Are we close to getting plugin compressors that sound like real ones?

[HanafiH]

I think we should adopt a convention that whenever a forum member, with a vested interest in plugin sales, makes a recommendation of a for-profit plug, they should also recommend the best freeware plug that approximates the functionality of the the for-profit plug.

Public execution should be sufficient incentive. Or ridicule.

[kvaca]

Uncle E, the point of Shy's Splitcomp example was not to show the best possible use of that compressor. It was to demonstrate that at settings approximating those in the Slate example, the Splitcomp choked.

not true at all - please reread his post on page 3...there is not any single word about choking in Splitcomp...actually he says that "Splitcomp is the only software compressor which can cope with anything nearly as well as any analog compressor" and thats why I have demostrated him that it is NOT the only one

Exactly. A good reminder kvaca, of what has been said.

So while I do appreciate that my example may exhibit harsher attack (I can't verify that on my headphones while I'm away from my studio monitors), I can't hear that 'breaking up', choking sound Shy is talking about and which he has demonstrated with an audio clip.

In any case, after tweaking some more, here is my attempt at emulation of the Slate Dragon sound:

www.electric-himalaya.com/stuff/Compression_match_c.wav

and now to me its sounds even better than Slate /the first example/

but maybe Im not completely fair becouse also seems a bit louder...

[himalaya]

Remember there there are two files there, one is Slate Dragon and one is mine.

[kvaca]

Remember there there are two files there, one is Slate Dragon and one is mine.

Ive written you that the first is Slate - isnt it?

[himalaya]

Yes you have. Just checking since you have stated your preference for the plugin. The volume discrepancy may be due to my use of headphones, I wish I could balance the volume on my monitors...still the clips aren't that mismatched volume-wise (when I check them on a spectrum analiser).

Anyway, does my file exhibit these 'breaking up' artifacts (to anyone who is now listening on proper monitors) ?

[kvaca]

Remember there there are two files there, one is Slate Dragon and one is mine.

can you try This ?

Ive pushed my comp to the state before it falls apart,with ratios 2:1 and 4:1 in second case...

[jens]

I think we should adopt a convention that whenever a forum member, with a vested interest in plugin sales, makes a recommendation of a for-profit plug, they should also recommend the best freeware plug that approximates the functionality of the the for-profit plug.

Public execution should be sufficient incentive. Or ridicule.

you.... you ... you mean to say it isn't just coincidence that 'Uncle E.' only ever recommends relatively pricey plugins he also sells himself?

[kvaca]

Yes you have. Just checking since you have stated your preference for the plugin. The volume discrepancy may be due to my use of headphones, I wish I could balance the volume on my monitors...still the clips aren't that mismatched volume-wise (when I check them on a spectrum analiser).

Anyway, does my file exhibit these 'breaking up' artifacts (to anyone who is now listening on proper monitors) ?

Im sorry I cannot tell becouse I use headphones too /akg k701/...but dont hear any artifacts...

[kvaca]

I think we should adopt a convention that whenever a forum member, with a vested interest in plugin sales, makes a recommendation of a for-profit plug, they should also recommend the best freeware plug that approximates the functionality of the the for-profit plug.

Public execution should be sufficient incentive. Or ridicule.

you.... you ... you mean to say it isn't just coincidence that 'Uncle E.' only ever recommends relatively pricey plugins he also sells himself?

it looks like that, becouse when I've asked him about Vertigo I got no reply...at least its strange enough and I dont know what to think

[DuX]

My personal opinion on the hardware vs software in general, and it concerns compressors, dynamics plug-ins and distortion/saturation plug-ins the most, is that we are absolutely "there" with software, but some things only real analogue hardware [not the DSP hardware since that's the same as plug-ins but with AD/DA] can provide you with for now. Some things include nice and *clean*, pleasing non-linearities [both harmonics and phase] without any aliasing that can also be described as just great sounding "mojo". So in my opinion, it's a great idea to have some kind of an analogue channel rack beside your audio interface, for that purpose. In my experience, having such a channel, like SPL Frontliner [just for example] or similar great *non-DSP* hardware, for processing tracks through it, just gets you "there" more quickly, too. Doing it all ITB to sound analogue requires loads of knowledge, expertise, great ears, monitoring, and great room to do it right, and if you have some additional resources to spare on such hardware, that could save you some time to get "there" without having to learn and research so much, and great ears and monitoring can only save you only so much time.

This last sentence is sooo personal experience it almost hurts. No, not almost, it does hurt! It's hard to mix ITB when you're so fond of the retro sound like I am.

Cheers!

[Uncle E]

can you please post here an exaple of gain reduction you are referring to...like Shy did before /using the same dry example/??

Yes, I'll get some examples together. I'll also get some examples together of compressors falling apart, which is happening with all the compressors on my laptop.

personally I think that 8-10 db of GR should not be a problem for any decent software compressor,but lets see what do you actually want to hear...

Prepare to be amazed.

[Mutant]

The better your playing/editing/mixing skills the gentler compression you will need.

[Uncle E]

I think we should adopt a convention that whenever a forum member, with a vested interest in plugin sales, makes a recommendation of a for-profit plug, they should also recommend the best freeware plug that approximates the functionality of the the for-profit plug.

I decline your request.

I was putting down the plug-ins I sell just as much as the plug-ins I don't sell. Read the entire thread and you'll see I've stated that NONE of the SSL emulations can do what the hardware can do, INCLUDING the UAD and Waves software.

[Uncle E]

you.... you ... you mean to say it isn't just coincidence that 'Uncle E.' only ever recommends relatively pricey plugins he also sells himself?

Oh please, the #1 synth I recommend is DIVA. I recommend it here, I recommend it to my friends, I recommend it to my employees, and I recommend it to all my customers. WE DON'T SELL DIVA!

I recommend anything that is the best at what it does. I don't recommend freeware compressors because none of the ones I've tried (including the Bootsie stuff) are the best.

[Uncle E]

it looks like that, becouse when I've asked him about Vertigo I got no reply...at least its strange enough and I dont know what to think

I've never used Vertigo.