I use the kirchoff eq for surgical work, dynamic eq, and sidechaining. After that I will pick a tone shaping eq to sweeten up a mix/master. Current favs are the Acustica White 3 - pultec style but based on a solid state mid/side device with custom curves from White Sound Mastering in Italy. If I need something a bit more colourful Acustica Rust is a delightful sounding version of the famous 7 band motown EQ. For custom broad brush EQ's the Emerald collection and Pearl are fabulous. Others I get to are the Kazrog Avalon Collection, Softube Chandler Curve Bender, Summit 100 EQF, or the already mentioned Harris Doyle EQ from Brainworks. I am on a kick of matching an eq's tone to masters or matching saturation of an eq to the main tracks or subgroups by selecting the same eq/pre on each. Some time in the last year I heard a clip feom Sage audio that was an aha moment for me in that when compressing the matching harmonic context between all the tracks being inputed to the compressor are what creates the glue and cohesion between all the rest of the sounds. I can't for the life of me find the clip again but the theory explains why consoles and tape naturally glue songs together.

Nice to hear from you @Donny Baker , hope all is well!

@Richard Martin When I first was learning digital editing (2005?) I had an M-Box and Pro Tools. So did learn the platform back then and would expect I would pick it up easily again. At the moment I am waiting for the next time I upcycle my machine to decide whether to get Pro Tools going again. Till then I have Ableton/Logic/Harrison that work just fine.

@Richard Martin Yeah one of the good things about Ableton is that if you ever had an interface they work with it would have either been bundled with a basic version (Called Ableton Lite) or a download card to get started. Also if you have ever had any version with a valid key you will already have an upgrade path from the website offering you the options you are credited based on the version you bought. You have to login to your existing Live account to find out about available options. Otherwise they will always have a trial for the most current version of Albeton (12 now). One thing about ableton that can be frustrating is if you are looking for an older version of the software with a valid licence. You have to transfer a licence from an existing user so supply and demand play a role. Sometimes they show up on platforms like ebay or also in audio forums etc.

Not a plugin but a DAW for a plugin price! Currently Harrison has their Mixbus 11 DAW on for $29. Their is also a pro version that includes an additional SSL EQ and Dolby Atmos mixing capabilities ($99). https://store.harrisonaudio.com/all-products/mixbus-11-pro Includes Harrison EQ's, Gates, and Compression on each channel in console style plus bussing and grouping etc. Includes tape saturation and master bus limiter as well. Has per channel audio spectrum analyzers. Supports external AU/VST plugins in-line with each channel/group/bus/master etc. Worth a look for any looking for a new DAW. The software will run in Demo mode without a license with occasional noise bursts. Main limitation would be support for 64 channels of audio. That may include mixbus channel as well. Good point is that the software runs native and and is not a subscription based DAW. Otherwise you could basically mix a song with the stock tools and/or with very little boutique plugins. Also appears to run fine on older than listed Mac OS. Finding a DAW with a license for a older system can be difficult these days so that alone is valuable, whether as a backup DAW or as your main DAW. Youtube Intro Video https://youtu.be/cL_8tQwvsbw?si=6MxnRoxxEOad0gUZ

@Lou Baker Yes I noticed that by how I was not able to load up on plugins like in my ableton sessions. I am curious to see if its faster or just easier to complete a mix with it with the stock plugins. Either that or a hybrid version where I do plugin intensive groups in Ableton and bring them back in after

I'd start by organizing the plugins into function - preferebly within the DAW but if not then with a spreadsheet or document of some kind. Something that gets you past the manufacturer and into the actual use(s) of each plugin. It may be tedious but the payoff is huge. At that point your strategy will be on overdrive. For example try a compressor/EQ/Channel Strip each week and for an extra try an effect or special processor like a saturator or tape machine (these affect the signal in multiple ways so understanding how they work relative to the more single focussed plugins is advantageous) Later you could revisit trying multiple compressors or EQ's against each other with the same settings or channel strips to go deeper or just loading up multiple plugins of the same type and toggling between them to hear the 'sound' of the plugin itself or just playing with the saturation or drive of each plugin without using the function itself. Attached photo of how I organize the plugins into bucket categories in my DAW

I'd set up a test environment with the tools you have on hand. Most important is to know the source material you are testing with is well produced. Honestly I would start by using one of the mix's Mastering dot com (MdC) provides as a finished mix. Why? Compressing the bus track will reveal the most detail the compressor is doing to the material. 1) Pick an optical or VCA (solid state or 'Bus' type) to start with 2) Set attack and release first with a starting point of 30ms attack and 50ms release for a typical rock/pop track (settings close to these will allow you to hear the compression 3) If you have ratio control set it to 2 to 1 4) Start the track and start reducing the threshold slowly until you get about 2-3db of compression. At this point you should be able to audibly detect a change in the track. 5) Listen to the track again and toggle the compressor (or switch the power for HW) on and off. This should reveal the difference of the dry signal to the compressed signal. 6) Another test would be to leave the compressor on and slowly turn the mix knob from 0-100% if you have one. 7) You should hear the effect of the signal being 'pulled together' gently and the detail of the track appearing a bit more prominently otherwise known as the OMG factor of compression and the payoff for all the work before it. 8) Add an equalizer and add some EQ to the signal with the compressor off and repeat the steps. This should provide more insight into how the compressor pulls together the changes you apply upstream and why to work on tracks with the 'end in mind'. Try different scenarios like under eq and over eq as well as completely mangling your track. 9) Try the whole thing over with the other compressor typologies. Suggested order next would be MU (Fairchild ex) then PWM then Diode Bridge (33609 or Zener) FET (1176) and any other types you want to try. Attempt to use as close as possible settings for each. 10) Pick your favorite for the material and one you can clearly hear what the compression is doing and dial in the settings to your taste.