Anyone use Plugin Alliance's software?

[Judders]

Originally Posted by Pinknoise

I don't see it as a transparent comp though. Quite the contrary it can be pretty grabby and certainly adds a mojo that I just connect with for some reason.

It's the only compressor that I paid good money for(100$ or so) a few years back. Every other comp I bought was under 50$ IIRC. I just had to have this special thing it's doing that I could'nt get with any other.

Sure, but I generally use it in soft or 2:1 ratio. The soft ratio is particularly good for sustained background vocals.

If I want something grabby in that dirty VCA flavour I tend to reach for the Townhouse.

I should probably try being more aggressive with the VSC-2 sometime...

[Judders]

$29 voucher offer has been extended to March 3rd.

[sostenuto]

With extra time, will keep trying to sort choice between Black Box Analog Design - HG-2 ... OR ... elysia - Phil's Cascade. For ~$30., not much worry, but hate to miss some key detail.

Anyone have these or Demo'd seriously ??

[Dafarkias]

I'll use the extra time to try and create an account.

Registered 5 hours ago, still waiting on an authorization email. Tried two different emails.

Of course they would be having a server issue over the weekend. I doubt their network admin gets paid OT.

[Billy M]

Originally Posted by fred garvin

Any opinions about the amp sims? After listening to the demos I'm considering the Diezel Herbert and/or the Engl 765.

You can't go wrong with either of those. As far as amp sims go, they are both great. They rock well and you can get surprisingly good clean tones out of them, too.

[jelloman]

Well, thanks to @kirk1701 I'm now the owner of the Focusrite channel strip and the Maag EQ...

[drichard]

I just got the Lindell Series 80 Neve console emulation at the discounted price. I'm really liking it, and the price is amazing.

Originally Posted by Dafarkias

Got a promotional email from Plugin Alliance offering a single plugin for $29. Not a bad deal, as vsts go, especially since I think that they don't use the horrific iLok.

Anybody use their plugins?

How's the authorization system for installing to PCs?

Would you recommend them? Any plugins you favorite?

[Mind Riot]

Originally Posted by fred garvin

Any opinions about the amp sims? After listening to the demos I'm considering the Diezel Herbert and/or the Engl 765.

I have almost every amp they've made, with the exception of the Chandler and the new Friedmans they just released. I think they make the best amp sims on the market.

But that doesn't mean some aren't better than others. I've found the ENGL 765 one of the least useful and I prefer the VH4 over the Herbert. But you know how these things are, guitarists are so individualistic about their gear, you might love the 765 the most.

I think the new Diezel VH4 is the best one they've ever made, but maybe it's just the best amp for my tastes and they captured it as accurately as they've done with all the others. Hard to know these things.

EDIT: I should say I have almost all their guitar amp sims. I've tested three of the bass amps, but I haven't bought one yet. Not sure if I need one, I can get the kind of sound I'm after with EQ and compression off the DI. But of the three I tested, the SVT VR was by FAR the best. That thing sounds MONSTROUS.

Originally Posted by bobtom1

One voucher code left if anyone wants it. PM me quickly as it expires today.

The sale got extended due to the voucher code problems with the e-mails, so PMed.

[Dafarkias]

Yay!

24 hours after my first two attempts to create a PA account, my third attempt finally generated an authorization email!

You heard that right, ladies and djents, it took me three different emails and 24 hours time to create a PA account...their servers must be hella bogged because of this voucher deal LOL

[Dafarkias]

Tried the ones I was most interested in, and didn't fall in love.

I think I'm going to get the VSC-2, I feel like I will use it.

Anybody want an extra voucher code?

[sostenuto]

Originally Posted by Dafarkias

Tried the ones I was most interested in, and didn't fall in love.

I think I'm going to get the VSC-2, I feel like I will use it.

Anybody want an extra voucher code?

Appreciate the offer if still available !! Can you PM to me ?
Will confirm when received and working.

[RJHollins]

I ended getting the SH-class A comp, and the bx_digital V3 EQ.

at those prices ....

[sostenuto]

Originally Posted by RJHollins

I ended getting the SH-class A comp, and the bx_digital V3 EQ.

at those prices ....

Cool ! SH-Class A seems one of most popular choices, and I added as well.

Picked up Focusrite SC console. Now headscratchimg, as Lindell Series 80 has received many positive comments.

[kirk1701]

Originally Posted by jelloman

Well, thanks to @kirk1701 I'm now the owner of the Focusrite channel strip and the Maag EQ...

Excellent choices!

My main recommendations would still be Acme Opticom XLA-3 and Lindell TE-100. I use these most often.

A second tier would be the Millennia TCL-2 TwinCom. I only demo'd this, but I loved it. It's a steady, even control, particularly on submixes and mixbuss. Must be tried to be appreciated. If you enjoy top-down mixing, this is an ideal tool.

[sostenuto]

Originally Posted by kirk1701

Excellent choices!

My main recommendations would still be Acme Opticom XLA-3 and Lindell TE-100. I use these most often.

