Exactly. Functionality and versatility is what the digital realm provides that hardware does not. It’s also the reason why most pros are mixing 100% in the box, at least after recording that is. I find myself choosing the most functional plugins over the less functional ones as I’m not so worried about the sonic quality of plugins as I was in the past. Most of them sound great in my opinion.

What separates one plugin emulation from the other is functionality. Granted, some emulations DO sound better than others, but it’s moslty just a matter of taste in my opinion. It’s that extra step companies take to add functions that seamlessly create a better workflow that sets them apart from the rest. Even if that means making one tiny little step easier, it can sometimes make the worlds difference between one plugin the other, even when it comes to emulations.

Apple became one of the most beloved and trusted companies in the world by taking that extra step to make their functionality easier for the user, not harder. Even if apples products aren’t say, better than other products in the same industry, they won people over by taking that step to create the most user friendly functionality.