As a bit of fun on the team we’ve challenged one another to this; you get to keep all the plug-ins supplied with you DAW but then you only get to keep one more plug-in. It can’t be a suite of plug-ins and it can’t be an external application. It also can’t be plug-ins that come bundled with certain subscription plans, so for Pro Tools users we have removed anything other than the plug-ins that come with the native version of Pro Tools.

Dan Cooper - FabFilter Pro-Q 3

Pro-Q 3 must be the jewel is FabFilter’s crown as it is adored by countless music and post production engineers across the globe. I know for a fact that I use FabFilter every time I mix a track but up until recently I didn’t realise how much I used it until I did some investigating. I loaded up ten of my most recent mix projects to find out how often I used Pro-Q. I averaged roughly 16 instances of Pro Q per mix over the 10 projects making Pro-Q not only my favourite plug-in by also my most used plug-in as well.

I know there are countless over parametric EQ out there, so why is FabFilter Pro-Q 3 my favourite and most used plug-in? Simple answer, because it’s errr simple! It’s one of those types of plug-ins that, though quite visual, makes it easy for me to follow my instincts and in turn make smart decisions with based on what I’m hearing. Any action, such as loading a band, setting a Q width or gain value is only ever a single click away. Nearly every operation is no more than two clicks away which makes for an incredibly easy to use plug-in. I awarded FabFilter Pro-Q 3 with an Expert Choice award as FabFilter took an already fantastic plug-in in Pro-Q 2 and improved it in Pro-Q 3 well beyond a point that I ever thought was possible.

I’m quite sure I’m not alone in my feelings towards FabFilter Pro-Q 3. If you share my thoughts on this incredible plug-in then please share your reasons why you also love it in the comments below.