A second tier would be the Millennia TCL-2 TwinCom. I only demo'd this, but I loved it. It's a steady, even control, particularly on submixes and mixbuss. Must be tried to be appreciated. If you enjoy top-down mixing, this is an ideal tool.

Thanks a ton for this !!! Have many PA plugins and quite happy. Weak mixing /mastering chops and had passed over TE-100 many times, not realizing there are useful Presets to get me in the park. Just got Demo and very useful indeed !
To pick this up at current ~$30. is terrific !

Unfortunately, Opticom XLA-3 Trial long ago and no useful memory of results.
TCL-2 TwinCom will get another look.

Regards

[Dafarkias]

I slang it over your way, my man..

Enjoy.

[Naji]

One good thing about pa plugins, is the fact quite a lot plugins do not have a big cpu usage, enjoy!

[fred garvin]

Thanks gents!

Originally Posted by Mind Riot

...But you know how these things are, guitarists are so individualistic about their gear...

Ain't that the truth. Diezels aren't really my thing, but I've been looking for a modern mega gain option for a while now. The VH4 sounds kinda small and distant to me compared to the Herbert, but I also associate that with the old Amp Farm stuff which tended to have the trick of sitting perfectly in a mix. Which is a very good trick indeed. Horses for courses, bibbedy bobbedy boo.

Think I'm gonna keep looking actually, kinda looking for a weirdly specific thing, a high gain but very smooth sound that sounds good with extended voicings, 7s, 9s, slash roots etc. Hear it once in a while but haven't been able to track back to an ITB solution. Thanks again!

[Mind Riot]

Originally Posted by fred garvin

Thanks gents!
Ain't that the truth. Diezels aren't really my thing, but I've been looking for a modern mega gain option for a while now. The VH4 sounds kinda small and distant to me compared to the Herbert, but I also associate that with the old Amp Farm stuff which tended to have the trick of sitting perfectly in a mix. Which is a very good trick indeed. Horses for courses, bibbedy bobbedy boo.

Think I'm gonna keep looking actually, kinda looking for a weirdly specific thing, a high gain but very smooth sound that sounds good with extended voicings, 7s, 9s, slash roots etc. Hear it once in a while but haven't been able to track back to an ITB solution. Thanks again!

I got some good results back in the day with POD Farm with the cabs turned off using some Redwirez impulses for cabs.

If I may make a suggestion, Nembrini Audio is where quite a few of Brainworx' amps have been coded, and they've released a few on their own as well. One of them is a Soldano SLO 100 model that's pretty exceptional, and they have their own sales as well. It's usually $137 but if you sign up for their newsletter you'll know when they're letting it go for $29, which they've done several times. It's tight and focused (I'm a seven stringer as well), and is my favorite amp model ever, though the Diezel is giving it a run for it's money.

Here it is, unfortunately not on sale at the moment:
https://www.nembriniaudio.com/produc...itar-amplifier

[Mind Riot]

Whew. I just bought $730 worth of plugins for $90.

What a weird industry. I'd never even look twice at this stuff at normal prices; I could never afford any of them.

By just keeping an eye out for sales and knowing what you want in advance, you can acquire a stable of some of the best plugs available for a very reasonable investment. And by doing your research beforehand you can avoid hyped up junk, or stuff that your stock plugs already have covered, or stuff that's great at what it does but what it does is just not what YOU do.

But trying to make sense of the true value of the stuff is next to impossible. How much is a plug really worth if it spends three months out of the year priced at $200 and the other nine months on sale for $50?

Beats me, but I'm glad I know where the sales are at during those nine months.

[Mind Riot]

Oh yeah, if we're sharing, I got the Diezel VH4, the Shadow Hills Class A, and the Black Box HG-2.

[Dafarkias]

Originally Posted by Mind Riot

...but trying to make sense of the true value of the stuff is next to impossible. How much is a plug really worth if it spends three months out of the year priced at $200 and the other nine months on sale for $50?

How about Waves' business model?

Their average plugin 'value' is 200+ but they are on 'sale' year-round for under 100. Then, on virtually every major holiday their plugins go on mega-sale down to like 30.

It's very scammy, imo. Although their products do maintain a certain level of quality, the overall greasiness of these companies drives me to seek out independent software developers, like Youlean, Klanghelm, or donation-ware authors.

[fred garvin]

@MR: Thanks, that's an excellent recommendation since my current sim of choice is the Amplitube SLO-100. Yah love that SLO "power tube" crunch. Trying to find something smoother though, kinda along the lines of Ty Tabor's tone maybe. Which is a tough one, since he used such an obscure amp to get that tone. It's hard to find a overdrive rig that sounds good with harmony.

Yah, I dunno, I want devs to get paid but it is weird how the pricing works. I guess we're lucky they they have sales. If you think of it as a substitute for a 3000$ piece of gear I guess it's reasonable to pay $300, but they do severely restrict their market at that kind of price, apparently they find value in opening things up a little now and then. Do they really only have this kind of sale every 4 years??

[winbe]

Hello,

I love Plugin Alliance more and more... I bought (for $29 each, some time ago), SSL-E which totally changed the way I mix, I simply love it!!!
And bx_bassdude, my amp of choice now for basses and clean/crunch guitars.

