What is your favourite plugin for 'analog' style saturation?

[aMUSEd]

The Hot Summer and The Analog Molecule Deluxe (for Reaper) are truly incredible. It isn't just a saturator, it's the most "real" console emulation and analog summing system available.

Stuff like that makes it really hard to resist switching to Reaper. It's pretty much what I was always looking for.

Must... resist... GAS...

Reaper has an infinite trial period with zero restrictions except for it's 5 second nag screen (5 reaper seconds). The Analog Molecule and The Hot Summer are FREE, and the Deluxe Version was about $20. Not a bad deal at all. Just demo Reaper and grab the free versions and see.

Wouldn’t the UA Luna Pro API and Neve + tape extensions work similarly?

[BCollins]

No. Airwindows Console plugins do not at all work the same.. nor does it compare sonically either. You'll just have to try it out and see for yourself.

The combo of The Hot Summer + The Analog Molecule are currently unrivaled. Period.

You say that with such confidence but don't give any explanation as to why "Airwindows Console plugins do not at all work the same". Earlier there have been claims the Analog Molecule is 'the only real console emulation', a tough argument when Airwindows Consoles all work like this:

The "Channel" plugins, sitting on each track, add a saturation curve and encode the signals, which get sent and decoded - with a corresponding anti-saturation curve - on the "Bus" channel. That's why the DAWs faders need to be at unity gain, so the summing acts like analog summing, based on interaction of signals - not just adding saturation.

So can you explain what the Analog Molecule is doing that makes it "currently unrivaled. Period."?

I don't doubt it sounds great, my gripe was that 1) it's not the only analog summing system out there and 2) that how something sounds to you is highly subjective.

Reaper has an infinite trial period with zero restrictions except for it's 5 second nag screen (5 reaper seconds). The Analog Molecule and The Hot Summer are FREE, and the Deluxe Version was about $20. Not a bad deal at all. Just demo Reaper and grab the free versions and see.

Just try and find out yourself. Easy.

[stippenstoh]

..

[stippenstoh]

The Analog Molecule literally uses DSP from Airwindows Console 9.

Don't believe it? Check the code - it states it.

So my question stands to those that made claims like The Analog Molecule is the "only real" analog summing emulation, or this:

No. Airwindows Console plugins do not at all work the same.. nor does it compare sonically either.

What is the basis of your statements or are you just talking out of your a55es?

[BCollins]

I'm repeating myself, it's not about personal taste or sound but claims that this product is the "only real" analog summing emulation when it isn't.

Trying it out will also not answer my questions.

That means you´re more interested in a theoretical discussion than the actual result that can easily be heard when comparing?

I´m not a programmer but the interaction of these 2 in Reaper is much deeper than anything I´ve ever experienced in numerous other solutions, I´ve tried.

[stippenstoh]

You say it "can be easily heard when comparing". Did you compare it to other analog summing systems like Airwindows Console editions or to no summing at all?

It is hard to argue with statements like "it is much deeper than anything I've ever experienced".

Again, I never doubted that it sounds great. But I did get triggered by claims that it's "the only real analog summing emulation" when it is not, or claims that "Airwindows Console plugins do not at all work the same" when The Analog Molecule is effing using the algorithms of Airwindows Console.

[legendCNCD]

For anybody who uses Reaper, you really need to check this out:

https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=305604

.. and this, which is by the same author and complements the above.

https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=305713

I got THS running on Ableton, was quite easy. Next: TAM

[BCollins]

You say it "can be easily heard when comparing". Did you compare it to other analog summing systems like Airwindows Console editions or to no summing at all?

It is hard to argue with statements like "it is much deeper than anything I've ever experienced".

Again, I never doubted that it sounds great. But I did get triggered by claims that it's "the only real analog summing emulation" when it is not, or claims that "Airwindows Console plugins do not at all work the same" when The Analog Molecule is effing using the algorithms of Airwindows Console.

Yes, Airwindows, Luna etc. and I don´t want to argue, I want to motivate you to try yourself

[stippenstoh]

I did, it sounds great - just like other 'analog' summing systems do. But it's neither the "only real" one, nor "better" sounding (that is purely personal preference, e.g. I still prefer ConsoleMC but that doesn't make it 'better'), and those were the claims that brought me into this discussion.

[bmanic]

No. Airwindows Console plugins do not at all work the same.. nor does it compare sonically either. You'll just have to try it out and see for yourself.

