Most Useful RE's

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Mr. Watts
Posts: 136
Joined: 05 Sep 2017

05 Apr 2018

The 5 most useful RE's for my production are:

Kuassa EVE MP5: I almost always have one of these on the master bus. It is really easy to dial in a good sound with the provided knobs. Check out some demo videos on youtube to see what I mean. This eq gets a lot of use on my drums as well, since it does so well in the low end between the gain, attenuation, and dip knobs.

McDSP FRG 4RE: I like this compressor because it feels familiar and sounds great. All you need is a basic idea of how a compressor works to feel at home with this one. Always the first compressor I reach for and 9 out of 10 times the one I end up using. I believe I purchased the McDSP compressor bundle on Black Friday for $49, so the value is also a huge upside of these devices.

Rob Papen RPVerb: For a long time I overlooked the delicate use of reverb and would just reach for the RV-7 whenever I needed more space on a sound. Needless to say the results were always so-so. I've never been the type to spend a long amount of time trying to dial in the right settings on a reverb so the RV-7000 never got much use. Then I got the RPVerb from Rob Papen and my feelings toward reverbs changed. The presets in this reverb are why I often reach for it over my other reverbs. Need some verb on a vocal track? Just go through the Vocal presets until you find the one you like, and edit to your liking.

Buffre Beat Repeater: This device can be used as an easy and intuitive way to add variation to a very basic loop. I have a lot of fun using the pitch wheel on my controller to control the pitch of the beats being repeated.

(FREE) Magmasonic Classic Filter: If I need to do an automated filter sweep on anything, this is my go to. When I'm sequencing a track and the ideas are flowing, every second counts and I don't want to waste any time setting up a filter. Sure there are better filters out there, but more often than not I reach for this one because I can set it up and record my automation very quickly. I also use this a lot on my Sub bass sounds and turn up the spice for some really nice saturation that will make your woofers rumble.

strangers
Competition Winner
Posts: 793
Joined: 06 Mar 2017
Location: NJ

05 Apr 2018

Glad I started the thread. It's really interesting to see what everyone is using. The RE2A looks to be one of the most used RE's. Was lucky enough to get that with the mix & master bundle a while back.

Keep 'em coming!
Voyager wrote:
04 Apr 2018
by the way the may madness sales start at the beginning, mid or end of may ?
Tends to happen mid to end of May.

mojo
Posts: 97
Joined: 12 May 2015
Location: france

06 Apr 2018

Fot me it will be :

Propulsion, quick beat without quitting the rack screen. (I dream of a v2 with sample loading, it would become a mini geist in the rack).

tm1, so usefull I can't understant why no one did it before.

Punch BD, in every track for drum kick sound design. (need an update with sample loading).

Lot of cv stuff, ammo 400, janitor cv shaper, bzr1 chaotic signal generator, cv mutant, cv tuner...

GSX graphic shaper, master drum bus' swiss army knife. multiband transient shaper, gain, delay, stutter and effect of your choice (you can have a filter controlled by an lfo on one band, distortion on another one) with four separate setting banks. Just switching between banks add a lot of variety to a basic drumloop.

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Ahornberg
Posts: 1904
Joined: 15 Jan 2016
Location: Vienna, Austria
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06 Apr 2018

Parsec 2 ... no other RE or VST can create that wide and strange sound palette!

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manisnotabird
Posts: 475
Joined: 20 Feb 2015
Location: Austin, TX

07 Apr 2018

Pump, PSQ-1684, Legend, Saturation Knob, Propulsion, Selig Gain, Skope, Janitor

Easy to get the right "pumping" sound out quick with Pump
PSQ-1648 is great for weird always changing background melodies
Legend is my go-to for thick rich bass sounds
Almost every song starts with the "Setup - Kong CV1-Combi" from the Propulsion folder
Saturation Knob adjusted until the yellow light just starts flashing a tiny bit adds just a little something that usually works
Selig Gain is just useful
Skope for visualising what is happening to CV, and as oscilloscope
Janitor for other CV duties

ckoehler
Posts: 10
Joined: 06 Mar 2018

07 Apr 2018

Synapse The Legend
Synapse Ninety Vintage Phaser
Synapse DC-2 Dual Chorus
Synapse DR-1 Deep Reverb
RX950 Classic AD/DA Converter
Pump Sidechain/Gate Effect
:reason: Reason 10 @ Windows 10

