Basic plugins for Reaper

[jhob101]

Hi all,

I'm new here and and also pretty new to DAW stuff generally. Been using Reaper for a few months on & off, but still very much learning how it all works.  Also moved from windows to linux a couple of months back too.

I'm finding myself getting pretty overwhelmed with all the various plugins & what to use where. This is often enough to prevent me actually doing anything.

So I'm looking to find a decent, simple basic set of plugins for stuff like:

Compression
EQ
Reverb
Delay
Limiter
Saturation
Mastering (which might be a combination of some of the above or a single plugin dedicated to that purpose)

Stuff I'm doing at the moment is mostly vocal/acoustic guitar stuff. I prefer analogue sounding stuff. I'd like plugins that come with a good array of presets to give me decent starting points to work from and learn how the plugins work. Plugins that give good visual feedback as to what's happening and don't have too many knobs/settings.

Looking at free/open source, preferably linux native but I have got yabridge/wine setup for windows VSTs so that's an option too.

I have looked at the LASP plugins, but found all the variations confusing and overwhelming (like the 8 Graphic EQs with options for stereo/mono/left right/mid side/x16/x32 etc)

What plugins/plugin suites would you recommend for someone in my situation? TIA!

I really need to get to the point where the technology just gets out of the way and I can create, currently it's a quite a big barrier.

[Zoltan]

Hi there,

If you're getting overwhelmed with different plugins... I'd recommend starting out with Reapers stock plugins. They're already there (in the Cockos "folder") and most of them have presets.

For example:

EQ = ReaEQ, or Reafir (the latter does lots of things)
Compression = Reacomp, or ReaXComp (more complex)
Reverb = Reaverb (*
Delay = ReaDelay
Limiter = Realimit

etc.

ALSO since you're using Reaper i'd recommend checking out Tukan Studio Plugins. They're completely free and among those you can find a simplified reverb(s) among other things.

(* With Reaverb i think you'll do best by using impulse responses. You could google around to find something that's suitable for your needs, or download something like EMT 140 impulses (http://bit.ly/hopkinsIR). If this feels like a chore then Tukan Studio plugins can help you here.

After these it's the endless rabbit hole of free plugins. Some more "analog" sounding than others.

[SteveB]

Hello jhob101, and welcome. Just to let you know that there have been several potential millionaires on this site, (including me), who were thwarted comprehensively by GAS and its offshoots by buying stuff including bloody plugins!! There is/was a guy online who had a Youtube site:  TheRecordingRevolution, name of Grahame I recall. Best piece of advice in one of his vids: Choose your DAW - learn it inside and out; including the plugins. I agree with Zoltan, whatever your DAW of choice, the stock plugins will do everything a very expensive plugin will do, in general terms anyway. Learn them thoroughly, lots of vids available, and questions on Forums mostly get a reasonable answer. If you're a reader, one of the Recording at Home for Dummies are worth investing in. Concentrate on the music rather than the production, it can become a quagmire of indecision. Good luck. 

[jhob101]

Thanks to you both for the replies!

That really is very good advice about learning the stock plugins, I don't know why I look past them really... but it certainly ended in the quagmire of indecision!

I've learnt by now that if I want to finish anything then limitations, self-imposed or otherwise, are the way to go.

I'm a terrible over-thinker too, constantly challenging my own ethos of keeping it simple!

There's a lot of Reaper tutorials online at least, very well supported in that area.

I'll take a look at that book.  I do find it helpful having a single resource to refer to sometimes, as youtube can get pretty overwhelming also.

I've got a song that I think I'm happy with the recording of now, so once polished up a little I'll share it here.

thanks again 

[Jean Pierre]

I totally agree with Zoltan's answer and before reading it I was going to propose you the same options

I use Reaper even though I often come back to Reaper's native plug ins when using other plug ins.

And as Zoltan rightly said, the interface proposed by TUKAN makes them much more attractive and ergonomic, see this tutorial on YT about Tukan, it's in French but you can use the automatic translation.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSgInNb8R8Y


For Rea verb, like Zoltan (we must have some affinities) I strongly recommend the use of convolutions (there are some very good free ones...)
/Impulses
 

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

[jhob101]

Merci!

Have just downloaded the impulse responses so will give then a try with ReaVerb.


And I bought Step by Step Mixing using only 5 plugins which looks good for getting a basic workflow going and getting to know those essential plugins better.

I've saved the 'Recording at Home for Dummies' book too and might get that once I've read the Step by Step mixing book, which seemed like a quicker, to-the-point, read for the areas I'm struggling with now.

So I think I'm all set now to fill in my knowledge gap, which will hopefully precede a winter of song-writing & recording.

[chapperz66]

I totally agree with the views above, save your money and learn those that come with your DAW.  Two further thoughts I would mention.

First don't feel the need to add lots of plugins to every track in your song.  I often see pictures of screens where there are 6+ plugins on every track.  I really can't imagine that all of them are truly necessary or adding to the sound.  I use them sparingly. I put an eq on most tracks but mostly to cut stuff below 30-40 hz and help clarity.

Second learn how to use buss tracks. Have a reverb on an effects track and send tracks to it rather than have individual reverbs on each track.  Same with delay, chorus etc as these are processor hungry plugins.

Less often is more.  Honestly.

Have fun.

Paul Chapman

[cuthbert]

Second learn how to use buss tracks. Have a reverb on an effects track and send tracks to it rather than have individual reverbs on each track.  Same with delay, chorus etc as these are processor hungry plugins.

This. It's something I learned early on using mixers and rack gear back in the day, and allows some mixing flexibility and uniformity for your effects sound.

Learning the stock plugins as others suggested is certainly worthwhile. That said, some purpose-built plugins will save you time tweaking trying to find that sound. One example that comes to mind (if your music inclines this way) is some of the Abbey Road plug-ins from Waves. They're frequently on sale, which is the best time to buy if you're going to spend any money.

[T.C. Elliott]

I was also gonna second (or third or fourth it by now) the stock plugins in reaper. I also use a lot of free plugins. I'll try to post a list of a handful of free but good plugins.

Like others have posted, I've spent a fair amount of money on plugins over the years only to realize that most of the time, learning to use the stock plugins and a handful of free alternatives covers 98% of what I need to do.