Hi, any recommendations of (best) analog hardware emulations vst for:

-EQ
-Compression
-Saturation/color
-Reverb
-Delay
-General mastering/mixing consoles
TIA

 

Try adding stretched fart sounds at low volumes to imitate the warm feeling of analog hardware.

 

If you know how to read a text, I said vst recommendations not how to imitate something.

 

Write down your current hardware (and your hardware mastering chain), if you want recomms. Some hardware pieces don't have a plugin equivalent

 

what are you using right now???

 

Native FX of my FL studio
Parametric eq2
Maximus
Convolution reverb
Fruity Delay 3

 

Just slap on one of these if you want your stuff to sound analog:

#1 Tape Pro by Caelum Audio
#2 Reelbus by Toneboosters
#3 Satin by u-he

Honestly most 'analog' plugins for delay/reverb/eq/compression just slap a fancy retro GUI, call it analog and most users can't tell the difference. But try Soundtoys or D16 bundle.

For saturation, FabFilter Saturn, but I wouldn't call it analog.


Also there's a ton of free "Analog Obsession" plugins that might be up your alley...

 

Last edited: Jan 20, 2022

I will try them and compare.

Why? ... I use it

 

I think it's because you can't recreate the "analogue" process completely because it depends of a few factors like how aged is the hardware and other stuff like that

At most you can get "analog-like" but it's still digital effects

 

In order:

-Slate Digital FG-A (or Waves API-550B)
-Slate Digital FG-Stress
-Softube Tape
-Audio Ease Altiverb (not completely "analog emulation", but it has plenty)
-Arturia Delay TAPE-201
-General mixing: SSL native channel strip 2
-General mastering: Acustica Audio Howie Weinberg mastering console OR (if you need something that's available on sister site) Softube Chandler Zener-Bender.

I tried to priorize usability since my favourites are a pia to use most of the times. Yes, i'm a masochist.

 

Thank you mate, I really need to update my vst effects with something more pro and complex. Curious about your favorites, maybe I could register their names for the future.

 

Is this supposed to be funny? Ok ha ha
Now back to question
For hardware emulation i reach for nebula libraries (tim p for compressors and alexb for console and eqs)
An algorithmic alternative is P42 by pulsar audio excellent imo

 

It's pretty much the same, Except for these:

EQ: TimP Blue EQ for Nebula
Compressor: Acustica Audio Coral 2 comp

Blue EQ is a real PIA since you pretty much need one instance of Nebula per section of the EQ, not to mention increased CPU usage compared to other plugins, but it does add some cool not-subtle anlog sauce to things, which is why i use analog emulations for anyway. Coral 2 is actually a channel strip with some good stuff, but i've found the compressor in particular to be ridiculously awesome, specially on buses.

 

If he had any hardware he wouldn't ask. He probably would work in the field of audio and wouldn't have time to ask because he would need to get some work done ;)

 

I haven't looked at anyone else's suggestions so I apologise if I step on other people's toes!.

These are my tips.

McDSP 6020 EQ

MVDSP 6030 Compressor

Wave Arts Tube Saturator (Version 1 NOT 2)

Valhalla Vintage VErb (Reverb)

Lexicon PSP 42 (Digital Delay)

Waves NLS (Console)

 

bx_console AMEK 9099 <3
Black Box Analog Design HG-2
Melda MTurbo Reverb
Melda MTurbo Delay

 

Don't know if this is going to help (for mixing, I don't do mastering really), but I find that sticking a saturator before and after an EQ gives nice "inexact" vibe. Going really light on the saturation, of course, just something barely noticeable.

Things that work for me: Ableton's Saturator built-in (I wish this was available as a plugin), and Chow Tape Model.

Valhalla VintageVerb is perfect for hardware reverb replacement.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jan 21, 2022

Use your ears, bro.

 

if you're on beginner level there is quite a good EDM related course
https://www.groove3.com/tutorials/EDM-Digital-Mixing-with-Analog-Results
the parallel processing part is quite deep in it

 

I have good intentions with this comment. It's my personal definition of what analog sound really is.
No need to argue if you disagree, simply click the disagree button and I will feel the burn.

Getting closer to analog sound in a daw is not achieved by a warming plugin on the master.
That is not what analog sound means to most people who have worked on hardware.

Saturation is a piece of the puzzle.

Plugins that mimic certain hardware is another piece of the puzzle.
They make it easy to bring in a characteristic that you are used to from the hardware and can impart some authenticity.
It does not however, automatically mean that a digitally perfect LA2A or Tape plugin will make the mix sound more analog.

The analog sound is created in the hardware world by hundreds of subtle variations between circuitry that a daw generally does not do without additional plugins. These variations happens naturally when using hardware, in a daw not so much.

To visualize it, think about double tracking guitars.. not a great example but the best I could think of right now;
Hard panning the same take twice (aka perfect daw channels) will not create any differences between the channels.
Hard panning two separate takes (aka imperfect hardware) will widen it considerably.
The effect is a lot less pronounced, but the concept is similar, it's the variation that creates the effect.

A single plugin on the master out does not do that to the individual channels and busses. At least no plugin that I've tried.

Analog sound ITB?
The key is to set up an hardware-like signal path on each channel, buss and master by using subtly imperfect plugins for each hardware and letting the effect build up. It's like painting with a spray can, many thin layers is better than a single drenched layer.

I have been known to do something like this:
Channel: Preamp plug -> Tape plug -> sculpting plugs -> Buss
Buss: Channels -> Saturation plug -> sculpting plugs -> Master
Master: Busses -> Saturation plug -> sculpting plugs -> Tape

TMT by Brainworx and similar concepts that aim to impart minute variations between channels like hardware makes a lot of sense, and the imperfections should be imparted on all channels, busses and master out.

I've tried to avoid talking about individual plugins, that is up to you once you grasp the underlying concept of how analog sound is created in the hardware instead of thinking of it simply as "warm".