KVR Audio

ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:18 am

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A.M. Gold · Post by **A.M. Gold** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:24 am

They are floating on a name. Lexicon probably had an easier time because their stuff has always been digital, so at least they offered a quality plug-in product to go along with the "designer label". I would almost expect SSL just to drop these things if they don't sell rather than offer them for $50 or whatever, just so they don't get identified with inexpensive products.

4damind · Post by **4damind** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 10:03 am

ttoz wrote:there;s one at the '***bay**' and who's to say it's authentic? The only single comment there says it's a trojan.
And it's windoze. Not mac.

Unfortunately it seems to be true that it's a working thing but to be honest, most people had a bad premonition about this.

Yes UAD is the only long time success story.
UA has announced a SDK and makes the UAD2 also more open for other developers (Brainworks and SPL is this time in the boat).
For the SSL Duende hardware also many users have much problems and eventually this is also the idea to move to native because Duende doesn't work as expected and also generated not enough sales?
SSL could also jump on the UAD bandwagon (it would be much easier with such a SDK) but nobody knows if this DSP thing has a big future?

ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 2:16 pm

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DF2R · Post by **DF2R** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 3:03 pm

ttoz wrote:I think dsp will be fine as long as UAD make unique plugins that aren't available any other way. Of course it's uncrackable cause the dongle is the card.

A controller that could chain their plugins (and others in my ideal world) all auto-mapped Maschine style would be a much more fun hardware dongle.

Warp69 · Post by **Warp69** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 7:48 pm

ttoz wrote:.........For a single algorithm reverb though..........

That's not true. In your testing you should have tried to change the algorithm.

ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 8:54 pm

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b-pole · Post by **b-pole** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:57 am

@ttoz

puh, detailed answers now.

Seems I have no more arguments now.

Seems you are right that I am searching for a reason to justify my investment for Duende DSP.

Nevertheless: in my opinion and for my music they sound very great.

And I think: Duende DSP with 560$ for Classic EQ and Dynamics Channel Strip, Stereo Bus Compressor, Vocalstrip and Drumstrip was not a cheap, but a good deal. I saved more than 500$ as I would buy them new. And I will get all Native Upgrades for free.

But you are right, for the full official price I would not have bought them.

arikane · Post by **arikane** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:51 pm

I wonder if this is a coincidence or not but waves ssl native is now on sale.

vieris · Post by **vieris** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:00 pm

ttoz wrote:here we go again

XVerb - 279 euro - pooed on by RP and artsacoustic at half the price, and i am sure the upcoming $50 valhalla room and of course the similarly priced lexicon LXP bundle (although it's not a bad verb but geez it's expensive for a single verb plugin)

Vocalstrip - 159 Euro - voxengo voxformer destroys it

SSL Console Strip - 249 EU, for a limited eq and a compressor/gate? Get friggin Mixcontrol for $39

Native Bus compressor - 249 Euro - One answer - The Glue for $99

X-EQ - 229 EUros! What drugs are they on? Get ddmf for $20, or Equality, or even Fab Filter. Ridiculous for a standard digital eq.

X-Comp - 159 Euro - Fab filter Pro - C, plenty of $99 URS offerings, plenty of voxengo offerings

Drumstrip - 159 Euro - Kind of cool, but transient designer outclassed by SPL, plenty of alternatives for lo end boom

and to top it all off, a proven resource hogging codemeter protection. I think SSL are smoking crack or think their shit really doesn't stink.

And just to add, flux are equally overpriced lard also. In fact their most useful, easy to use plugins, are their free ones. Go figure!

I have yet to find complete "replacements" that give the same sound/functionality.

XVerb - Is really great. It can be similar to LX480 but if you need early reflection control it's 2nd to none. I will say valhalla room + shimmer will be a great combo as well for sure, but different. (Sean, Martin, & Casey are the algo verb kings of our time)

SSL Console Strip - Is the only program dependent compressor that I know of ITB & haven't heard of another with the snap/punch for drum/perc. Try to match it.

X-Comp - Does have a unique frequency dependent blend. Works really well for inline parallel tasks. Don't know of another.

