it wasn't until this summer that I started looking at/trying/buying third party plugins for my DAW. I bucked up for Komplete 12 Ultimate and it's really amazing-- especially the modern synth sounds, etc. I've also bought several Waves plugins that I find really unique. Originally I couldn't decide between Guitar Rig 5 or Amplitube 4 for my guitar amp sim needs. I saw some pros/cons in each-- and I got both and I like them for different purposes. I got a really great deal on Amplitube Max-- which had almost everything except some of the recent artist packs-- and I got it for $160 a few months ago. One thing that let me down was that it did NOT include the Fender Collection 2...
IK Multimedia is running a sale until Nov 2 (I think) on their Total Studio 2 Max suite-- since I already qualified for a "maxgrade" from buying Amplitube Max (Plus I had some jam points) I was able to purchase this whole suite for about $115. I think without any upgrade discounts it's about $250, which is still an absolute steal, imo.
Man, am I impressed.... I had wanted the Lurssen Mastering Console since my free trial ended a few months ago but didn't want to pony up the $165 for it. I now have Ozone 9 for mastering, but haven't really learned it in depth and prefer the Lurssen for a quick master. Some of the plugins seemed a bit redundant to what I had, but this time they were adding the Amplitube Fender 2 collection, which I really, really wanted anyway. So anything extra was gravy at this point.
So, the T Racks might be my favorite effects series in some ways-- I prefer some of the creative delays and reverbs in Komplete, but T Racks One and Master Match have left me with a grin I can't wipe away. This standalone feature might be the best part of the whole suite to me. I can load in individual tracks and master a whole album with it. I was not expecting to be impressed with T Racks but I am.
I just wish it included the Sunset Sound Studios Reverbs because that plugin sounds fantastic but costs $150.
Having all the synths in Komplete 12 Ultimate, I wasn't that interested in the included Sample Tank 3 and 4 libraries-- I had some issues downloading and installing them-- but I figured it out on my own. Like I said, I already got my money's worth out of Total Studio 2 Max, before getting to the Sample Tank stuff so I didn't care if I didn't like them as much as my NI libs/synths.
Well, the artist drum plugins sound great to me-- especially the Hugh Padgham and Neil Peart-- I'm not much of a "finger drummer" but I know I'm going to be using these two libraries because they have the sounds I want. The techno/electronic expansions don't do much for me, compared to the NI stuff but it's not an issue.
Last night I played around with a lot of the synth tones from IK and really enjoyed the depth of tone from the sampled vintage synths. The IK stuff sounds very old-school compared to the NI-- but to my ears really authentic-- especially the Syntronik samples. NI stuff has more retro stuff with a modern edge to it-- the IK synths sound literally of their time-- which is why I like having both. One is a brand new relic'd custom shop instrument the other feels like new old stock/closet classic to me.
Kontakt seems to eat a lot of CPU on my system and the Sample Tank maybe not so much-- it's easy to use and to create lots of interesting layered tones. I watched a video of Jordan Rudess demoing Sample Tank and was impressed.
Oh crap, I almost forgot...MODO BASS!!!! I love this one! I have all the sampled basses in Komplete 12 Ultimate-- and they're cool. I'm a more than competent bass guitarist though so the only time I'd use sampled bass is if I don't have one of my Fender Jazz basses handy. I was recording a track at my brother's house and I didn't have a bass guitar so I used IK's MODO bass-- and I think I love this thing better than sampled basses. There is a huge selection of bass models to work with-- I ended up using a virtual 5 string Dingwall multiscale and it blew me away.
So I'd say that I'm still a newb compared to a lot of you when it comes to plugins-- but the IK Total Studio 2 Max is a really solid complement to what I already have-- especially for the sale price.
I haven't really explored the Miroslav Philharmonik 2 yet, but kinda noodled through it and it looks pretty comprehensive and will probably require a bit of a learning curve for me-- but it's another solid piece of gear that I consider a freebie.
Cheers,
Ted
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/ts2max/
