HG-2 My Opinion...Any Thoughts?

[Mathematics]

I know some of you got the email and are probably going to look for opinions about this plugin. So I thought I'd post something.

Aside from all the hype and the 24hr sale for this plugin, what I notice it does very well is thicken up the top end without harshness. It fills in the gaps of the high end very well. I have the VSM-2 but this has a better sounding high end. It's as if the HG-2 complements the sonic quality of the VSM-2. Putting them both on the 2-buss, back to back, really...I mean, REALLY polishes the track. It can be easy to overcook it though.

I'm not a hardware guy so, my only option for analog enhancement is by software emulation.

In a nutshell, HG-2 to me, seems to be what VSM-2 isn't. It's not quite like Decapitator either. It's prettier sounding.

This is my 2 cents. Anyone got some spare change?

[dblock]

HG-2 stays on my mixbuss. I have decapitator but it's a little too rough for that. I have Soundtoys Radiator also but it's a little cpu intensive. Also demoing Beatskillz Valvesque now which is suprisingly good.

[christian f.]

Same story here. HG-2 pretty much lives on my masterbus. It can open up a mix in a way that no other plug in I'm aware of can do.

[dangayle]

Same story here. HG-2 pretty much lives on my masterbus. It can open up a mix in a way that no other plug in I'm aware of can do.

How do you use it on your masterbus? I've never used an overdrive/distortion on the master (unless you count Satin?)

[sl1200mk2]

How do you use it on your masterbus? I've never used an overdrive/distortion on the master (unless you count Satin?)

You didn't ask me, but I'm answering since this would have been part of my reply to the thread in general. Answer (for me): Subtly and using the wet/dry to taste

My goal is giving not just some thickness but also depth. Almost every mix I get to work on (just guessing it's 90% or more) was entirely done ITB. That's not inherently bad, but it also means they're usually a little flat and two dimensional sounding. Subtle distortion in the right places can help them "pop" and bring some life. Again, it's subtle... that last 2-5%, but one of those things that as soon it's been there and you take it away you'll notice the feel is lost.

I used to completely ignore distortion and saturation (I'm all synths, samplers and drum machines -- no guitars or amps). I guess somehow I thought it was a bad thing in my context. Well, I was completely wrong and now I'm nearly obsessed with it. HG-2 and VSM-3 are two of my favorites, but there's a lot of other good options now. Kush, SoundToys, Ploytec (ISM), UAD Culture Vulture, U-he and the list goes on. Softube has a nice free option. I've moved on into hardware with an Elektron Analog Heat as well and will get others down the road.

You'll find options that you usually gravitate towards trying first, but for me there's not one that fits every occasion and some mixes I won't use any at all. It all just depends. Less is almost always more for 2 bus.

[db3]

I foolishly sold HG-2 a little while ago thinking I had saturation covered. I did, but nothing sounded quite the same. Been waiting for today's flash sale to get my creamy Black Box back

[Scarlet Pumpernickel]

I bought it just to find out it crashes Reaper (5.x) projects on load regularly.

[Mathematics]

Same story here. HG-2 pretty much lives on my masterbus. It can open up a mix in a way that no other plug in I'm aware of can do.

How do you use it on your masterbus? I've never used an overdrive/distortion on the master (unless you count Satin?)

Hey Dan! So, sl1200mk2 answered your question but I'd like to add to it and say, that I too always...always have some sort of saturation on my 2-buss/master. That's the only way to get the thick and dense so-called "wall of sound".

The way I use it, and this depends if there's parallel processing in the plugin, like most of them. I will get my track to sound...good. If my saturation plugin is on an Aux, I max it out and start sending groups to it. I usually start with the drum bus first, then gradually mix in other groups next to make sure they still don't affect the clarity of the drum group. I'm adding just a little tiny bit of distortion such that when I toggle the Aux on/off, I can just barely hear the difference. If I solo the Aux, it's sounds like major distortion...yea, sounds like garbage but in a harmonic kind of way. Again, this depends. If this were a symphony orchestra track, solo'ing the Aux wouldn't sound too distorted, more like edgy. For EDM, yea...I'm adding in razor blades, barbed wire, and broken glass.

The VSM-3 on the 2-buss is a thing of pure magic...well, for me it is. It was the first time as it is this time, a secret sauce that I can't really find as good a substitute for. I use it in both serial and parallel signal flow mode. What makes this one really powerful is the option to add odd or even harmonics. Again, on the 2-buss, just adding in the slightest amount makes a huge difference.

So, that's essentially how I use distortion and implement it into my tracks. Either it's on the 2-buss or the master. The main reason I like the HG-2 is that somehow it just never adds harshness to the highs. I haven't come across anything where it causes me to have to fix soon after unless I use too much. Even then, you can dial back the wet.

Yea...I'm loving the HG-2. It's been on my wish list for over a year.

