SSL bus compression with one of my plugins?

[djanthonyw]

I'd say Acustica Sand is the closest option. Here is a shootout that includes a majority of options with a link to wav files.

As I posted on GS, this seems to be a comparison not of how accurate the plugins can be, but a comparison of how close they mapped to the original controls. Am I wrong? I can totally accept that I’m wrong….

No, it's comparing the sound of each one. That's why the author provided a download of the wav files.

[diroxe7660]

That's a fair point to make, but I think many/most people expect the controls to map 1:1 to the hardware.

[vitocorleone123]

That's a fair point to make, but I think many/most people expect the controls to map 1:1 to the hardware.

How would that be possible if the software isn’t a 1:1 in terms of feature?

[vitocorleone123]

I'd say Acustica Sand is the closest option. Here is a shootout that includes a majority of options with a link to wav files.

As I posted on GS, this seems to be a comparison not of how accurate the plugins can be, but a comparison of how close they mapped to the original controls. Am I wrong? I can totally accept that I’m wrong….

No, it's comparing the sound of each one. That's why the author provided a download of the wav files.

The sound of each at the same settings?

[djanthonyw]

Yes. He mentions the settings at the beginning of the video.

[meloco_go]

The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor looks like it could work, but it emulates a very specific kind of gear and I don't know how close I can get.

Shadow Hills VCA side is basically a (slightly hotrodded) SSL bus comp.

[vitocorleone123]

Yes. He mentions the settings at the beginning of the video.

Right. It's comparison of limited use, given that they're all set the same when they aren't all
designed the same.

It would be useful for plugins that are designed as a 1:1 emulation of the hardware, as can tell you if the developers matched the hardware settings (but not if the hardware is better).

Not every plugin is a 1:1 emulation, nor does it mean that, with different settings, that an emulation couldn't match sonically.

The SSL Bus Compressor is NOT a 1:1 emulation. Matching the settings of my hardware was not close. However, once spending the time and effort to dial it in, it's about 99% the same as my hardware on 4:1, 30 attack, and .1 release.

My clone is not, of course, 1:1, either. My goal was finding software that I could use instead or as a stand in.

Which of the plugins in the comparison advertise themselves as a 1:1 emulation/clone? For example, the Softube one doesn't. It says that it, "The design of the Bus Processor compressor section draws on a classic, large-format console bus compressor from the 1980s" and that "The compressor may be the hero, but Bus Processor is greater than the sum of its parts. Saturation that includes an emphasis filter and can be set pre- or post-compression. An advanced sidechain section for both the compression and saturation circuits. Spatialization with an air filter, stereo widening, a mono bass filter, and more take you beyond compression to full bus processing." - and those aren't on the classic SSL G bus compressor.

Hopefully you're starting to realize and understand the limitations of that comparison and what it can, and cannot, tell you.

[djanthonyw]

Yes. He mentions the settings at the beginning of the video.

Right. It's comparison of limited use, given that they're all set the same when they aren't all
designed the same.

It would be useful for plugins that are designed as a 1:1 emulation of the hardware, as can tell you if the developers matched the hardware settings (but not if the hardware is better).

Not every plugin is a 1:1 emulation, nor does it mean that, with different settings, that an emulation couldn't match sonically.

The SSL Bus Compressor is NOT a 1:1 emulation. Matching the settings of my hardware was not close. However, once spending the time and effort to dial it in, it's about 99% the same as my hardware on 4:1, 30 attack, and .1 release.

My clone is not, of course, 1:1, either. My goal was finding software that I could use instead or as a stand in.

Which of the plugins in the comparison advertise themselves as a 1:1 emulation/clone? For example, the Softube one doesn't. It says that it, "The design of the Bus Processor compressor section draws on a classic, large-format console bus compressor from the 1980s" and that "The compressor may be the hero, but Bus Processor is greater than the sum of its parts. Saturation that includes an emphasis filter and can be set pre- or post-compression. An advanced sidechain section for both the compression and saturation circuits. Spatialization with an air filter, stereo widening, a mono bass filter, and more take you beyond compression to full bus processing." - and those aren't on the classic SSL G bus compressor.

