Fred again.. weighs in on the power of stock plugins

Fans, media personalities, and fellow artists have all raved about the incredible knowledge, insight, and workflow that Fred again.. delivers. Now the producer shares his insights into different plugins and how they impact a project.

Producers know that there is a seemingly endless supply of plugins for all sorts of projects and workflows. Even narrowing down on the right EQ or compressor could drive an artist crazy, with so many to choose from and thousands of opinions existing online. Now Fred again.. has shared his own thoughts on the subject, but chose not to call out any specific tool for use. After recently sitting down with the Tape Notes Podcast, he shared many of his production secrets, revealing how he used both stock and purchased plugins on his tracks.

During his appearance on the podcast, and later revealed via MusicRadar, Fred again.. said, “I did a few days teaching at some unis last year and I made a session that made a few sounds, a vocal, some drums and a guitar thing. I made the exact same sound with all Logic [stock plugins], the same sound with another set of plugins, the same sound with another one, and I played it for everyone and it was all the same… It just could not matter less.” Sharing how he has seen different producers lean into workflows and tools, it becomes a matter of preference and comfort more than anything. As he further states, “I’ve spent so many thousands of hours wasted on plugins, getting into the weeds with these things. I’ve made it so that my Logic [has] just got this one menu that only has the 12 plugins I use. It just doesn’t matter.”

Most producers know there is no exact science to deciding which plugins or workflows work best, but it may reassure many that an artist as prolific as Fred again.. finds little difference between the available tools.