A well made piece of analog gear is expensive, and due to the cost, a collection of these analog tools is often times slow built. For the person who possesses such items, over time they become intimately familiar with each nuance of their equipment, knowing when and how it should be applied when a situation calls for it. A modest budget in this instance has become a silver lining, forcing the engineer, or enthusiast to space purchases, and in turn take that time to truly learn the tools that slowly fill up rack space. This set of circumstances happens less frequently in the digital domain, where excellent plug-ins are less costly than their analog counterparts.
From bundle deals, to sales, and freeware, plug-ins can be readily amassed. Through sheer numbers they can easily inundate the user with a plethora of options that can result in menu diving during sessions, and by nature of the surplus of tools, create situations where the engineer is unfamiliar with the plug-in at hand. This issue can be remedied when the engineer treats plug-ins like analog gear. Many companies offer demos of their plug-ins and this fact should be used to an engineer’s advantage. Just as one would test a new piece of analog gear to see how it operates and fits within their chain, one should test an individual plug-in in the same way.
An engineer should understand how well a plug-in does its job, especially when compared and contrasted to other pieces of digital and analog equipment that fill the same, or similar roles. They must determine where the plug-in fits within their chain, whether it be an all digital, or hybrid setup. They must ask themselves if the plug-in helps, or hinders their workflow, which can oftentimes be a question of how well the plug-in is laid out. There are many plug-ins they have a great deal of flash to them in the graphics department, when what is truly needed is a streamlined grid layout. Just as ergonomics factor into operating analog gear, they must also factor into how well the plugin functions for the end user. Finally, they must explore how the plug-in operates in contextual situations. Past sessions should be recalled in order to deduce the effectiveness of a plug-in when applied to work scenarios.
Tools are tools whether they exist in the digital, or analog realm. Treating digital gear as a completely different animal to analog generally works to the user’s detriment. The same respect, careful planning, and attention given to an analog piece needs to be applied to plug-ins. By holding digital tools to the same audio standards as analog tools an engineer can truly assess their quality and impact on their work.