Plug-in Pruning

Article Preview :: Cubase Tips & Techniques

Technique : Cubase Notes





When creating a new Collection, you can base it on the entire plug-in list or an existing Collection, or you can start from scratch by selecting Empty.When creating a new Collection, you can base it on the entire plug-in list or an existing Collection, or you can start from scratch by selecting Empty.



Take some of the work out of your workflow, with Cubase 8 Pro’s Plug-in Manager.



Carsten Kaiser



We’re really lucky these days to have such instant and affordable access to so many high-quality plug-ins. But, for many of us, acquiring new plug-ins becomes an unhealthy habit that gets in the way of actually using them to make music. How many times have you clicked to insert a plug-in and then spent an age browsing through an endless list in search of ‘the one’ effect or instrument that will do something special? Several minutes later you still haven’t found it and, worse, you’ve lost your creative mojo.



While experimentation is obviously important in music production, there’s a time and a place for it, and such an unfocused trial-and-error approach to plug-in selection is seldom productive. While it’s possible to search for a plug-in by typing its name, this only works if you can remember that name, and it’s not going to help you browse a few select alternatives for the same task — a more focused way of browsing — or those of us who prefer to use a mouse/trackpad rather than the computer keyboard.



Thankfully, Cubase 8 Pro has a feature that can help. It’s called the Plug-in Manager and if you use it wisely it will save you lots of time and help you keep your focus on the music. In this month’s column, I’ll suggest some strategies to get the best out of it.

Basic Setup



The basic idea of the Plug-in Manager is that you can impose your own preferred structure on your plug-in collection by creating what Steinberg call ‘Collections’ of plug-ins. It’s really easy to use, too.    


Published in SOS July 2015