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TritoneAddiction
Competition Winner
Posts: 4219
Joined: 29 Aug 2015
Location: Sweden

07 Apr 2018

I can't say any particular go-to synth or instrument since I switch or try out new ones all the time. It's always different.
Reverbs also vary all the time.

Classic Filter from MagmaSonic: I strictly use it for cutting out highs and lows (mixing). Nothing fancy but I prefer this over Reasons SSL filters and the ones in GQ-7. It sounds smoother to me for some reason.
GQ-7: My go-to EQ. It's simple, looks good, sounds good, several filter slope options. It's got everything I need in a go-to EQ.
FRG-4RE Compressor: Great for drums and bass sounds. Punchy yet transparent and natural sounding.
C670 Compressor: I've owned this for a long time, but it's only recently that it has become one of my favorites. Great when you want subtle and gentle compression.
Carve EQ Ducker: Boring but super useful. This one has helped me out endless times when I've had 2-3 midrangy instruments playing at the same time. One of my best RE purchases for sure.
Disperser: Brings out snap in transient heavy material, but not the way a compressor does. This is something else entirely. It can make your instrument pop out in the mix without having to raise the volume. Very underrated RE in my opinion.
Ozone Maximizer: I've been using it in almost every track for at least two years. The most transparent RE limiter.
kHs Distortion: This one seems to the new RE to replace my otherwise old trusty Saturation Knob. Sounds good and it has a mix (dry/wet) knob too.

wishMachine
Posts: 38
Joined: 12 Dec 2017

07 Apr 2018

I did go through a phase where the RE2A and one of the EVE range from Kuassa went on either every bus or every insert. This has since stopped (thankfully!)

So, RE's that end up in pretty much everything.

Softube FET - Master Compressor
Ozone Maximiser - Final piece of the master section.
Fritz - Seems to have become a staple reverb unit of late.
D-Filter - For it's aggressive 192 dB/Oct!
And if there's a loop in there anywhere D.CAM EnvShaper will always follow; And not just loops, pluck sections that lack bite too.
:reason: 10 :record: :refill: :ignition: :re:

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cognitive
Posts: 177
Joined: 25 Apr 2018
Location: Los Angeles

18 Jun 2018

Hard to narrow it down, but here are a few current RE essentials for me, some newly added to my list of, "How did I get by without it?"

Blamsoft - eXpanse
Synapse - The Legend
Selig - Coloring EQ (recent addition)
Selig - Leveler (recent addition)
Kuassa - Kratos 2 Maximizer (recent addition)
Propellerhead - Synchronous

Also a shoutout to Jiggery-Pokery Chenille Chorus Ensemble, in particular for giving me the tools to easily add sparkly magic to some vocal tracks that I need to "pop" in a unique way.

In terms of on-board rack effect devices (excluding synths), I don't know how I would get by without Pulveriser. I have instances of this device all over the place in every song.

For on-board synths, Thor and Europa are my current go-tos. Between these, eXpanse and The Legend, I'm covering a LOT of sonic territory, so much so that I don't feel the "need" for other RE synths, even though I do have many, many more available for any "specialty" applications.

