I know a channel strip can add good color to the mixes specially if it is from the SSL console. Currently Im making a cinematic track using known hq libraries from heavyocity, spitfire and audiobro; most of those kind of libs were mixed with the real consoles you perfectly know, so my question is, do I need another console emulation for my overall mixing process?
Maybe a noob question but hope you can help me. Thanks in advance.

 

its nice to add but its not a must.

 

the choice is yours.

if the strip you want to use gets you to the desired outcome, go for it! if you don't think it's needed, then don't use it.

 

You definitely don't need. Plus I think your question should be 'Do I really want a channel strip emulation in my mixes?', if you can hear a difference and you like it, sure you can use them.

About the libraries being mixed in a SSL console, I can't deny that they may sound better with the 'analog warmth', but the important thing is: Usually, if a studio have a SSL (24 channel costing around $86000), I'm pretty, pretty, sure there was a big investment into the studio acoustics as well. So, I don't think having an analog console is what makes the difference here.



Edit: Typo.

 

Last edited: Oct 17, 2021

NO




Can you?



YES

 

when you get to know the specific strip you are going to add, very well; then it will benefit you. possibly. they are nuanced.

if you think you are going to load up a brand new one, slap it on every channel or your mix bus, and it is going to benefit your mix; it's not going to help you. in fact, it will probably make the mix more difficult for you to do correctly.

 

The coloration added from a channel strip emulation may be better or worse than from any other plugin that adds "color".
They may model the stages of a channel-strip, and within each stage add different kinds of "color".
That provides more opportunity to get a similar sound as the actual channel strip, as certain distortions and EQ can be effected at different slopes of each stage of input, EQ, splitting, summing, etc...

But the multiple stages also offer more opportunities for error, both in the plugin's technical aspects and for the user's own adjustments in each knob, slider and button....

Of course there are other "coloration" plugins that may have just one knob called "color".
They COULD have a modeled channel stip inside, but i would assume (without real justification) a bit simpler design.

 

I'm a fan of individual plugins, and if analogue style warmth/character is something I think that the track needs, I'll pull up something that fits the task, usually a saturator of some sort (this is rarely necessary as I have Fuse Audio Labs' VPRE-31A, Black Rooster's VPRE-'73, or *some Preamp on every channel,) but I rarely a channel strip. But... after a simple trial run, I now have to have Brainworx bx_console N on every channel, if nothing else, for the TMT channel emulation. It's crazy when you A/B a full mix even with *just the TMT analogue modelling enabled, and it's another spot to add a hi/low pass, all with wicked minimal CPU usage. I highly recommended you check it out.

 

Ofc not. It's just a set of (collective) tools.
But if you think you have to then you have to, right? I work with people who have
obsessive-compulsive disorder and they have things they HAVE TO do.

 

Yeah it's a must. I usually add a dozen channel strips on each channel. I don't change any parameters, just add them. Because more coloration = more analog feel = more Fleetwood Mac quality mixes.

 

Well, a channel strip does not have to be a console emulation. A channel strip is just the most common tools put into 1 GUI for convenience (in VST form).

There are really nice channel strips that are clean. Like Metric halo channelstrip 3 or eventide ultrachannel or flux Evo channel.

So your questions is, should I use a console or any hardware saturation emulation to color my mix even the samples are already colored?
No, but you can. It is all about taste.

 

Pro channel strip: same GUI, same parameters, same range of values = faster mixing.
Con channel strip: limited options (sound, parameters, range of values) = slower mixing but more specific.

 

How much Analog Coloration is enough,
and what's the most appropriate way of obtaining it?

Good topic indeed..
I guess the usual instrument/bus setup would be either Channel Strip or, vintage EQ + Comp,
although there's also non-linear Summing plugs like Waves NLS or Luna's Summing plug..

And then whatever else you put on the Master Bus, or the Reverbs bus etc..

All of it will be adding ever more Coloration and non-linearities, the more channels/buses you used them in.
So it's hard to determine/quantify..

Would you need a vintage/analog Comp or EQ on the Master Bus,
if you're already using them on the instrument Channels/buses?? (or viceversa..)

Would you use the Same exact units/setup for every channel/bus?

Would it be kosher to use Both, Channel Strip + Waves NLS?

Will you need any of it if your Sampled instruments were already produced using top-tier analog gear?


I'm not a regular user of analog simulated/color plugs, (the most analog stuff I use would be Elysia, Oxford EQ or Waves Aphex)
so I would also like to hear some Opinions/experiences..

But as other pointed out,
in the end only you can know what's necessary, or what's better in your particular case..
it can be a real drag, but nothing beats good old experimenting

 

Ladies and gents, what the fuck? None of you are that new to music production.
You don't have to anything of the sort. If you feel like the sound needs some colour, then add it. If you feel like it has enough harmonics then don't.
If you feel both at the same time then this is either an EQ problem, or the sound is so shitty you can't improve it with saturation.
THAT'S IT. The only thing you perhaps have to in music production is approach everything with knowledge and intent. Work towards it. There's no shortcuts.
How to judge whether or not it's enough colour if you really really can't just tell? Well, first make sure your sounds sound fine without any processing. If you try to polish a turd you'll only get your towel stained.
Second, abandon the idea that you will just set the right amount and be done with it. Experiment and listen, it's not like you'll lose your source material. Get to know how saturation affects the signal at different levels. Then watch this video:

Experiment some more, now with the knowledge of what actually happens. Listen to the prominent artists/producers in your genre. How many coloration do they apply, given their source material also sounds fine to great without any processing? That's the "enough" amount.

 

You sure about that? Maybe I have 83 compressors littered haphazardly over 16 tracks... you don't know.

The latter, especially. Experimenting has its place, but when you're trying to tie together a cohesive mix, and you know exactly what you want to hear (or not hear,) everything becomes much easier.

 

Anytime I'm going for an analogue (or warm,) sounding mix, I've taken to adding what I want, per channel, for instance, a brighter preamp on certain instruments, a darker preamp on others, and then when it comes time to do any sort of buss/master glue, use something that's fairly benign, Kazrog's True Iron for subtle saturation glue, or Tokyo Dawn's Kotelnikov or Millennium's TCL-2 for transparent compression, so you don't foul up the tone/vybe you've created per channel. Not a hard 'n fast rule, just how I've come to do things, most of the time. As with everything, any methods or techniques are on a track-to-track basis.

 

Are there any good training materials available for the SSL Channel Strip? Even if I don't need it, I'd still like to know how to use it.

 

Guitarists with distortion are like rappers with autotune:
They only use it to mask their musical disability

 

I think, the answers: "No', "Yes" or "You choose" aren't relevant. As for me, I use built-in ProChannel in Cakewalk Sonar...
and it's PRO is: almost invisible on CPU...
as for CONs I never used another one and would love to know some good alternatives

 

That would be a definite "no".