well, i dont .

 

That is a snippet from “Stormy weather” (1943), a retrospective of the great African-American entertainers of the early 1900s

Full movie here:

 

Digital plugins try to be all encompassing which can make them a bit overwhelming to use. For example compressor controls would range from very slow to very fast.
Analog emulations are kind of like starting presets that you can then tweak from. If I want a fast reacting compressor I can pull up an 1176 and just choose from fast to very fast.

similarly for EQs when I’m trying to brighten a signal, I really don’t need every 0.1hz and infinitely variable q worth of control range. I can quickly boost 6dB on like a pultec and flip through 10khz, 8khz, 5khz, 3khz and choose which one sounds the best and readjust the gain.

Now when something needs to be surgical, that extra resolution in control is handy, but majority of the time it’s just too much.

 

I had no intention of watching this because I'd already seen it before -- back in the 70's.

But I just thought I'd have a quick look -- and now here it is, 4.00am -- couldn't go to bed until I'd seen the whole damn thing.

 

Agree. As a movie - it's hammy and quaint, same as lots of stuff from that era
but it showcases so much awesome talent - really magnificent.

So for this thread... if someone said "here's a digitally remastered version" - what would we say?
I'd say - thanks very much - nice thing to do (especially for preservation).
But for watching-listening pleasure... I wouldn't care.

 

That really cranked me up

 

When you run a signal through analog, something happens with it.
When you run it digitally, nothing happens.

Usually our brains fancy something better than nothing.

Then you can ask the follow-up question: what do digital emulations of analog hardware do? They fake the something. Compared to the hardware, unfortunately it's still closer to nothing than something.

Plugin manufacturers are using this need for something, so they create beautiful stories about how their plugin is emulating a piece of hardware used on hit records. Don't fall for this. It's just marketing and pretty GUI's meant to take the money out of your pocket.

 

That is partly not true; again, as is so often the case, it is too general. Written in a derogatory way. Every company that makes something has to sell a lot of their products to pay their employees. In addition, the company must have a high manufacturing quality and be better than the competition. The marketing manager has the task of promoting the product and convincing the customer to buy this product.

Example:
I was looking for a very good compressor, my budget was 300 EUR.
I read a lot of tests and reviews and my purchase decision was noticed Brainworx - Vertigo Sound VSC-2 for 299 EUR.
I am glad that there are companies that are transforming the expensive analog into inexpensive digital.

Vertigo Sound VSC-2 (hardware) 5,200 EUR <- - > Vertigo Sound VSC-2 (software) 299 EUR

 

Don't get me wrong. Can a digital plugin be useful? Yes. Can you be happy with a digital emulation? Yes. Is the emulation more than a pretty GUI and a marketing message that wants to remind you of using the original hardware? No.

Example: show me how the Waves API 550A adds the harmonics of the original hardware. It doesn't. It's digital and 100% flat. I've seen people adding this on their tracks, thinking it actually colors. It doesn't. It's a pretty GUI with clever marketing, convincing people that they're actually using the hardware. You are not. You are looking at a Photoshop file with digital code. This is how marketing works. And they don't have to be better than their competition. The only thing they have to be better at, is throwing the right amount of money to their advertising, designing the most pretty GUI's with smooth UX and celever marketing messages. Usually paying top producers, demo-ing their plugin saying it's magic and they use it all the time.

Again, this is fine and the plugins can be useful. But you need to see for what it is, not more than that.

I don't want to give the impression I dislike digital plugins. I use them all the time. FabFilter, Kush, Kazrog, Liquidsonics, Tokyo Dawn Labs, Gullfoss etc. etc.

 

Last edited: Sep 28, 2021

You sound very disappointed. It reads like you've been the victim of a marketing promise?
Delete the Waves API 550A and use another from a different manufacturer. Don't worry, others have bad experiences too.

Softube American Class A
Softube’s American Class A plugin is much more than a simple API 550 EQ clone. American Class A features four bands with stepped gain controls, with switchable increments including 1x, .5x, and .25x for fine details.

PSP preQursor2
The PSP preQursor2 is probably the most unique plugin on this list. While it features four bands like the API 550B, the selectable frequencies don’t match either of the original models. Not only do they not overlap each other; they don’t even cover the entire frequency spectrum.

Overloud Gem EQ550
Although Overloud may not be entirely as well known as some of the other plugin manufacturers on the list, this Italian company has some fantastic products at affordable prices — and their Gem EQ550 is a prime example.

IK Multimedia EQ PA/PB
IK Multimedia offers two separate plugins modeled after the API 550A and 550B; the EQ PA and EQ PB.

 

Last edited: Sep 28, 2021

Human nature is funny. Historically the number of scenarios that typify "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone" are many.
That said, Digital is more accessible, cheaper and everything that almost everyone has said about it (That was a lot of reading...)
When Digital came in, it almost overnight rendered analog obsolete in the eyes of too many people. People almost could not give their analog gear away. There actually was a time transitioning into this century, when you could buy Neve desks, Manleys, Studer machines and more ridiculously cheaply. Now, around 30 years on, many people are trying to get the old LP analog sound and that gear I mentioned in some cases, is almost the same price it was new, except 2nd hand.

I am not saying it is better because in terms of wear and tear it definitely is not. In a DAW you can go to any point in any multitrack piece instantly with no tape rewinding, stretching or eventual tape oxide wear-out, no manual patchbays and masses of cables to maintain for routing...... You do not have tape heads to clean or moving parts to maintain and more. Does it sound better? There are articles everywhere both in plain English and Technical specifications on that and there is no way I am going there.

In my opinion it is truly one thing - A choice. If what you are doing requires that LP pre-1980's analog sound, go for it. There are some purely analog studios still around. Uncommon, but they still exist.
If you grew up with analog and know beyond any reasonable doubt that the plugins sound exactly as the fully analog studios pre-1990 did, then again, go for it.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but when it comes to getting a specific sound from a track that I hear in my head, whatever tool gives me that if the recorded instrument does not have it, whether that is digital or analog, that is what I will use.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 28, 2021

Come on, no need to gaslight. And I can guarantee you, everyone has been the victim of marketing promises sometime in their life. Not even with audio plugins, this can happen with any product like food, clothing, film, tools etc.

I am sure these are nice digital plugins to use. But nothing like the hardware.

 

There are still a few producers / engineers who sometimes record on tape. In the long run, the analog will disappear and be replaced by the digital. It's like with classic cars, difficult to get spare parts for them, repairs are very expensive and skilled personnel are slowly dying away.

 

I would say that most people mix digitally with plugins and don't know shit about analog mixing. But I can't say anything about what people prefer or why they prefer something. I personally prefer to work hybrid.

 

https://www.rhythmicrobot.com/product/crank

 

I admit ITB got us spoiled, its easier, more convenient and faster, recall, making your own chains and presets but analog makes you think differently and the sound is usually better, rounder, less harsh, if you have good gear and know what you are doing.