Analog Emulations in 2021

[wuworld]

How do you feel about using Analog Emulations in 2021? Do you care for them? Are you doing the channel strip on every track like with a BX SSL or Focusrite channel strip? I watcha lot of mixing videos, and you don't see the channel strip on every track on much.

I see more the Izotope's, Fabfilter like plugs mixed with a little UAD or whoever. What's your preference for mixing lots of analog plugs or more modern stuff like Fabfilter etc?

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

I'd venture to guess most people use a mix of plugins. Some channel strips. Some analog modeled compressors and EQ's here and there. Some cleaner compressors and EQ's there and here. I'm not particularly dogmatic about one approach. If I want that 1176 sound, I'll load an 1176 plugin. If I want that SSL deep threshold, light ratio compressor sound, I'll load one of the Bx Strips. If I want clean, I've got Unisum or FIRComp2 or Pro-C and EQs like Equilibrium or CraveEQ.

Don't overthink it. Just try to learn your tools, where you like them, and use them when you think they'll give you what you're looking for. They're just different flavors. Like adding salt and pepper to steak.

[jochicago]

Channel strip emulations are not with us for improving the overall sound and features of plugins, instead the point is to use the simplified workflow and specific sound of a beloved unit.

When you want to be in complete control and quest for the absolute best sound, you are probably not using a channel strip. When you want to work fast, stay in a groove, that's the role of a channel strip.

[GaryG]

I did try putting Focusrite SC on every track of a project once with different track numbers as they suggest so you'd have in theory a dozen or so slightly different channels. I couldn't appreciate the difference so now just use them individually where necessary, I like the sound and convenience of this particular plug so use it a lot, just use other eqs for special circumstances (extreme EQ, compression effects with Zip etc)

[andymcbain]

Not bothered about channel strips but plenty analogue emulations still in regular use here - Waves Pultec, LA-2a, 1176, Fairchild etc. Living happily alongside Neutron and Fabfilter. Just depends on the sound you need for the job.

[fese]

I really couldn’t care less what people use on YouTube mixing videos, I use whatever I like and what fits my workflow. That does actually often mean vintage emulations because they are simple and quick to use. I don’t like plugins with thousands of options and whatnot.

[Qkimat]

There's so many great sounding options today, that its mostly about your workflow. Personally, I'll use an ssl (from PA) channel strip on almost everything (mapped to a midi controller for convenience and ease of use), plus some 'speciality' tools, like analog sim compression/eq, and additional parametric eq, where needed. After buying way too much stuff, I settled on only a few tools I use a lot (fuse audio stuff, MJUC, some PA plugins, and stock plugs from S1). It's a matter of learning which tools to reach for when looking for a particular sound. You can't do that when you use a new plugin every week.

[DMG68]

Softube Console 1 for me, so I’m pretty much all channel strips and analog emulations. I use some Kush stuff too, they’re not full on emulations, but totally based on analog sound.

[jens]

I am totally a vintage guy - and yet I found out that I don't really want my music to sound like it had been made 50 or 60 years ago, so I tend to take it somewhat easy on the analog-emulating stuff of the saturating variety. I like a tad or two of that here and there but rather sooner than later it'll seem too much for me.

Some stuff I love especially because it's very clean (such as the recent Audiority Polycomp).

But since I have the CPU for it I tend to put the T-Racks Tape Machine 24 on most every track. That's really nice to my ears.

[zerocrossing]

It really depends on what you’re going for. Mostly I never add something to a track unless there’s a problem or I’m going for some specific kind of sound. I know a lot of people like a vintage synth and a vintage production sound, but I don’t really care about it.

[Ploki]

mix of plugins, but usually more digital/unique than analog emus.
i do like some analog emus A LOT but theyre mostly compressors, don't care much about EQ emus - could live without them.

[MogwaiBoy]

There are some choices out there that are quite stunning, and have been for a number of years. For example pushing a signal hard into Klanghelm SDRR in Desk mode is quite convincing. Voxengo's 'Warmifier' is old now but also pretty magic and has utterly zero aliasing ever. I'm getting into Spectre recently and just a touch of high shelf is impressive. Some of the cassette tape emulators (Cassette) are really great too.

There's some 'snake oil' around too, like the Plugin Alliance Maag EQs and the famous "40k boost" which is just a regular old 20-ishk shelf, no analog saturation at all.

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

We mainly use analog synths for analog basses. Rest could be software all of it with or without a few loops or waveforms from digital hardware synths. We like emulations but consider and use them as cool VAs. No reason for us to judge them on the terms of analog synths when we have a room full of the latter anyway. Now we just ordered the Uno synth pro desktop synth, which will be even more handy to use with Mac and Reason 11. No need for emulations as emulations here, but a cool VA can still be a cool VA even if it ain’t a precise emulation.

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

Oops. You were talking about effects. No wonder I could not find the thread in instruments. Apologize

[jancivil]

I do a number of things to warm up, or maximize certain sorts of sound source (some of which does emulate older analog studio gear) but whole channel strips, never did that one; in most cases for me it'll be doing too much at one juncture in a mix.