The modern digital audio world has almost infinite computer resources. RAM is no longer a limitation, and you can run sessions at low buffer sizes with various plugins on each track with virtually no hiccups. Every producer or engineer curates their own plugin folders, full of effects, tools, emulations and freebies that can make your mix sound unforgettable — or if misused, make it fall apart. There’s a constant need to use the latest tools all the time, and stack them together on our processing chain. But it’s easy to forget the purpose of why we are adding these plugins, and when we bypass them, we don’t know if the source sounds better than the result.

So, what counts as too many plugins? Are we actually helping the song or just fooling ourselves by relying on processing to make the track work?

In this article, we’ll dive into these questions and perhaps help you reconsider your mixing approach. Let’s start at the beginning!

Echoes from the past

Back in the day, studios were often limited. Tape was expensive and could store up to 24 tracks. Artists and labels would choose specific studios for their natural reverb, room sound or vibe. Up until the advent of consoles such as the SSL 4000, the number of compressors in the studio was counted with no more than two hands. Still, many of the songs recorded at that time sound amazing and are still listened to over and over again by millions of people all over the world.

Fix-it-in-post Era

As the digital era took over, editing audio, mixing, and digital processing became easier and more accessible, allowing anyone with a laptop to record high-quality audio and create music anywhere. As great as this is for creativity, some limits still exist, meaning the methods in which we’re left to capture our audio can often be suboptimal. This culminates in the common feeling that producers and engineers need to apply heavy processing during post production to “fix it” and then mix it. This leads to a never-ending chain of plugins that, in some cases, people start using by default, expecting it will sound good no matter what source we process through it. But in reality, it might just be ruining it.

Stop and Listen

Instead of adding more plugins into your chains, focus on capturing an excellent performance. One that would provide emotion to the listener using the best tools for the job (not necessarily the most expensive ones).

Once the recording process is finished, listen to the song as a whole and think about the goal of the record. In some cases, filtering and subtractive EQ with gentle compression might be all you need to make the tracks sit in place. That’s why channel strips or modular plugins such as Satson CS or A-EQ can help you streamline your workflow without adding different processing plugins in your chain.

Cohesion

If you want to add cohesion to all your tracks, use the same plugin across your session, especially if it’s an analog-modelled one that adds a familiar character to the song. Plugins like N-Console or A-Console can be great to add across your session and get that cohesion you might be missing.

Another option is to process them in groups using buses. Balancing the tracks and processing them together can make a big difference in sound compared to processing them individually.

Templates

We discussed templates in past articles and how they can speed up your mixing process. But they can also help you decide what plugins work for you and develop your sound.

Templates should be ever-changing files open for experimentation. If you try something you like and feel you start using it very often, add it to your template. If, after a while, some of the things on your template are outdated or you don’t use them that much anymore, remove them from it.

Choose plugins that make your life easier and sound pleasing to your ears, but don’t feel you need to use them all at all costs. Having inactive plugins in your chain that can be used when required is a great way to have them in your session any time you need them but without consuming resources.

In conclusion, using too many plugins can be counterproductive and lead to a cluttered, over-processed mix. Instead, focus on capturing a good performance and using the right tools for the job. Those that can help you get to your goal faster and without jeopardising the sound quality. It’s all about serving the song and lifting it to shine.

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