Hopefully you're starting to realize and understand the limitations of that comparison and what it can, and cannot, tell you.

Yes, that's why I say that Acustica Sand is the most accurate as it's actually directly sampled from the hardware.

[djanthonyw]

The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor looks like it could work, but it emulates a very specific kind of gear and I don't know how close I can get.

Shadow Hills VCA side is basically a (slightly hotrodded) SSL bus comp.

I checked it out and don't think it sounds anything like an SSL.

[vitocorleone123]

Yes. He mentions the settings at the beginning of the video.

Right. It's comparison of limited use, given that they're all set the same when they aren't all
designed the same.

It would be useful for plugins that are designed as a 1:1 emulation of the hardware, as can tell you if the developers matched the hardware settings (but not if the hardware is better).

Not every plugin is a 1:1 emulation, nor does it mean that, with different settings, that an emulation couldn't match sonically.

The SSL Bus Compressor is NOT a 1:1 emulation. Matching the settings of my hardware was not close. However, once spending the time and effort to dial it in, it's about 99% the same as my hardware on 4:1, 30 attack, and .1 release.

My clone is not, of course, 1:1, either. My goal was finding software that I could use instead or as a stand in.

Which of the plugins in the comparison advertise themselves as a 1:1 emulation/clone? For example, the Softube one doesn't. It says that it, "The design of the Bus Processor compressor section draws on a classic, large-format console bus compressor from the 1980s" and that "The compressor may be the hero, but Bus Processor is greater than the sum of its parts. Saturation that includes an emphasis filter and can be set pre- or post-compression. An advanced sidechain section for both the compression and saturation circuits. Spatialization with an air filter, stereo widening, a mono bass filter, and more take you beyond compression to full bus processing." - and those aren't on the classic SSL G bus compressor.

Hopefully you're starting to realize and understand the limitations of that comparison and what it can, and cannot, tell you.

Yes, that's why I say that Acustica Sand is the most accurate as it's actually directly sampled from the hardware.

Most accurate at replicating the controls doesn’t meant most accurate sound. Those aren’t the same thing. One doesn’t guarantee the other.

A plugin could require completely different settings and yet be more accurate once dialed in.

Not sure why this is hard to understand. Could be my explanation.

[diroxe7660]

That's a fair point to make, but I think many/most people expect the controls to map 1:1 to the hardware.

How would that be possible if the software isn’t a 1:1 in terms of feature?

Then the software isn't an accurate hw emulation with regards to controls. I think it's reasonable to expect the controls on 1176 emulations to go the "wrong" way. Plugins are free to take liberties, doesn't mean they can't do the "SSL bus comp" thing well - just makes comparing them to the hw more difficult.

[ampetrosillo]

The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor looks like it could work, but it emulates a very specific kind of gear and I don't know how close I can get.

Shadow Hills VCA side is basically a (slightly hotrodded) SSL bus comp.

I checked it out and don't think it sounds anything like an SSL.

I think you have to explicitly bypass the optical part, and use a low distortion "transformer" (the nickel model). The discrete part does map to an SSL 1:1.

[djanthonyw]

Yes. He mentions the settings at the beginning of the video.

Right. It's comparison of limited use, given that they're all set the same when they aren't all
designed the same.

It would be useful for plugins that are designed as a 1:1 emulation of the hardware, as can tell you if the developers matched the hardware settings (but not if the hardware is better).

Not every plugin is a 1:1 emulation, nor does it mean that, with different settings, that an emulation couldn't match sonically.

The SSL Bus Compressor is NOT a 1:1 emulation. Matching the settings of my hardware was not close. However, once spending the time and effort to dial it in, it's about 99% the same as my hardware on 4:1, 30 attack, and .1 release.

My clone is not, of course, 1:1, either. My goal was finding software that I could use instead or as a stand in.