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WillyOD
Posts: 281
Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Location: Left of stardust
Contact:

18 Jun 2018

RE2A
I used to make music but now I just cry on these forums. @diippii.com

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mreese80
Posts: 1140
Joined: 19 Nov 2015
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20 Jun 2018

Selig Gain and Little Lfo
Reason 10.4 :refill: :re: :ignition: | :recycle: 2.2.4 | Ableton Live Suite 10.1| MPC Software 1.9.6 | Photoshop CC 2019 | Novation Impulse 49 | Nektar Impact LX 49

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Biolumin3sc3nt
Posts: 662
Joined: 16 Jan 2015

20 Jun 2018

D- Filter makes an appearance on just about everything these days. Wish I had bought it as soon as it came out

jimmyklane
Posts: 740
Joined: 16 Apr 2018

20 Jun 2018

wishMachine wrote:
07 Apr 2018

Softube FET - Master Compressor
Really? You’re using an 1176 as your usual 2-bus compressor?!!? This is a rare decision for me, personally. I purchased a broken 1178 (stereo 1176 minus the input amp and transformer) and fixed it (simple problem with the voltage regulators, easy fix!) and have found it to be fantastic for both plucky synth parts as well as drum-bus duties, but every time I go to put it on the master bus, it feels just a little too “grabby” for me....how are you getting around this? I know the plugin has a very useful HP filter in the detector circuit, and I can see that helping.
What’s your basic technique with this RE?
DAW: Reason 12

SAMPLERS: Akai MPC 2000, E-mu SP1200, E-Mu e5000Ultra, Ensoniq EPS 16+, Akai S950, Maschine

SYNTHS: Mostly classic Polysynths and more modern Monosynths. All are mostly food for my samplers!

www.soundcloud.com/jimmyklane

jimmyklane
Posts: 740
Joined: 16 Apr 2018

20 Jun 2018

My most used RE is Distributor by Blamsoft.

It’s allowed me to build patches that sound extremely organic and “analog” by using (for example) Europa as a monosynth and setting each one up just a tiny bit differently. Create a 14:2 mixer and pan the voices individually in the stereo field and you’ve got a sound that I can only recreate with one synth, the Oberheim Matrix-12. I can also work this trick using EMIs, and placing the same patch on 8 channels of a sampler, but that is honestly very time consuming! Having to copy, edit, and return 8 similar patches from a sampler is a PITA, but I’ve gotten really unique results with it, to the point that I’ve used precious and rare 720kB floppies to save banks for later use (in the Ensoniq EPS 16+)

I can not recommend this RE highly enough if you’re into analog polysynths. You can fool even the most die-hard analog nut with careful programming!
DAW: Reason 12

SAMPLERS: Akai MPC 2000, E-mu SP1200, E-Mu e5000Ultra, Ensoniq EPS 16+, Akai S950, Maschine

SYNTHS: Mostly classic Polysynths and more modern Monosynths. All are mostly food for my samplers!

www.soundcloud.com/jimmyklane

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Arrant
Competition Winner
Posts: 521
Joined: 16 Jan 2015

20 Jun 2018

DR-2 Deep Reverb - Still the best reverb in the shop
D-filter - When the stock hi-pass filters just won't cut out enough low-end (which is always)
Ozone Maximizer - Every track needs this post-master
Selig Gain - Because silly Reason doesn't have loudness metering with a text readout
Kuassa EQs or RPEQ - You're gonna need some extra EQ or you'll run out of bands. Kuassa devices are more "musical", RPEQ more surgical and useful. Couldn't pick one.

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Reasonable man
Posts: 589
Joined: 14 Jul 2016

20 Jun 2018

Few people mentioned Little LFO. if you find an application for it i guess its handy but i think it has a major bug with the cv envelope outputs.
2.21 and 3.44 mins into this video he connects the cv envelope out to the ECF. Ive troubleshooted this a dozen times and these outputs dont work as they;re illustrtated in the video . They just cut off the Lfo signal altogther. Only the non envelope cv's outs work for me. Anyone notice this?

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challism
Moderator
Posts: 4642
Joined: 17 Jan 2015
Location: Fanboy Shill, Boomertown

21 Jun 2018

I have to give major props to Lectric Panda for their free TAP CV Player device. This thing is absolutely amazing! In my opinion, it is the single best device to happen TO OTHER REs in a very long time. What is so great about it is the ability to easily write notes to track, notes coming from REs with a step sequencer/note/chord generator (such as ABL3, STEP, Korde, AutoTheory, ChordSet, Mercury).

