Jamie Bonk

Every now and then I take a look at my studio gear and try to figure out better ways to use everything.  Mostly my studio is ITB (in the box), meaning it’s pretty much all computer-based.  Other than my guitars, a few pedals, some mics, an audio interface, speakers, and headphones, everything is zeroes and ones and lives inside my Mac Studio.  I’ll do a couple of future posts on my guitars, pedals, and other gear, and in this post, concentrate on the computer side of things.

I’m still a Logic Pro guy and probably always will be.  At this point, it feels like home and by and large does what I’d like it to do.  All of the editing (MIDI and audio) is great, terrific automation, creating lead sheets and notating parts is a breeze, and the plugins are first-rate.  The overall performance of Logic on my Mac Studio (M1 Max) is incredible, so in terms of computing power, for what I do, I don’t need any more horsepower than I already have.

If you’re just starting out, I think you can do great work with just the stock Logic plugins.  Even with all of the third-party plugins I have, I still use many of Logic’s stock plugins — the Session Player(s) sounds and loops are great, Alchemy is first-class, the reverbs get a lot of use, and the Gain plugin, as simple as it is, is always handy.  That said, I have lots of third-party plugins that are my first choice.  I keep thinking one day I’ll do a whole track using third-party plugins and then redo the track using stock plugins as a comparison.  My guess is it would sound pretty darn close, but it would be nice to actually do the “experiment”.  So here are my go-to, third-party plugins (in no particular order) broken down by category:

MIDI

• Spectrasonics Omnisphere — Reach for this one on everything I do.
• Spectrasonics Trilian — For the times when I don’t have a live bass player.
• Spectrasonics Stylus RMX — An oldie but a goodie.  This plugin needs an update, but it’s still incredibly useful.
• Toontrack EZDrummer 3 — Fantastic sounds, great drum part editor, and terrific grooves.
• Plugin Guru Unify — This plugin is slowly moving its way up the ladder.  I’m more familiar with Omnisphere, but Unify really does live up to its name — pulls together all of my plugins and more.  Looking forward to their new release with multi-outs.
• Spitfire Audio Originals – Intimate Strings — Gorgeous textures and blends well with other string libraries.
• Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra — I have the free version, and it sounds terrific.  This is another library that layers/blends well with other orchestral plugins/samples.
• Modartt Pianoteq 4 Stage – I need to update this guy, but if I need a piano sound, this is the one I reach for.
• Kirk Hunter Symphony Orchestra Emerald — This is an older sample library that I still use all the time blended with other libraries/plugins.

AUDIO

• Brainworx bx_console SSL 9000 J— I have a few console-type plugins that all have their strengths.  The SSL 9000 J is the one console that I keep coming back to and use it on just about every track in every project.
• SPL Iron — Great compressor.  If I had to choose just one compressor, this would be it.
• SPL PQ — This EQ works the way I hear.  I have no idea why it sounds better than most of my other EQs — it just does.
• AMEK Mastering Compressor — A top-shelf compressor that I primarily use on my mix bus, but it sounds terrific on just about anything.
• Brainworx bx_limiter True Peak – I’ve been using this as my final limiter for the last few years.  This limiter sounds fantastic on just about everything, so I don’t know if I’ll ever need another one.
• Black Box Analog Design HG-2MS — One of the best saturators out there.  For me, a little goes a long way.
• ADPTR MetricAB — A beyond useful plugin.  It does all kinds of monitoring from LUFS to stereo info and it lets you easily compare your track to other releases.
• iZotope Ozone 11 — I was trying to remember when I first picked up Ozone — probably 15-20 years ago.  I’m sure I could do mastering without it, but it wouldn’t be as easy or sound as good.
• iZotope Tonal Balance Control 2 — Great for a quick check of the frequencies in your mix/master.  I find it particularly helpful for bass/kick levels in my mixes.
• PSP Xenon — One of the best limiters I’ve heard.  Set up correctly in “C” mode and not pushed too hard, this limiter is amazingly transparent.

So that’s a quick look at my current favorite plugins.  I’m sure in six months the list will have some new names on it, but this is where I am in Spring 2025.  I’m always interested in trying out new things, so I’d love to hear what your go-to plugins are!