This thread:
https://audiosex.pro/threads/softube-american-class-a-im-impressed.57113/
...triggered me to create the thread here.

It's fascinating what for psychological effect have some buzzwords like "SSL", "Analog", "Abbey Road Studios" or "Sony Oxford".
The same also applies to photoshopped GUI-pictures from some rusted or scratched front panels of some old electric-waste devices.
All the mentioned features combined by the marketing section and the customer ears discover new audible heavens.
Are the customer mainstream really that blind, naive & zombie-like?
These facts are proven by the success, isn't that so?

 

Ah, good that you opened a separate thread for this because my reply on the other thread was a bit off topic.

What I can highly recommend is to compare plugins. Best in a double blind test.
First match them by value, then by effect, which mostly needs some adjustments and then make a double blind test. This is pretty revealing and keeps you from falling into marketing and/or hype traps.

 

The nicer the GUI the better the sound. Only real producers, engineers and artists understand this. All else are posers. Use your eyes and your ears will follow. No Avenger instilled this wisdom in me when I was just coming up and it has served me well.

 

@No Avenger, No, you're not the reason, not at all.
It's just my fascination & amazement what for giant rush trigger some "Vintage Pictures" plugins here.
Compare e.g. the Roland Zenology release with Softube Weiss MM-1 Mastering Maximizer.
The Zenology are in my opinion one of the greatest VST Instruments ever created who I ever saw.
The amount of really various sounds (from 909 kick till orchestra strings etc.) are gigantic.
The GUI is complete resizable (even the browser window) and very mouse operation ergonomically.
The preset browser are very versatile, you can find everything within seconds.
And now compare it to some Softube Maximizer, really?
A plugin for creating a wave shape like a sausage???
Loudness (Benny Benassi trash sound) maker, that's all?
Indeed, with some AMAZING AMAZING eye cancer causing Albino-GUI...
Come on, that's pure absurd!

 

Last edited: Jan 8, 2021

isn't that an absurd comparison? why not modular?

& source for the sausage claim?

 

Last edited: Jan 8, 2021

That's hillarious, can't you see that I was being absurd?

 

I'm living proof!

 

The "source" is the incomprehensible desire of all the wannabe audio mastering kiddies to be still more louder.
You like to get the proof of the source, just turn on your radio and listen the kiddies GangstaZ Beatz'sss...

 

Last edited: Jan 8, 2021

Oh no, not you again...please...

 

A guy just found a mediocre rompler to be the greatest technology ever and wants you all to know this.

 

?

 

I didn't think that I'm the reason for this thread, I just welcomed it.

EDIT: deleted obsolete lines

Well, I really compared it to DMG Audio TrackLimit at 2 - 6dB gain reduction, not at all to make things loud AF. And now guess what?

 

Last edited: Jan 8, 2021

I don't want to make controversy guys, but in my opinion everyone is free to think what they want. Everyone may be partially right, but personally we have the right to choose what we like and what we don't like. In the world of audio production, I personally believe that the skills of the engineers are the most important thing. The tools are something of potential, they are not the reason for the success of one artist over another. I choose instruments based on what my ears and my musical taste prefer.

 

I think you take the wrong exemple with the Softube Class A : it's actually a modern GUI (with no 3d, no rust) derivated from the generic softube console GUI... And In fact, if you had take the time to compare this one with other api emulation (I did against Waves, SKnote and UAD ones, before buying the softube), you would have find that it is actually very good for the money -but I guess it's an other story.

So, I can agree that there are things like marketing GUI, non deserved hype, psychological effects of non-audio elements in a plugin, etc... but I think it's actually just as dumb to consider that a plugin isn't good only because of the hype, or because of a 3D or skeumorphic GUI. Kind of an elitist, weird way to pose as an expert without actually trying to make your own opinion.
Just my opinion of course, no offense intended at all.

 

Ah, regarding the Albino GUI Weiss means white and the name says it all, see yourself https://www.weiss.ch/products

 

"Are the customer mainstream really that blind, naive & zombie-like?"

No, they aren't. I've been working in marketing since 2003 and treating people like they're literally nothing but walking dollar signs with no intelligence, personality or individuality is blind, naive and stupid in and of itself. Many, many businesses large and small still hold to this cynical school of start in the hopes it will maximize profit at the end of the day. It doesn't. It's just cynical bullshit that proves you're nothing more than a gambler with too many assets on the line.

People ARE stupid, blind zombies, but using that as a foundation for MARKETING has no basis for additional success either. Especially now, people are at least smarter about not getting taken in by some Monorail Song by a slick huckster. To sell people on stuff they didn't think they wanted to start with, you have to really communicate with them at length to navigate who they are and how their psychology is shaped. That's not something people who think other people are just suckers waiting to get fleeced tend to do.

 

Sorry but who's the poser?
Isn't it the one that thinks he is part of an very small elite of experts? (and in all those passions you quote... man you're something!)
Isn't it the one that thinks that the immense majority of people are just sheeps only good to be ripped out of their money?

Maybe you should talk to sheeps more often, they could make you change your mind about them you know...

 

Meh people are just trying to share some of their confirmation bias with what they feel is a community that will agree with their views in an echo chamber. That is what fashion is all about and this is a no loss fashion statement since they are telling each other to get pirate software.

I remember when the same thing was going around about Analogue Obsession plugins. I installed a couple of EQ and a PRE ran some audio through them found them buggy and mediocre and uninstalled all of it after 5 mins. Meanwhile people were going crazy about how good it sounded and saying how they would prostitute their sister for a AA version of XYZ.

Point is, no reason to get upset. People are looking for the next 'best,' 'better,' 'most awesome,' channel strip to absolutely nothing with, while paying absolutely nothing for it. People are having fun, let them enjoy themselves, think of it as Pokemon Audio processors. They have to catch them all, and someone is happy that he found an APIaZZard.

Life is too short to get all worked up about stuff like this.

 

I apologize for being part of the small elite of experts

No, thank you: do it yourself if you enjoy superficial people