Example: I love the basslines that ABL3 generates, but I've always wanted to easily write them to track. The number of alternate patterns they give you built in the device are very limiting. So variety suffers. And the ability to adjust the resolution/speed at which it plays is completely missing. Sure you can do all that in the sequencer, but you have to get the notes there, first. Before TAP Player, it was a big pain in the ass to write notes to track. Now it's easy! I can tweak a few of the sliders and come up with a variety of alternate tracks with the click of a button. Then, slice them up, mix them up, make adjustments, and add some shuffle to them in the sequencer. Easy, peasy!

If this were the Oscars, TAP CV Player would win "best supporting actor." Thank you, Lectric Panda.
Players are to MIDI what synthesizers are to waveforms.

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FLVZ
Posts: 519
Joined: 17 Aug 2016
Location: ZW | GB

21 Jun 2018

I think most useful is dependant on the project. There is never truly a universal answer unless there is something lacking in the core software that is essential to the user experience.

Jiggery Pokery Itsy - Super useful for checking phase, lives on the master channel particularly during mixing and mastering phase.

Pongasoft VAC6 - I love using this to give me realtime audio waveform information, so I can see how I'm compressing a signal or affecting the waveform with my processing. I am a very visual person and forever grateful for this RE. Used a lot in mix and mastering as well for realtime visual feedback.

DlogB Splex - The break ins and break outs on the back of this MB compressor mean you can get really creative with mix n match MB FX.

McDSP Futzbox - My one stop solution to lo-fi life. The simulator is packed with interesting algorithms and I've use some on whole mixes to emulate a particular character that would have been hard work to achieve manually. Great alternative to Scream.

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dandandaaan
Posts: 62
Joined: 01 Mar 2016
Location: London, UK
Contact:

21 Jun 2018

For me no project is complete with about 10 instances each of Synapse GQ-7 and Softube Saturation. Honestly, if Props just replaced the SSL channel strip EQ with GQ-7 I would be totally fine.

Honorable mentions go to Synapse DR-1 (for that little something that RV-7000 just doesn't quite do), Little LFO (no crazy synth combi I ever create is complete without it) and recent favourites Elements Distort & Lo-Fi, for those moments you just need to push things to the extreme.
singer/songwriter with electronic tendencies

http://pointsmusic.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/points_music

Logic / Ableton Live / Reason Rack / Nord Stage 2 / Moog Grandmother / Eurorack / Guitars, drums, toys

wishMachine
Posts: 38
Joined: 12 Dec 2017

30 Jun 2018

jimmyklane wrote:
20 Jun 2018

Really? You’re using an 1176 as your usual 2-bus compressor?!!? This is a rare decision for me, personally. I purchased a broken 1178 (stereo 1176 minus the input amp and transformer) and fixed it (simple problem with the voltage regulators, easy fix!) and have found it to be fantastic for both plucky synth parts as well as drum-bus duties, but every time I go to put it on the master bus, it feels just a little too “grabby” for me....how are you getting around this? I know the plugin has a very useful HP filter in the detector circuit, and I can see that helping.
What’s your basic technique with this RE?
Okay. What I tend to do is set up a mid side route to centralise the bottom and spread the top. This then goes into the FET. I drive the input relatively hard and that gets a nice bite. This is what I'm looking for without that god awful pump (seriously, that compressor pump makes me feel sick, like really, no this isn't a metaphor, my stomach churns and I have to escape, it's like being sea-sick in my brain). For me it really is the glue that pulls everything together. Then it goes to the Ozone maximiser for level balance.

I find the Reason stock compressor to more than suffice for pluck duties, perhaps I just have an odd approach. I normally use Reason's channel compressor for the drums as that can be quite mild, but satisfying. If grit is needed it's either achieved with the Pulveriser or a Scream4 with tape saturation.
:reason: 10 :record: :refill: :ignition: :re:

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