@Cawproductions @Boydie - Yip I agree totally, it is very easy to go bonkers on plugins, the question one could ask is "Will listeners hear any difference between plugins?"
Plugin wise I'm sure I have everything I need, my search now is more on the virtual instruments and and sims, as I don't have a Gretsch Country Gentleman, a Ricky 12 string or a Gibson Byrdland I'm on the hunt to get these tones for my Genre Jumping crusade.
It's still a load of fun, blimmin tricky sometimes and yes there are plugins that make the whole thing easier, for example the Abbey Road collection was used pretty much on the 1950's & 1960's songs...I didn't use anything from that for my '80's SAW thing, and different ones again for the '70's funk, some freebies, I know when it's sounding right for the track/mix. But I am finding there are a few that keep appearing, and sound just right.
Your'e right Boydie, my lips have had a distinct Frog flavour 'bout them. I do have a few that I just don't use, and these have been unistalled and written off to experience, with no regrets at all.
I've certainly found that the decision table of a song's sounds contributes greatly to the choice of plugins, and Plugin manufacturers know that, what I mean is this...
Most bedroom artists like us like to experiment, and that's when the combination of "A once in a lifetime deal" meets the lure of "I wonder if I buy this, will I get the sound I want"...Sometimes buying new strings makes more difference on guitar tracks than many other things, or long nails on acoustic gtr tracks, so maybe sometimes the answer is cheaper and more effective, looking elsewhere.
...Years ago artists would choose their Studio based on the sound they would get from it, and the producer & mixing engineer. The desk, outboard gear etc, wasn't much, nowhere near the amount that is around in the average bedroom producer these days...(I wonder if every plugin I have turned into it's actual hardware, how much space it would take up....?....shudder to think)
After all this talk ....This Black Friday I upgraded to Arturia V7, bought Sonnox Inflator, Upgraded to Magix Samplitude Pro X4, and I think got Maag EQ4...
...guilty as charged
croak croak