You know you can try any plugin free for 2 weeks, right? So I'd just try any you think are interesting before you buy. Then when you buy something, it resets the trial status, so you can try anything again for 2 more weeks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevWind
#1 multi-band EQ with movable bands and Q (width) adjustment
# 2 a compressor with ratio, attack, and release time, adjustments
#3 a good reverb with user definable pre delay time and reverb length adjustment (run in parallel)
# 4 a look ahead brick wall limiter for final mastering (understanding that only in simplistic general terms, "Mastering" is simply getting the final mix ready for publication) So unless you send your mixes out to a pro Mastering engineer, it could be said you will either intentionally or by omission, be "mastering"
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For a parametric EQ, the Cambridge EQ is nice, and I think it may be one of the free bundled plugins? I don't tend to use much EQ on guitar, at least, and when I do, I tend to favor the EQs with "color", like the Neve 1073 or the Pultec. For just straight, clean EQ, the channel EQ in Logic works fine, and whatever DAW you have probably has one as well.
UAD has at least a dozen compressors. Personally, the one I find most useful is the LA2, which is an opto-style compressor and does not have the controls Kev suggests. But it just sounds good on everything.
Reverbs are one of UADs strong points, again, about a dozen emulations of classic reverbs, from EMT plates to Lexicon to rooms, like the Capital Chambers and Ocean Way plugins. All sound very good to me.
The Precision limiter is good, tho I tend to just use Ozone for that.
I think where UAD shines the most is with plugins that emulate the strong character of classic hardware. The more vanilla stuff can be handled elsewhere, parametric EQ, limiting, transparent reverb. It's when you want reverb, EQ, compression, etc, with a distinct character to it that the UAD plugins tend to win over other alternatives. Those plugins don't always have some of the expected controls - they exhibit whatever quirks the original hardware had, which is what gives them their distinctive sound.