Why I Still Buy Plugins (Even Though Logic Has Everything I Need)

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Logic has everything you need. You could mix full records using nothing but its stock plugins and do just fine. I stand by that. You’ve got compressors, EQs, reverbs, delays — all solid, clean, functional tools. If you understand the fundamentals, Logic’s more than enough.

And yet…

Here I am, still buying plugins.

The Endless Search

I tell myself I’m not chasing gear. I’m chasing sound. The feeling a record gives you. The character, the glue, the space between the sounds.

And every now and then, a plugin lands that genuinely earns its place.

For me, two recent ones have done that:

🟡 The UAD Lexicon 224

🟡 The UAD Fairchild

Not because I didn’t already have reverbs or compressors. I did. Plenty. But these two sound like something. The Lexicon has that rich, 80s shimmer that just sits in the space beautifully. And the Fairchild — even doing nothing — has this low-mid weight and attitude that makes a mix feel more ‘real.’ I’ve got it on the master sometimes without a single dB of gain reduction. It’s just there. For the sound of it.

The Flavour Analogy

This is where the analogy clicks for me:

Plugins are like seasoning.

Salt, pepper, smoke, brightness, warmth — you can cook a dish with just the basics, but sometimes, a particular spice brings the whole thing together.

Same with plugins. You can shape transients, tame lows, add air — but the way a plugin does that matters.

Some EQs sound clinical. Others have a curve and colour that make the highs feel like sunlight.

Some compressors feel aggressive and urgent. Others wrap around the sound like fabric.

It’s subtle. But once you know, you know.

As Dave Pensado puts it, “Mixing is seasoning.”

You don’t always need a plugin to do something big — sometimes it’s the smallest pinch of tone that brings everything to life.

**Do You Need Them? No.

Do They Help? Sometimes, Absolutely.**

This isn’t an ad for plugin hoarding. If you’re just starting out, don’t get distracted — use what you’ve got, and learn to hear. But for those of us deep in the mix, chasing nuance and character, some plugins are more than tools. They’re flavours.

I’ll always recommend starting with a Logic. But if you’re still on the hunt for that sound — I get it.

Some of us are still seasoning the dish, trying to get the taste just right.