The combo of The Hot Summer + The Analog Molecule are currently unrivaled. Period.

You say that with such confidence but don't give any explanation as to why "Airwindows Console plugins do not at all work the same". Earlier there have been claims the Analog Molecule is 'the only real console emulation', a tough argument when Airwindows Consoles all work like this:

The "Channel" plugins, sitting on each track, add a saturation curve and encode the signals, which get sent and decoded - with a corresponding anti-saturation curve - on the "Bus" channel. That's why the DAWs faders need to be at unity gain, so the summing acts like analog summing, based on interaction of signals - not just adding saturation.

Because it sounds and behaves COMPLETELY differently. I've used pretty much all of the Airwindows console versions before and this one is very different (even if it borrows some parts of the code, as the author clearly states in the very Reaper thread.. heck the author even explains how and why it differs). It's also far easier to work with because you are not stuck at unity fader levels and keeping an eye on levels like you have to do with the Airwindows decorrelation system. This one is far more forgiving and much more flexible.

So can you explain what the Analog Molecule is doing that makes it "currently unrivaled. Period."?

I don't doubt it sounds great, my gripe was that 1) it's not the only analog summing system out there and 2) that how something sounds to you is highly subjective.

OF COURSE it is subjective! Why on earth do you try to argue when that's a goddamn given when we are on a forum. Anything anybody says related to sound is immediately subjective. That doesn't mean I can't say MY opinion on things.

THS + TAM Is by far the most convincing emulation of a typical analogue desk and I simply base it on my experience mixing on quite a variety of desks. Heck I still have one of those Studiomaster Series 2 24 channel 8 bus mixers in storage. Didn't use it all that much but I do have a few hundred hours under my belt on that console alone.. and I've mixed on various configurations of Midas Venue, a few times on a SSL 4k system and god knows how many hours on shitty Mackie and Soundcraft mixers. Point is, I know how things sound when they go through a whole bunch of electronics and get all mushed up at the end. That's what I'm basing my opinion on. It's still subjective but it IS my opinion.

"Analog saturation" can be had with many free saturation plugins. Plugin sellers use analog looking GUIs to make your brain think what you hear is more analog than others.

Another illusion is that many saturation plugins simply raise volume. To our brain, louder = better, even if just half a decibel. I sold Decapitator when I noticed that it's AutoGain does not work correctly and that, when properly gain balanced, the sound difference was negligible compared to free options that offer tone balance tools.

E.g. T-Saturator is free, has several flavours of sat/distortion and many control options like frequency selection and Mid/Side distribution and oversampling.
It does not have an analog looking GUI, so you might be fooled into thinking it doesn't sound analog.

... and considering you wrote that earlier in the thread, I don't know why on earth I even bother replying to you here. You seem like the type of dude who is just here to argue semantics. If you are getting tricked by graphics and volume changes you have a lot more problems than listening for subtle or not so subtle nuances.

[stippenstoh]

Both TAM and THS are literally built on Console and other Airwindows algorithms, you said it would work completely different, which is BS.

For the nth time, I never cared about your subjective preference of sound or workflow but nonsense hype claims that it's the only real thing or sounds better than anything else.

I also never said that any of the "analog" summing systems sound better than 'digital' summing, so your last point just shows me that you project things into my posts that are not there.

I should have known an "analog" sound discussion would end like this.

[legendCNCD]

So, the question has landed: has anyone measured these (TAMD or THS), I am interested in aliasing and such, how much it imparts harmonics etc. ?
It seems the highend of spectrum is being dropped a bit, but thats how far I got.

[TechHaus]

What is the difference between analog style and digital style saturation?

[BCollins]

So, the question has landed: has anyone measured these (TAMD or THS), I am interested in aliasing and such, how much it imparts harmonics etc. ?
It seems the highend of spectrum is being dropped a bit, but thats how far I got.

Oversampling THS (at least the summing bus) in Reaper makes a difference.
Give it a try!

[jethrobull]

So, the question has landed: has anyone measured these (TAMD or THS), I am interested in aliasing and such, how much it imparts harmonics etc. ?
It seems the highend of spectrum is being dropped a bit, but thats how far I got.

Oversampling THS (at least the summing bus) in Reaper makes a difference.
Give it a try!

I'm absolutely loving both of them. Purchased the deluxe version. Also using his script to select oversampling