RECORDING
Jay Lefebvre is a Quebec-based composer, producer, and engineer who has worked with Roch Vois-
ine, Bastian Baker, Simple Plan, Robby Johnson, Forever Gentlemen, Eva Avila, Andee, and many
more. He also owns the audio-video production company Melophonix. www.melophonix.com.
By Jay Lefebvre
Why I’ve Embraced Plug-Ins
L
ately, I’ve been using plug-ins…
a lot.
I’m a 41-year-old composer-
producer and I started working in re-
cording studios right at the end of the 1990s,
slightly before the “switch” to the new digital
technologies. I’ve recorded with a 24-track
Studer A827 alongside the Voyetra Gold
sequencer, linked to Roland S-760 samplers
with external SCSI drives and that was the
bomb! That lasted for a while and then DAWs
allowed for digital recording. Really, it wasn’t
all that great in the beginning, but that’s a
whole other story.
So, I’ve been using plug-ins the last few
years on almost everything. I mostly do
analog recording on mono sources (vocals,
acoustic guitar, bass, shaker, tambourine, etc.)
but then after that, my chain is plug-ins pretty
much all the way.
You sometimes hear things like, “Plug-ins
are cool but nothing like the real thing.” That’s
okay – then keep using what sounds good to
you; we are all masters of our own destiny. But
for myself, I find I’m quicker and more efficient
when I’m creating and use plug-ins for my
synths, my loops, my “fake” drums, and my FX
on vocals, guitars, and others. Even when I’m
mixing, I find plug-ins help the flow and cre-
ativity – the “mix instinct” – kick in when you
need to keep going for hours. Often, I even
keep most of the settings from the “creative”
sessions because today’s reality is we’re all
kind of mixing as we go on the productions
we do.
I’ve been using Waves plug-ins since the
early 2000s but I was still using mostly analog
preamps and compressors to record. But then
I came across the Universal Audio stuff and
bought my first Apollo Quad Silver interface.
(I think it was mid-2012.) The Unison technol-
ogy (preamp, EQ, and compressor emulations
at recording) really took the industry by storm
and changed the game. Recalling settings
on different recording sessions by saving the
preset to match the vocal chain instantly is
amazing. So, it made perfect sense to change,
switch, combine, and start merging my
systems to a more hybrid plug-in setup. I even
sold some of my analog gear (not all) that was
sitting there collecting dust.
I don’t bash on any analog gear whatso-
ever. I’ve tried and I own many preamps from
several companies and find most of them
fantastic. Also, if you want to record multiple
sources (drums, string section, choir, full
bands), it would be hard to consider doing
that from a home studio setup. To me, that’s
where bigger, older analog studios with lots
of preamps, microphones, and cool toys are
really the go-to place.
So, find what works best for you in your
workflow and maximize your productions
and mixes. I think I’ve finally found what I’m
looking for. Here’s what you will always find in
my sessions:
Waves: Center, C4 multiband compres-
sor & F6 floating-band dynamic EQ
I usually use Center on the synth, clap,
and/or acoustic guitar aux to spread the
stereo factor, and mostly to get rid of the
unnecessary middle signal to keep room
for the vocals, bass, kick, and snare. I use
C4 on bass to isolate compression on low
frequencies and on vocals to contain that
mid-range. The F6 is so I can smartly auto-
mate EQ changes in verses and choruses
when the vocal gets higher and the voice
gets thinner. I can reinsert or dip less on
those low frequencies that I might not
want for the verse.
Universal Audio: Neve 1073, LA-2A,
Pultec EQP-1A, Fender 55 Tweed
Deluxe & EMT-140
UA’s Unison preamp technology is fantastic.
Tracking through a Neve 1073, a Pultec
EQP-1A, and an LA-2A compressor is
golden and it works every time! When I get
tracks from the outside, I can also sort of
“reamp” and get instant results by enabling
the 1073 preamp and activating the EQ sec-
tion. Tracking with the Fender amp on clean
textures, and even some slightly dirty coun-
try riffs and leads, is all music to my ears! Oh
man, that EMT-140 on vocals… mmm.
Soundtoys: Echoboy, Decapitator
& Little Plate
I simply cannot mix without Echoboy on a lot
of sources. Aux 1 has the Radio VOX preset
to gently spread the vocals, aux 2 is 1/4-1/8D
on the “ClassicAnalogDelay” preset, and aux 3
has the “EdgyVocalSlap” to get that more lo-fi
quick delay on some key parts throughout
the song. I use Decapitator for some distor-
tion on bass or vocals, side chain, on an aux,
or even directly with a low percent of affected
signal on the track. Little Plate sounds great
and I use it on secondary parts directly on the
track to put perspective in the mix. To me, it’s
the best light CPU usage reverb ever.
FabFilter: Pro-L2 (Limiter)
I’ve seen a few guys using this plug-in
at the end of the mastering chain. It is
comprehensive, flexible, and gives instant
results. That limiter is always on my main
vocals, backing vocals, and master bus for
sure. I can adjust the input for saturation, or
simply change the output without affect-
ing the treatment or original sound.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 59