[MogwaiBoy]

Can anyone describe what is actually happening the way that well tweaked, subtle saturation adds "depth" to a mix? The phenomena is mysterious but pretty cool. Is it basically harmonically enhancing even the lowest musical peaks close to the noisefloor, thus bringing up and enhancing "detail"?

[Mathematics]

For me, the hype is the upper harmonics. What exactly is happening that adds depth? I think people are using terms that don't really encompass what is actually happening. Buzz words like warmth, edge, cold, dry, and so on...are attempts to describe the intrinsic quantum mechanics of the electron in a circuit. For saturation, the saturation is the amount of electrons that saturate a given amount of space in the form of an electron cloud. Based on double slit experiment, the electrons will saturate into columns with a deviation based on the probability result of the Schrödinger Wave Equation.

The pattern can be modeled succinctly by Euler's Identity or for high school students, a trigonometric function. So the pattern looks like the curvy corrugated metal panels you'd see on an aviation hangar from the 50s. It turns out that harmonics behave in such a way that the saturation occurs octaves away from the fundamental and odd/even ordered harmonics that deviate in thirds or fifths away from the same fundamental. These are very likely what people describe as depth. So, depending on the algorithm used in these plugins, harmonics are generated from the lowest fundamental note above the noise floor, all the way up to the highest one. If saturation intensity is increased, then yes, harmonics generated from the lowest fundamental note above the noise floor can creep their way to the high frequency range. In this case, I think HG-2 is probably doing some kind of filtering that doesn't overfill the spectrum too much.

So, these patterns occur naturally. So when a developer makes a musically pleasing sounding hardware unit, they basically create circuits that manipulate that naturally occurring patterns. This is where the whole "math and music" go hand in hand.

Take what I say with a grain of salt as I'm trying my best to describe what is happening based off results in quantum mechanics because I can't think of a more foundational premise on which to base the results. Usually proficient sound engineers...I'm talking about real ones, not bedroom producers that call themselves engineers, won't really know this kind of stuff. You'd have to talk to someone with a degree in physics...but that also studied audio engineering...like developers at Waves and Plugin Alliance. Those guys...wow. Talk about smart. They would better explain this but, I'm willing to bet their explanation wouldn't be much more different than mine. I'll bet my HG-2 on that.

I know the answer I gave you isn't quite what you were expecting, but I'm hoping it gives everyone a little more insight as to what is actually happening under the hood and a deeper understanding as to why sounds are associated with cyclical patterns. It's all based off the only interpretation we could come up with, mathematical models that best describe the behavior of electrons. From their quantum state all the way to their collective state in the form of matter.

[sqigls]

you might be overthinking this a tad

HG-2 is quite flexible. It sounds great.
The low end and high end are both way usable and it possibly sounds better than any other tube emulation OR in fact hardware tube unit that I've ever used. The tube to the left adds the meat, the one to the right adds the sparkle... there are stepped "tilt" controls that set the overall behaviour/response, plus a calibration control to affect the top-end.

It feels tight to use, and could probably make anything sound better.

HG-2 is one of the very few plugins that I use on every track, and that i doubt i'll ever replace.

$64 (using a $25 voucher) is a good deal. If you don't own it, you should at least demo it while it's at this price.
I doubt you'll find it at this price in the marketplace any time soon, as most people realise its value.
It's DOPE

[Mathematics]

Unfortunately the voucher is not applicable. It states it in the email.

"List Price: $249 - Save $160 now
Fixed price - no vouchers accepted"

Still, at $90...it's a small price to pay for infinite fairy dust. It's the one plugin that I want to tell everyone about but at the same time, I don't want anyone to know about it.

I agree with sqigls, if you don't have it, demo it. I can almost guarantee you'll get it before the end of the night when the sale is over. This is one of those plugins you get when you're serious or when you're taking good advice blindly and appreciate later that you did get it, once "you get there."

[jbarish]

Unfortunately the voucher is not applicable. It states it in the email.

"List Price: $249 - Save $160 now
Fixed price - no vouchers accepted""

Kind of a scumbag move. I'm betting that by the BF sale, vouchers will be accepted towards it.

[s28]

$64 (using a $25 voucher) is a good deal. If you don't own it, you should at least demo it while it's at this price.
I doubt you'll find it at this price in the marketplace any time soon, as most people realise its value.
It's DOPE

If memory serves, the email said you can't use vouchers with this offer, so it's $106 with VAT, still a good offer though! I've never tried it, just put it on the master and it's a very nice effect, definitely opens things up. That air dial is super useful and the mix, density and calibration make it very flexible. V

$106 is bit steep having only got the SSL console a few weeks ago, this is on my radar tho now, really like this. I've seen it cheaper 2nd hand or I can wait for later in the yr sales. Agreed, serious plugin.

[pekbro]

I consider this plug-in one of my greatest boons from the previous PA voucher
program. I paid $24 for it...

*Pretty sure $99 was the lowest it has been offered for previously.