Essentials for OSX?

Installation & Configuration Mac OS X
#1

Hi,

I have recently started using Ardour4 on OSX. Recording audio works great.

However, I am missing a good equalizer, compressor, limiter, hall effect and maybe a de-esser.
Which ones can you recommend?

I did an online search, but none of the VST I’ve found work as plugins. Some .components-files worked, but I did not manage to find useful plugins there.

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

#2

Some decent stuff off the top of my head (Doesn’t answer everything you need sorry)…

http://www.bluecataudio.com/Products/Bundle_FreewarePack/
http://x42-plugins.com/x42/x42-eq

   Seablade
#3

Not free, but quality products at reasonable prices: http://overtonedsp.co.uk/

#4
Not free, but quality products at reasonable prices: http://overtonedsp.co.uk/
Are now 60% off until the end of the year, so they're as close to free as we can afford to make them.
#5

Heh sorry I was thinking free stuff, non-free take a look at Overtone DSP certainly, and also Mixbus and the various Harrison plugins as well. But really non-free on OS X you have a huge amount of choice in general.

Seablade

#6

Thank you guys.

As for now, I am just playing around and figuring out whether or not I can work productively with Ardour, so only free stuff is an option for me. If I stick with the programm, I’ll look into buying some plugins.

#7

If you’re working on OS X, and you use AudioUnit plugins (the standard on that platform), then any plugins you use are almost guaranteed to work with any other plugin-hosting application on that platform. Investing in non-libre plugins on OS X is not a risk if you plan to stay on the platform, regardless of whether you continue to use Ardour or not.

#8

The “welcome to ardour setup dialog” on OSX will have asked to perform an initial plugin scan. If you have skipped that part: Preferences > Plugins > Scan
OSX comes with essential plugins out of the box: some EQs, Compressors, two or three MIDI synths,… which are not unreasonable.

Many plugin vendors also offer evaluation versions (which periodically go silent or add noise) at no cost. Libre/free AudioUnits or LV2 plugins for OSX are rare.

Another commercial alternative is http://harrisonconsoles.com/site/mixbus.html which is Ardour on Steroids: The editor is pretty much identical, but the Mixer includes an EQ, Compressor and Tape Saturation.

#9

I have to say that those plugins you have mentioned work really well for me already. As far as compressor and equalizer go I don’t think I need anything else. At least while demo recording acoustic stuff.

However, I am not so sure on a Drum Machine. Is FXpansions BFD Eco any good? I was considering that together with their Heavy Rock Classics kit. The only problem is, right now I work on OSX. I would like to completely switch to Ubuntu or Debian eventually and then that kit will most likely not work anymore… Is there a good alternative to use on osx and linux (or, preferably, on any OS, thus having more flexibility working with different hardware)?

#10

If you have the drum samples already, the DrMR plugin (LV2 format) is pretty great. You can set up drumkits for it in the cross-platform Hyrdogen drum machine application, save those drumkits and then DrMR will load them. This does require that you have or get the samples, though - DrMR doesn’t provide any.