Plugin database · Mastering.com Members Club

Plugin database

I've always been a visual person, and it's always killed me that these huge lists of available plugins in any given DAW are just lists of text. Sure, they can be broken down by type or by manufacturer, but when there are, say, 30 compressors I don't get that immediate feel of which one I want to use just by seeing the name. But when I see an IMAGE of the plugin, I always know right away which one I'm looking for. (Also doesn't help when a plugin is simply called "Tape", for example -- I'm looking at YOU, Softube.)

Back in the day, word processors and graphics programs like Illustrator would have you pick a font from a huge list of names, which to me is a bit useless. Nowadays, many of those programs show you a SAMPLE of each of those fonts, making it much easier to find the one you're looking for. I wish that the list of plugins available to a DAW would have, at the bare minimum, an image of the plugin for reference.

So I finally did something I've been wanting to do for ages. I made a database in Notion of every plugin I have, with a short description of each and other helpful info (FET vs OPTO vs Vari-Mu etc. for example, or Spring reverb vs. Plate, Hall, Chamber etc. etc.), AND that database is completely filterable (show me all limiters! Or show me all tape delays! Show me all amp simulators!). It's truly been a silver bullet for me. Plus, I'll admit, it's just kinda fun to have at my disposal and to play around with.

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