Hiya again Gordon!

The question always comes up at some point in every Q+A with a producer who uses Pro Tools or similar, and you already touched on a few in another thread, but I’ll expand the query anyway - what are you very favourite, most indispensable plugins? Has your choice of software expanded much over the years as the tech has improved or are you the kind to “stick with what you know”? Are there any software tools that they no longer make/support that you wish someone could bring back?

Thanks!!

Good question. I like plug-ins. Three that I started with and LOVED were TC Chorus, LexiVerb and Amp Farm. They all went bye bye around the time that Scuzzy (SCSI) stopped being a thing, if I'm not mistaken. LexiVerb was so cool cuz you could spin the graphic around and create reverse room sounds... why isn't that still a thing?? I cried when they all went away, but was happy when Amp Farm reappeared a few years ago, back on the market!

With that out of the way, Plug-ins I like and use all the time:
R-Compressor- so valuable because when I have recorded something super cool, exactly the way I like it, I dont need to add fake-digital "analog creamy texture to it", often I just want to compress something and NOT change the sound-character at all. R-Comp does it perfectly.
UAD stuff: API 560 graphic EQ, EMT 140 Plate Reverb, Distressor (great emulation, and sorry... better sounding to my ears that the Empirical Labs Arouser) All the different UAD LA-2A, so musical and YES it adds creamy analog warmth to vocals that I didn't record haha! (speaking as a mixer of other people tracks).
I love SoundToys Decapitator, EchoBoy and PhaseMistress
I love Waves MondoMod for ultra intense tremelo effects
* others: Blue Cat Chorus, Valhalla Shimmer, Vahalla Plate
*plug in instruments: Oddity (Arp Odyssey emulation) Arturia MiniMoog thing,
The three old IK Multimedia sets--Miroslav Philharmonik (an orchestra recorded on tape, apparently), SampleTank and SonikSynth

Lets start with those!

I see those super young producer working with FL Studio, and there are tons of plug in sets for that which represent a new way to work, and I think the results are amazing. I would like to learn that set of tool at some point. I have added things to my arsenal as I go along, but also remember sounds that I like from every era of studio equipment.