All of the above you mentioned has a HUGE impact on sound.
Of course rooms and mics make a big impact.
Put a signal trough a 100% digital interface and then put the same signal trough a good tube preamp, real pultec, vintage console into a good maintained ampex tape machine, without even TOUCHING a knob and you will rethink everything you just wrote.

 

I just want good sound. Whether is analog, vintage, digital or alien.
And I seriously doubt any producer-engineer today would prefer that sound. The good parts sure, like every good analog hardware.
The rest is liking more the songs that were released in that time than the actual processing.

 

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The closest we have to ITB are the Acustica Audio plugins, but as Fabrice Gabriel (the developer of Slate Digital) said, it is impossible to replicate with algorithms the behavior of analog equipment, it would require too much computing power for the software to act as if it were "alive", maybe in a few decades, maybe the best solution is the hybrid APB from McDSP.

 

I don't need to do this or rethink my experience. I have used these devices many times, sat in many studios. Of course, these devices have a big impact on the sound, but that's not what makes music sound vintage or modern.
The point is, you can get very very close to "the vintage sound" with just a rode nt1 for vocals, some sm57 and 58, maybe some octavas and a halfway decent interface. Depending on WHAT you want to record. Give me the clean eq, a clean compressor, a softclipper and a saturator with enough tweakability, a modulation plugin, an impulse loader for reverbs and I'll make you a vintage sounding mix.

It's not about WHAT you use, but HOW you use it.

 

Everyone knows cubase stock eq gives you the michael jackson thriller sound/vibe. This is why its the most wanted-cracked plugin!
Here, i have made a preset for sm57, that tames the harsnhess and adds some oomph on your vocals, for that authentic michael sound.

 

"I have always believed in digital, analog is a marketing gimmick". CLA

 

You don't need any special plugins or hardware for imperfections. Just let the imperfections of a recording exist. You want separation in the mix, like with old recordings? Stop pushing the mix together and compressing the shit out of every instrument. Let the transients breathe and mix more dynamically. When instruments get in each other's way, just give them more space. Level-wise. Stop distorting everything, because old mixes are usually pretty clean compared to today's music. Stop EQing surgically and use wide bands. Etc etc etc.
Like I said, it's not what you use, it's how you use it. And if you don't know shit about how engineers worked back then and what options they (didn't) have, you won't get the result you want.

 

What you write is common knowledge.
Muddy? No. But clean? Hell no.
60s and early 70s are known for helluva lot of tasty saturation.

 

Sure it is

 

Its not about what you use, its how you use it.
Dont let anyone fool you into thinking you cant win Formula 1 with his car, its all about how you use it, its not the car, its all you.

 

1. No you don't need a lot of CPU neccessarily to make it sound good
2. "I can do it, but it took me years to learn it." Well I didn't practice creating vintage chains specifically, it came along with the rest
3. Why parrot truisms when you can think for yourself

 

"Son, CLA asked me for advice on my colorful vintage parallel compression technique. I told him its just a stock Ableton compressor but i can make it sound like a Fairchild because of my extensive experiences with this plugin"

 

That's bullshit and your comparison is lame.
Let's compare the absolut high-end from 1960 with mid-range from 2015:




I'll put my money on the VW.

Also, I would be able to get the basic character of the song you posted, except for the guitars, with very little overtone generation. The key: modulation.

 

Last edited: Sep 29, 2021

VW max speed 220km/h and 150 Hp
1960 BRM P48 max speed 274km/h and 275 Hp.

VW would probably have an advantage on the road curves and better breaking system but on the plane straight out road the BRM would fly past the VW and win in the end.

 

"Also, I would be able to get the basic character of the song you posted, except for the guitars, with very little overtone generation. The key: modulation."

There is a big difference between getting a basic character and nailing it. Its the same difference as between amateur sounding mixes and pro mixes. The difference might be only 5% but its all that makes or breaks a song.

 

Nope, 250km/h and 280 hp. But that's not the point.
The first point is that the mid-range of today is equal to the high-end of the past, or even superior in many aspects.
The second point is that you can either blame the gear for the result or work on your skills.

That's it from my side. I'll leave you to discuss how impossible this all is.

Yeah... I'm sure you wouldn't notice the difference if I only use stock plugins ;)
Just as you will not recognize the difference between an NT1 and a U87 in a mixed song.

 

Last edited: Sep 29, 2021

Exactly what I was gonna say!

Cars like that P48 or a Ferrari 375 will tend to be slower on a City or on very Curvy tracks,
their turns are very wide in comparison to today's cars..

But you put them on a real high-speed Circuit and they are like roaring bullets!

Also I guess these could be comparable on the analogy..

Similar Specs but more driveable..

By the mids 60's race cars were more like..



It would be hard to choose between the Miura and the micro-Snow Plow tho,
both are equally as Epic for different reasons.. lol

 

There are many versions of B8 Passat, its good car for sure, but that old formula 1 car was a beast.
Ok we agree on some things and view some things differently, but in the end we both do it for the love of music, this is all that matters.

 

Digging the analogies, guys!
Are we sufficiently OT yet, or no?

 

APB from McDSP, this is the future imo, others will follow. Great post.