can do now with plug-ins by Crane Song, McDSP, Massey and Waves, to mention just a few. I really like that we can use filter sets of the quality of the Massenburg EQs, although I wish they were a bit more optimized for use with VENUE. The same can be said for some of the Brainworx and SoundToys plug-ins. As for effects processing. I regularly use the Eventide Anthology bundle as well as TL Space, which is a convolution reverb that will accept impulses and create reverbs from them. I also think the Digidesign plug-ins such as Smack! and the Serato EQs and Dynamics processors from Rane are exceptional at what they do. I've also been starting to use SPL's Transient Designer and their Vitalizer plug-in in some key places. All in all, it's just a brave new world now, having all these incredible processors from which to pull from, but I absolutely love it."
David Morgan
"I've lately become a big fan of Waves units: H-Comp [Hybrid Compressor], Renaissance Comp and C4 Multiband Comp. I still rely heavily on the Digidesign/Avid Smack!, BF LA2A and BF LA3A compressors. I also utilize the Tube-Tech CL1B plug-in. All these units sound warm and musical and perfectly enhance the audio output from the input source.
"I am also sold on the Waves Two-Voice Doubler and Four-Voice Doubler. These are the best pitch change plug-ins I have found. Lead vocals sound big, wide and omnipresent through the two-voice. Background vocals sound deep, thick and warm through the four-voice. The controls are extremely flexible and easy to use.
"My favorite reverbs are Avid's ReVibe; TC Electronic's Vss3, DVR2 and Non-Lin; and Trillium Labs TL Space. These units give me the best of the digital reverbs I used during analog desk times but without the conversions. The results and the algorithms are the same."
Pete Keppler
"A few slightly off-the-beaten track uses for plugs: Got a bass player who's killing you with pops or thumb-slapping? I like the Waves Renaissance De-Esser: Set it around 1k-2k, in HF-only shelf mode, with maybe 10-15dB of range, and adjust the threshold to taste. This way you don't have to EQ the upper harmonics out of the bass. The De-Esser will just grab them when they get too loud. Use less of the ‘range' control, and it works great on errant synth patches and crappy horn players, too!
"Here's another one that works on all kinds of stuff if you want real in-your-face limiting, with a little grit: Renaissance Compressor. You can do this with or without using the compressor side of the plug-in: Turn the output up until the soft-clip indicator is steadily on (yellow). You can then use the compressor side to keep the output from actually overloading on severe peaks (soft-clip indicator turns red). You will then have to either keep the channel fader a bit lower, or add another plug-in following the comp to bring the gain back to a usable level."
Eran Ben Zur
"Some of my favorite plug-ins to use (that become a "must tools") are the Waves plug-ins. (To be honest I have become an addict!) For vocal process, I'm using Waves' CLA-76 compressor for tight compression; Waves C4 (the multiband compressor) for dynamic; Waves SSL EQ for qualization; and I close the chain with the Waves Live Vocal Rider for last compression and expansion, and you can forget about dealing with your lead vocalist for the rest of the gig.
"Do you want unlimited delay possibilities? Waves H-Delay for vocals or guitars. Waves CLA-3A is probably the smooth acoustic guitar compression I ever came across. I'm using the Waves API 2500 on drum group – punchy and tight.
I'm using the Waves MaxxBass and CLA-76 on bass guitar, help me to keep the low end without loosing definition in a ‘booming rooms.' Limiter: the Waves L3-LL Multimaximizer on the master – yes, for live mastering."
Bruce Bartlett
"TL Audio's Max: peak limiter/normalizer. Great transparent mastering tool for hotter CDs, and it's freeware. Modern Meter: Free VU meter simulator for rough-matching song levels during mastering. True Piano: Poor man's sampled piano. Not bad for freeware. Voxengo Span: Real-time analyzer to find problem frequencies in a track. ARTA real-time analyzer: Can difference two 1/3 octave spectra. Shows the spectral differences between two different mic placements, for example. Har-Bal: Harmonic Balancer analyzes and displays a song's spectrum, then lets you equalize it to improve tonal balance or to match the tonal balance of a reference recording. Wonderful mastering tool."
Hugh Johnson
"I, too use the Line 6 Delay Farm on my vocals, the best tape delay emulator I have heard. I love the Fairchild 660 compressors – I use them on the BGVs, bass DI, record buss. The Impact compressor is great if you need a really fast attack and release, like on a snare for example. The BF 1176 is a good plug for acoustic guitars. We all do know the Crane Song Phoenix plug is great, but did you know that it works great after compressors to put some ‘sparkle' back on the signal? I do that on acoustic guitars and the snare. My favorite new plug is TL Spaces. Man, what a great collection of actual spatial algorithms. I'm especially fond of their AMS emulation and their EMT plates."
George Dougherty
"As an SAC user, I balance sound quality with CPU load. SAC supports the SAC/SAW native, VST and DirectX formats. Convolution reverbs like LiquidSonics Reverberate and SIR2 are great for studio quality reverbs with moderate load. I've played with the Drumagog demo and put it on my list of "must haves" for the times when the drum kit is poorly tuned. The SAC/SAW native EQ, delay and dynamics plug-ins from RML Labs sound great and are incredibly efficient, though they won't help users outside the SAC world. In the SAC world, we tend to be budget conscious, that being a major appeal of SAC in the first place for many."
Gary Butler
"I bought the Waves MultiRack system about a month ago, and I just love it. Right now, I only have the Waves RenMaxx plug-ins going through it, but it's wonderful. I am looking at getting the Waves Classic Studio Collection too. I'm using two Echo AudioFire12s for the interface, and that give me a total 24 I/O. The first 12 I use for inserts (gates and comps) on individual channels. The next 4 in 8 out are for stereo effects. That leaves four open channels for incidentals, and it all works just like a regular outboard rack. My FOH rack is now only 6U with tons of processing, I have the two interface cards a KT DN360 for L&R and a 1U light with AC outlets. I use a MacBook Pro with 2.6 duel processors and 4 gigs of RAM for control. Now I can bring FOH rack anywhere and have great sound everywhere.
