The stock plugins are absolutely amazing, I just didn't know how to use them...

I've come along way in my mixing and mastering journey, I'm by no means an expert, but I have learned a great deal about the mixing and mastering process and have been producing for like fifteen years. In my journey with plugins, the harsh truth I've learned is that most of my issues with my music didn't come from not having the right plugins, or not spending enough money, or not having the right equipment, they come from a lack of knowledge of the fundamentals, and that's why most people, myself included for a long time, don't really get that much use out of the stock plugins like maximus, fruity limiter, or any of the other insanely awesome plugins this daw has.

I always thought, fl is good for the basics, but if you want to get a professional sound, you have to spend money on plugins, and that's just not true, a pro using fl studios stock plugins will wipe the floor with an amateur using all the latest and greatest expensive gear, I know because I used to "own" all these super expensive plugin suites thinking that if I used what the pros used, like waves plugins or a daw like protools, that it will be easier to get a better sound, and it just never happened for me, no matter what new plugin I tried, the truth remained, I didn't know what I was doing when it came to mixing and knowing what tool to reach for or why remained a total mystery. Just like a new artist expecting to make a masterpiece because they spent all kinds of money on expensive paints and brushes, but they don't even know the first thing about MIXING colors, It's the cart before the horse.

I've seen my plugin usage change dramatically as my mixing knowledge has grown,fruity limiter has become one of my number one dynamics plugins because why the hell not? It uses almost no cpu and sounds really really good and has so many features. Maximus is an absolutely amazing multiband compression and saturation plugin that can bring out absolutely amazing details in your sounds. Distructor has an absolutely amazing selection of distortion modes and other effects.

The stock plugins are seriously goated and so underrated, the only thing stopping me or you from getting absolutely professional results with them is our own lack of knowledge and understanding of the tools.