KVR Audio

4damind · Post by **4damind** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:10 pm

I tested the Blue Tubes 2 from Nomade and find that this plugins sounds great.
The Limiter listens similar to TubeLimit or FinalPlug and works without to much coloring.
The Compressor (FA770) has a nice coloring and brings after some tweaking results good as this from sonalksis. I think its harder to tweak the TRackS Compressor to bring similar results. With TRacks and while do a kick-compression, I become results with to much drive, that listens like a harsh noise. with all other compressors the result listens flat missing the transients (so it should be expected).

Many people on KvR are saying that Blue Tubes are crap.The compressors doesnt work and the only thing is the nice vintage userinterface

Can be that this was right for Blue Tubes1, but this time I cannot verifiy this?

For tube-like compressors I think TRacks and Blue Tubes are the only alternative to a UAD. For EQs there are others (like tritones or urs plugins)

What be nice to hear about other experience with "Blue Tubes"

omo · Post by **omo** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:33 pm

4damind wrote:Many people on KvR are saying that Blue Tubes are crap.The compressors doesnt work and the only thing is the nice vintage userinterface

They just don't know to use those comps. They are the best native comps for me. Very round sound.

defjamm · Post by **defjamm** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 4:55 pm

use what you like and don't care about others as long as you like the things that u use.

Left Headphone · Post by **Left Headphone** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 5:24 pm

I like them too. But, they are pricey.

kylen · Post by **kylen** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 7:12 pm

How hard can it be to work the 770? You lower the threshold and set the speed (it looks like) - if only you could get these separate instead of bundle...I'd try it out but I'm already up to my ears in compressors - temptation!

Frippertronix · Post by **Frippertronix** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 1:12 am

I was pleasantly surprised and was amazed by the low CPU hit, but opted out because the bundle is too big and the price too high. Too big of a commitment, but I agree the warm midrange is nice on these.

Still not sure why there is such a "hate cult"

surrounding these plugs.

dxl · Post by **dxl** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 1:20 am

Frippertronix wrote:I was pleasantly surprised and was amazed by the low CPU hit, but opted out because the bundle is too big and the price too high. Too big of a commitment, but I agree the warm midrange is nice on these.

Still not sure why there is such a "hate cult" surrounding these plugs.

huh... i didn't like version 1 but when i tried version 2 i find them sound better (or it's justmaybe i can see the soundfield better now)
but overall they have a dark warm flavoring which might lead to the.... well...

Frippertronix · Post by **Frippertronix** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 1:26 am

dxl wrote:
Frippertronix wrote:I was pleasantly surprised and was amazed by the low CPU hit, but opted out because the bundle is too big and the price too high. Too big of a commitment, but I agree the warm midrange is nice on these.

Still not sure why there is such a "hate cult" surrounding these plugs.
huh... i didn't like version 1 but when i tried version 2 i find them sound better (or it's justmaybe i can see the soundfield better now)
but overall they have a dark warm flavoring which might lead to the.... well...

Yes I agree they are a bit dark. I found the two Pultec style EQ's, and one or two of the comps as well as one of limiters to work really well on lead synthesizer to fatten and smooth out the sound. The graininess bmanic described might have been mostly in the high freq. boosts, which I didn't really use, so at least in that synth application I mentioned they worked very well for me.

I was disappointed that I couldn't just pick to ones I wanted and buy those.

I think big bundles are a bad marketing scheme. I think they are ultimately self defeating for the companies that go that way.

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 1:50 am

4damind wrote: For tube-like compressors I think TRacks and Blue Tubes are the only alternative to a UAD.

I'll take the TimeWorks Compressor-X over those 2 hands down,and I also don't think that either BlueTubes or TRacks comps sound anything remotely like a tube hardware comp,more like digital distortion to my ears.You can add me to the top of the list of those who dislike BlueTubes products,but if they work for you then that's all that matters.It really doesn't matter how you get there,as long as the final result gets you where you want to go.

Frippertronix · Post by **Frippertronix** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:14 am

Alan wrote:
4damind wrote: For tube-like compressors I think TRacks and Blue Tubes are the only alternative to a UAD.
I'll take the TimeWorks Compressor-X over those 2 hands down,and I also don't think that either BlueTubes or TRacks comps sound anything remotely like a tube hardware comp,more like digital distortion to my ears.You can add me to the top of the list of those who dislike BlueTubes products,but if they work for you then that's all that matters.It really doesn't matter how you get there,as long as the final result gets you where you want to go.

Maybe so, but you should mention, since this thread is for the sake of someone who is shopping around, that unless you run Pro Tools or have a SCOPE card, you are out of the running for Sonic TimeWorks.

I still don't get that extreme of a reaction to BT, though I've never heard TRacks. Nothing on the market that I've heard, including all the UAD demos (with the possible exception of the Precision EQ) sound anything like analog gear. Most certainly not Sonalksis, though I still like their stuff. That said though, I don't know what circumstances you were running the Blue Tubes demo under, Alan, or how hard you pushed or boosted, but when I had the trial they just never seemed unsubtle enough to make any kind of extreme statement like yours. That said, though, I used them with relatively mild adjustments, as I tend to do with many plugins

Frippertronix · Post by **Frippertronix** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:35 am

Edit: I see Timeworks also have Direct-X, so I guess I could try these with a wrapper in T2. I probably will. Thansk for the suggestion, Alan.

kilroy · Post by **kilroy** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 3:16 am

Bit surprised why CompX does not get more attention round here, myself. Good versatile compressor with class, and attitude. Been using it since it first came out and it is still a favorite when I am working in digital environments.

wsaidah · Post by **wsaidah** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 3:27 am

1. ok Blue Tubes is over priced 2. The Compressor are worth a look! (the LM2S and fa770) the lm2s was going for la2a type compression and the fa770 was going for the Fairchild 660 type compression neither one does a good job at it 3. the fa770 doesent even work like a Fairchild 660 but you can get a good sound out of it some times so make presets of what it sound good on. the lm2s is a different story to much is to much with this one but there is a sweat spot find it make preset of it. 4. uad-1 makes a verson of the la2a and Fairchild 660 that are more faithful of the two but not spot on 5. i use vst compressors for something else,something specal,something i can't get out of hardware so don't let that stop you! get the demo be your on judge

TotcProductions · Post by **TotcProductions** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 3:54 am

f**k anybody that says the blue tubes are crap. those things sound great. really, very analog sounding. go for it!

peace!

kylen · Post by **kylen** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:05 am

That was pretty informative!

Blue Tubes: Whats bad?