Which of the plugins in the comparison advertise themselves as a 1:1 emulation/clone? For example, the Softube one doesn't. It says that it, "The design of the Bus Processor compressor section draws on a classic, large-format console bus compressor from the 1980s" and that "The compressor may be the hero, but Bus Processor is greater than the sum of its parts. Saturation that includes an emphasis filter and can be set pre- or post-compression. An advanced sidechain section for both the compression and saturation circuits. Spatialization with an air filter, stereo widening, a mono bass filter, and more take you beyond compression to full bus processing." - and those aren't on the classic SSL G bus compressor.

Hopefully you're starting to realize and understand the limitations of that comparison and what it can, and cannot, tell you.

Yes, that's why I say that Acustica Sand is the most accurate as it's actually directly sampled from the hardware.

Most accurate at replicating the controls doesn’t meant most accurate sound. Those aren’t the same thing. One doesn’t guarantee the other.

A plugin could require completely different settings and yet be more accurate once dialed in.

Not sure why this is hard to understand. Could be my explanation.

No, Acustica samples the actual sound of the hardware units that's why Sand is the most accurate sounding. Did you listen to the actual audio examples from the shootout?

[vitocorleone123]

Yes. He mentions the settings at the beginning of the video.

Right. It's comparison of limited use, given that they're all set the same when they aren't all
designed the same.

It would be useful for plugins that are designed as a 1:1 emulation of the hardware, as can tell you if the developers matched the hardware settings (but not if the hardware is better).

Not every plugin is a 1:1 emulation, nor does it mean that, with different settings, that an emulation couldn't match sonically.

The SSL Bus Compressor is NOT a 1:1 emulation. Matching the settings of my hardware was not close. However, once spending the time and effort to dial it in, it's about 99% the same as my hardware on 4:1, 30 attack, and .1 release.

My clone is not, of course, 1:1, either. My goal was finding software that I could use instead or as a stand in.

Which of the plugins in the comparison advertise themselves as a 1:1 emulation/clone? For example, the Softube one doesn't. It says that it, "The design of the Bus Processor compressor section draws on a classic, large-format console bus compressor from the 1980s" and that "The compressor may be the hero, but Bus Processor is greater than the sum of its parts. Saturation that includes an emphasis filter and can be set pre- or post-compression. An advanced sidechain section for both the compression and saturation circuits. Spatialization with an air filter, stereo widening, a mono bass filter, and more take you beyond compression to full bus processing." - and those aren't on the classic SSL G bus compressor.

Hopefully you're starting to realize and understand the limitations of that comparison and what it can, and cannot, tell you.

Yes, that's why I say that Acustica Sand is the most accurate as it's actually directly sampled from the hardware.

Most accurate at replicating the controls doesn’t meant most accurate sound. Those aren’t the same thing. One doesn’t guarantee the other.

A plugin could require completely different settings and yet be more accurate once dialed in.

Not sure why this is hard to understand. Could be my explanation.

No, Acustica samples the actual sound of the hardware units that's why Sand is the most accurate sounding. Did you listen to the actual audio examples from the shootout?

Well, enjoy your plugins. I feel I'm beating my head against the wall trying to explain the issues that seem obvious to me with that comparison.

For the last time: the comparison video compared plugins using the same settings and did not compare how close the plugins can get to the hardware regardless of the settings. Both are interesting, but the "does it match the settings" one is less interesting because not every plugin in the comparison is designed to be a 1:1 emulation. There needs to be two comparisons made, and then people could draw more useful conclusions. As it is, that comparison is just half of the information.

[djanthonyw]

For the last time: the comparison video compared plugins using the same settings and did not compare how close the plugins can get to the hardware regardless of the settings. Both are interesting, but the "does it match the settings" one is less interesting because not every plugin in the comparison is designed to be a 1:1 emulation. There needs to be two comparisons made, and then people could draw more useful conclusions. As it is, that comparison is just half of the information.

If an emulation doesn't match a hardware unit at the same settings, then it's not an accurate emulation. I've tested many of the plugins in the shootout using various settings and none of them compare like Acustica's Sand does. I do wish an algorithmic option did compare like Sand does, because I prefer algorithmic options whenever possible, but none of them get as close with the same settings or otherwise.