I was about to add another $29, because of the vouchers, but I realized that you have to buy two plugins, and only one is at $29... You can do this twice, but only one plug is really discounted. So I'll wait the next "real" $29 promo

[jelloman]

Originally Posted by winbe

Hello,

I love Plugin Alliance more and more... I bought (for $29 each, some time ago), SSL-E which totally changed the way I mix, I simply love it!!!
And bx_bassdude, my amp of choice now for basses and clean/crunch guitars.

I was about to add another $29, because of the vouchers, but I realized that you have to buy two plugins, and only one is at $29... You can do this twice, but only one plug is really discounted. So I'll wait the next "real" $29 promo

No, you're wrong...you get 2 vouchers for 1 plugin each, but you can only use 1 per order...so you buy 1 plugin at a time, 2 orders for 29.00 each...

[fred garvin]

Barely made it under the wire! Well all in all didn't find anything compelling in the guitar and mix stuff, went a different route. Been wanting some edgier synths and FX and thought these were pretty f'in cool.

https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/p...dio_triad.html

https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/p.../ds_thorn.html

[RJHollins]

Made my last purchase .... I'm done.

Grabbed the BX DYN-EQ.

[winbe]

Originally Posted by jelloman

No, you're wrong...you get 2 vouchers for 1 plugin each, but you can only use 1 per order...so you buy 1 plugin at a time, 2 orders for 29.00 each...

well, this is what I tried... order one plugin, with one voucher, and no, it told me that I had not the right number of items in my cart for the voucher to work. Just to try I added one other plugin, and it worked, one plugin at $29; and the other one at its "normal" price.

Good thing, this way it was easier to resist, and I did not buy anything

[Mind Riot]

Originally Posted by Dafarkias

How about Waves' business model?

Their average plugin 'value' is 200+ but they are on 'sale' year-round for under 100. Then, on virtually every major holiday their plugins go on mega-sale down to like 30.

It's very scammy, imo. Although their products do maintain a certain level of quality, the overall greasiness of these companies drives me to seek out independent software developers, like Youlean, Klanghelm, or donation-ware authors.

Waves makes some great stuff, but I've had everything I want from them and then some for a couple years now. I appreciate their deals, but you just have to remember that you can't sell any of their plugs unless you keep up with the WUP. I've had all my Waves plugs long enough that none of them have WUP, and getting it current on all of them would cost $240 (and I don't even want to sell all of them, but buying WUP individually for just the ones I want to sell would cost even more than the $240 which covers everything).

With their pricing on their plugs as low as it is they're practically worthless second hand; the WUP would cost me way more than I could ever sell them for. Which is too bad, because I have some really nice plugs of theirs that are redundant for me, and I'd like to give someone a good deal on them. Heck, I'd like it if there was an option to just give them away to someone and have it transferred over so I could give some kid just starting out a boost, but of course there's no way Waves could be sure no money was exchanged.

I know this is deliberate on Waves' part; it's how they've decided to fight back against the second hand market, and I understand that. I guess it's a pretty smart business decision. Price them so low that people will just buy them new instead of looking for them second hand, and even if it's a plug you used to sell for $300 and now it's at $30, at least the $30 is still going to you and not somebody selling second hand on a forum somewhere. It's a business, gotta make money somehow.

Originally Posted by fred garvin

@MR: Thanks, that's an excellent recommendation since my current sim of choice is the Amplitube SLO-100. Yah love that SLO "power tube" crunch. Trying to find something smoother though, kinda along the lines of Ty Tabor's tone maybe. Which is a tough one, since he used such an obscure amp to get that tone. It's hard to find a overdrive rig that sounds good with harmony.

Yah, I dunno, I want devs to get paid but it is weird how the pricing works. I guess we're lucky they they have sales. If you think of it as a substitute for a 3000$ piece of gear I guess it's reasonable to pay $300, but they do severely restrict their market at that kind of price, apparently they find value in opening things up a little now and then. Do they really only have this kind of sale every 4 years??

Plugin Alliance has four big sales each year, one every three months, but they also have smaller deals throughout. Like right now they're doing a daily or weekend deal thing, where they offer one plug a day (or weekend) at a big discount. It's worth signing up for their newsletter if there's a plug you're after; it might pop up for next to nothing one day and you wouldn't know without the newsletter. This weekend it's one of the SSL consoles that normally goes for $350 on sale for $50.

I'm not sure if Black Friday counts as one of the four big sales or not, but they do that and one for christmas and one for the end of the year and they just did this awesome "any plug for $30" voucher based one last week. If you like their stuff and are interested in getting some more of it they're definitely one of the best places to get the newsletter and keep tabs on them.

[sostenuto]

Ha !!
PA gets surprising amounts of $$$ from me in dribs n drabs !
Quite pleased overall and will continue to add. > 40 plugs so far .....

Example: Today only _ bx_console SSL 4000 G for $49.99.

Personal needs do not yet support annual MEGA Bundle annual Subscription, but pleased PA continues to offer individual purchase deals.