Last month we ran a prize draw competition in which one person would win all the Plugin Alliance AAX DSP plug-ins and 5 runners up would each win one AAX DSP Plugin of their choice and we can now announce who the lucky winners are.
Braedon Garret - Winner Of All The Plugin Alliance AAX DSP Plug-ins
I’m very grateful to have won this competition. I work in the music and audio post industries and due to the ever-changing landscape, I’ve learned to wear many different hats. Weekends I’m busy teaching various instruments, nights I’m busy with corporate gigs, and during the week I work at 'The Bed Room Studios' which is a new venture for my company Creative Matters Music. There are currently three of us in the company, each of us with different strengths and backgrounds, which allow us to house a wide range of projects at our studio. We tackle everything from Foley to full-length LPs.
Though we do have some fancy analogue gear, we are in no way purists and, apart from preamps, I personally reach for a plug-in before any analogue box.
While we are lucky to be able to keep a studio afloat, it is still a new venture. As such, we are currently weighing the pros and cons of every big plug-in purchase whether it be Melodyne or RX6. We are huge proponents of the Slate Everything Bundle and have many other analogue modelled plugins such as Waves, etc. What we currently lack are clean tools to manipulate audio without adding “analogue noise” or having the plugin effect the sonic nature of the source under the hood. I’m very excited to have won this competition as it provides the opportunity to acquire a lot of these tools without compromising my ability to invest in some of the more expensive plugin standards that make the clients happy!
I’d like to thank Pro Tools Expert and Plugin Alliance for providing this opportunity for someone such as myself to gain a big head start in forming a formidable plug-in collection! The plug-ins will be put to great use.
Dennis Brown - Winner Of Engl E646 VS Plug-in
I am lead mixer/producer at Audio Lab Productions in beautiful Hickory, North Carolina. I started my career in 2008 at Living Arts College in Raleigh, North Carolina in Audio Technology and Music Productions.
In 2012 I started working at Audio Lab Productions and gained knowledge, experience and a clientele base, mainly in the country, rock, and pop genres. I use Pro Tools and I enjoy mixing every day even on my downtime and being with my family. I drive my family nuts but hey, that’s what keeps life interesting and challenging when you work and have fun in the creative industry! I love analogue distortion and warmth and clarity in mixing and I am obsessed with Chris Lord Alge and his approach to mixing and philosophies. He showed me that my first instinct in sound and mixing was right all along!
As a choice in Plugin Alliance plug-ins, I would like the Engl E646 VS please. I own a few guitar plug-ins like Guitar Rig and Amplitube but to have the real thing from the company that makes plug-ins of their own products is really cool. I am also a tone-head just as much as a gear head. Some amp emulations just don’t give me that bite that I want, and judging from the videos I watched and heard, it sounds like something I am missing. I love the Engl’s sound and tone shaping they have, and it would apply to most rock/punk/metal and even country projects that I get involved in. Sometimes, a Fender just doesn’t cut like an Engl on clean tones. I need something that cuts and pokes out of the mix with purpose!
Thank you guys for the contest! You guys rock!!
Simone Weber - Winner Of The SPL Vitalizer MK2-T plug-in
I was born in Munich, Germany and studied at London College of Music and Media, graduating in 2007 as Music Technology Specialist, achieving a first class with honours. I was employed as a Tonmeister and sound designer & sound editor at Konken Studios. In 2011, I became a freelance sound designer and I am currently living, working and being creative in Hamburg, Germany.
My field of activity includes both the creative part of sound design, which is essential for the mood of the film, and the technical part of sound and dialogue editing, which should not be
neglected.
With the SPL Vitalizer MK2-T plug-in, I am expecting to be able to make my sounds even better than before. I would like to bring out more detail and transparency, especially for sound effects which could also take some low-end foundation. To be honest, I’m quite excited about playing around with this great tool.
Conrad Osipowicz - Winner Of the Brainworx bx_refinement Plug-in
I own two commercial recording studios, Blue Room Productions, in the Washington D.C. area and run a Pro Tools HDX1 setup with an Avid C24. I am always trying to find great sounding plugins that are easy to use, made for the AAX DSP platform. The plug-in I have chosen is the Brainworx bx_refinement Plug-in and this will be a huge help in my PT HDX rig.
I’ve learned so much from Pro Tools Expert over the last few years and hope to continue learning from the “Experts” who help the PT community to grow every day. Thanks so much Pro Tools Expert!
Geoff Southall - Winner Of The Black Box HG-2 Plug-in
I am a freelance engineer & producer based in Whitstable in Kent in the UK. I also do Front of House live sound and Tour Managing - you have to wear a lot of hats these days!
I trained as an assistant in a studio in Acton, West London on an AMEK M2500 and tape machine before moving on to Logic and then a Pro Tools TDM system. Eventually, I took over the studio I trained at, running it with two other guys until things got to the point where it was more profitable to split the live rooms into programming rooms and have long term clients working in with a laptop and a mic.
At that point, I focussed more on live sound so I could still work with bands and set up my own room in a converted garage to do mixing, production and overdubbing after tracking sessions at larger facilities.
My live work has recently been with more jazz orientated acts of late (noisy ones rather than smooth) which I have been recording and then mixing at my place for live albums or online promos. Sometimes these recordings, straight from the desk, need a bit of cheering up and the Black Box HG-2 should be able to thicken things up a bit or take some of the sharp edges off.
Thanks, Pro Tools Expert and Plugin Alliance - both doing a smashing job!
Bevan Mearns - Winner Of The Brainworx bx_console Plug-in
I just recently moved back to New Zealand. I am a music producer on the Lemongrass Music Label. Since 2013 I have been producing tracks under the name Mo’jardo.
I was lucky enough to win a plugin of my choice from the Brainworx AAX/DSP range. The bx_console was on the top of my list, as I love how it gives character to whatever you throw at it. I am looking forward to adding the bx_console to my collection.
How About You?
If you would like to be a winner like Braedon, Dennis, Simone, Conrad, Geoff and Bevan then hop over to our dedicated Competitions page and enter the competitions that take your fancy.