Whats your favorite plugin you use to make things sound satisfyingly "analog" ?

[Septic Underground]

If feel the same with the Analog (vintage) synths, like they are all gloryfied, but in fact they really shit in comparison to modern ITB synths. Not only specwise (and LFO counts etc for starters), but I never see ppl pointing out the hassels with noisey VCAs, leaking VCFs in the signal pad, clicks when triggering enveloppes etc. This shit drives me crazy. I had a massive 5U (4 * 42" U HE equipment racks)modular and many vintage synths and I dont miss em for 1 sec. And that is not even taking the cablemangement in account.

Regarding this thread I think it is not as much as wanting an analog sound as it is a 'broken' 'living' sound. I get that, I love those 70s old italo horrorscores from e.g. Fabio Frizzi etc. With detuning Korg PSS3100s and wobbly taperecorders, like VHS tape drifting etc.

[GaryG]

Klanghelms SDRR is great for saturation and distortion. The tube model warms things up lovely.

That and a million other things. I own SDRR but I've found that, just like most of them, if you turn the level up you'll get the same result. I'm over bothering with all that shit.

[/quote]

That's exactly why I like SDRR, the four modes cover what I need saturation-wise, so I don't have to even look at a million other things. Sure, if you turn any similar plug it's going to distort and clip in a similar way but that's not how you use them. If you just want to turn everything up then... I dunno... maybe saturators aren't for you.

I have literally a couple of other plugs installed for more extreme distortion if I need it (Trash2, NF Garbage). Done and dusted.

[Septic Underground]

Audiority Pyros is also a great disto/colour/sat/waveshaper, one of the best (imo)for 808 BDs It just keeps its weight and then adds some more.

[Michey]

ATM, none of the plugins in the world meet my expectations.

So, I have a friend who's in the midst of programming for me a new app called :
Wannalog(™®©).

It acts by hooking a wi-fi device to one's corpus callosum and analyzing the signals passing through when one is presented with some keywords (eg. "hi-end rolloff", "harmonic distortion", "Tube Goodness", "Dark side of the moon", "Abbey Road", etc. etc.).

Then, the app builds a profile to match the designated "analogness" satisfaction level (sufficiently satisfied, very satisfied, overwhelmingly satisfied)

All you have to do is press the "LetsHaveFunalog!" button, and you're good to go. the app generates a barebones DLL with one button that generates an analog experience, detached from physical constrains (like your hearing, your room acoustics, your understanding of what does the term "analog" even entails, etc.)

Since I came to know that app, I plan to delete my 1500 plugins and sell my 750k worth of analog gear.

[DrGonzo]

While not really a pure software plugin (but I am sure there are software plugins that can do this well enough), just passing a signal through the Elektron Analog Heat makes everything sound more balanced.

[jamcat]

I don't care who rants about it or why they're ranting. Nothing to do with me. Pursue your happiness, Bones

Ranting is how Bones pursues his happiness.

[BONES]

That's exactly why I like SDRR, the four modes cover what I need saturation-wise, so I don't have to even look at a million other things. Sure, if you turn any similar plug it's going to distort and clip in a similar way but that's not how you use them. If you just want to turn everything up then... I dunno... maybe saturators aren't for you.

What I'm saying is what they do doesn't matter, it's a waste of time and, in a mix, you get the same result from turning up the channel a little bit. As I said in another thread today, by the time it gets to the mixer, the opportunity to make it magical has passed. You need to get the magic in the instrument, where you can really affect the sound. Obviously that's harder with real instruments or vocals but with synths, you want saturation between the osc and filter and/or between the filter and the amp. That's where it's worth doing.

[chk071]

I can't believe that such a thread produces 3 or more pages of discussion. How can you discuss about something that unspecific, and about something which doesn't exist, and will never exist (a plugin which automagically adds analog characteristics, whatever those may be)?

[jamcat]

So to reiterate, I’m not talking about hiss or garbled audio from a chewed up cassette. I’m talking about the hair a console’s preamps put on a signal, and the round bass bump that 2” tape at 15ips adds. These are things pure digital leave wanting.

[donkey tugger]

Reject the past. Cast out your nostalgia. The future is 80s covers in the sinthesiser goth stylee.

[GaryG]

That's exactly why I like SDRR, the four modes cover what I need saturation-wise, so I don't have to even look at a million other things. Sure, if you turn any similar plug it's going to distort and clip in a similar way but that's not how you use them. If you just want to turn everything up then... I dunno... maybe saturators aren't for you.

What I'm saying is what they do doesn't matter, it's a waste of time and, in a mix, you get the same result from turning up the channel a little bit. As I said in another thread today, by the time it gets to the mixer, the opportunity to make it magical has passed. You need to get the magic in the instrument, where you can really affect the sound. Obviously that's harder with real instruments or vocals but with synths, you want saturation between the osc and filter and/or between the filter and the amp. That's where it's worth doing.

Maybe I'm missing something but turning a channel up just makes it louder (unless you push it to clipping obvs)? Whereas adding saturation is distorting the signal, changing it's character without a big jump in level. Think guitar dirt pedals, a gain and a level control. Seems like I'm stating the obvious but...
I wholeheartedly agree about getting it right as early as possible, why I like proclethya or vacuum pro, saturation around the filters etc. My use of saturation is just making things less clinical, I don't want a pristine, new age piano for example, needs a little grit.

[BONES]

The thing you are missing is that in a mix you can't tell the difference between adding saturation and just turning it up a bit louder, unless you push it into full-on distortion, of course, which is a sound design choice, not a mixing one. And for the record, I don't want any kind of piano, which is why I use Olga for all my piano parts.

[Teksonik]

If you think adding distortion all over your tracks makes them sound better then more power you. But I think you're laboring under the misconception that "sounding like a record" is a preferable thing.

Adding dynamic harmonic distortion does make a track sound better.

No, it doesn't....to me.

I’m not talking about large amounts, and I’m not talking about sounding like vinyl when I say “like a record.” I’m of course talking about sounding like it came out of a studio as opposed to a bedroom.

That has far more to do with the skills and talents of the user than whether something is analog or not.

Digital can’t do distortion, it only does clipping and you don’t want any of that. But what real analog distortion does, not as an effect, but rather as a byproduct of a dynamic performance that pushes the console as the singer hits a high note, conveys energy and excitement. This is what I’m looking for from “analogue.”

Yet you claim to accomplish all of that with digital plugins, DAWs etc....you're chasing analog with digital.

I would just point out that when people on this forum talk about really great sounding records, they name check Pink Floyd more than anything else. No one ever mentions stuff from the digital age. So maybe analogue doesn’t sound as bad as you say.

I'm not saying analog sounds bad just not better. Those great albums from yesteryear sounded good not because of analog but in spite of it...

Again everyone should use what they prefer, I'm just pushing back against the perpetuation of the myth that analog is superior and something to strive for in 2022 and beyond.

To me "analog" is just a buzzword and a fad used by those who think technology has not advanced one bit in over 50 years....

[vurt]

i love pink floyd, but id like to see evidence they get name checked more than others in discussions of great albums
i don't remember the thread....

threads were bands/albums are discussed, cover all kinds of stuff, maybe a while ago, it was more skewed towards older music, given the age demographic, but we now have a lot more people who were born post the 80s.

[melomood]

Reject the past. Cast out your nostalgia. The future is 80s covers in the sinthesiser goth stylee.

I thought Synthwave just had to sound like it's an 80's cover. Now what am I supposed to do?? Hey...."What Am I Supposed To Do"... that's a Flock of Seagulls song...