X-EQ - Parallel or serial bands. (algorithmix blue port)

Drumstrip - For me this is the one I would be really scrambling without. I can't find anything to replace this, & I don't even use the transient or comp sections.
If possible I would love for someone to find a alternative for it's independent Low+high band harmonic generators, & it's complete gate functionality with "close" threshold & a kill range of 80db or more.

I think you would find yourself stacking 3 to 4 alternative plugs to match many of these single processors.

jazztard · Post by **jazztard** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:30 pm

vieris wrote:I have yet to find complete "replacements" that give the same sound/functionality.

[snip... some useless detail nobody cares about]

I think you would find yourself stacking 3 to 4 alternative plugs to match many of these single processors.

Well, it's easier to talk big and use the "sucks", "crap", etc. terminology!

EDIT: Could you please provide some more info about the makers of XVerb? Thanks a lot!

chokehold · Post by **chokehold** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:45 pm

I really miss the Duende Channel Strip.

Got rid of my Duende unit, because I didn't like the way SSL treated me as an existing customer.
Felt to me like "What? Who are YOU to come crawling to US? with PLEAS?! And you haven't even got a REAL console, just that cheap FireWire junker?! If you unworthy peasant seek SSL clemency, you can bloody well pay SSL cash! Off with his head!"

Sadly.
Because the Duende Channel Strip was simply the best channel strip plugin I ever used.

It's simple and easy to use, that's what impressed me most.
Hi/Lo Pass filters, 4-band EQ, simple compressor, superb gate/expander, internal side-chain, re-arrangeable routing - no gimmicks, no b/s, but still not a one-trick-pony.

Looking back at the time when I was using the Duende Channel, I can say that it was the only plugin I bought that was worth every penny/cent, the only one that didn't promise more than it could hold.
Okay, maybe Kontakt 4 as well.
But talking FX and not instruments, the Duende Channel Strip is one of a kind, an instant blessing. I could hardly make anything sound bad with it. Astonishing.

Now that I've sold my Duende unit with the Channel Strip, I switched to Waves SSL, with a mixed impression. The Waves SSL Channel isn't bad, not at all, but I just don't seem to "get there" as fast as with the Duende Channel.
But maybe that's just because I'm too used to the Duende's behaviour and sound, and maybe I'll just have to "convert" and get used to the Waves' behaviour and sound over time.

Anyway - had SSL chosen iLok authorization, I'd have gotten the Duende Native Channel without blinking.
But they chose to donglify their stuff with Codemeter, and that's just additional cost, additional waiting time, additional hardware, additional used USB slots and additional driver shiznat installed on my PC - so I'm making a big circle around this.
Not in a hurry to make additional bad experiences with unknown copy protection methods.

If it wasn't Codemeter, I'd still stand behind SSL. Now I just stand behind the Channel Strip. It's enormous, really really enormous.
Not to compare with MixControl or the BlueTubes' Analog TrackBox, I own both and used to use them a lot. But they're just ages behind the Duende Channel Strip in means of sound. Amateur League material as compared to SSL's Championship plugin.

Gad, do I sound a real fanboy... I feel so dirty right now.

But well, it's a kind of love-gone-sour thing to me.
So please forgive me, I can't stop loadin' yoouuuuu-hoouuuu...

jazztard · Post by **jazztard** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:39 pm

caleb82 wrote:I could hardly make anything sound bad with it. Astonishing.

+ 11

sounddesigner · Post by **sounddesigner** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:54 pm

@caleb82
Codemeter is'nt necessarily a hardware dongle. It also has a virtual-dongle form. I'm glad they chose code-meter over ilok, syncrosoft, etc because i avoide hardware dongles. I'm not a big fan of code-meter but it's virtual-dongle is the best alternative solution for people like me over hardware (when serial-number protection etc are not a option). Now that SSL has gone Native i'll likely never give in to desire for anything on the ilok, syncrosoft, etc platforms. These SSL Plugins are no doubt 'some of the best' and some are 'the best' Pure-Native plugins i've heard and really makes the power of modern computers shine. I no doubt will be buying some of them, i'm impressed by the demos.

EDITED

DF2R · Post by **DF2R** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:24 pm

I grabbed the demos today, and I loaded them into the track I've been working on for the last few days, and replaced a bunch of plugs with the relevant SLL ones, and went back in forth to listen to the difference. I thought I had my drums down pretty tight, but damn, they are cracking now. I tested everything except the vocal strip, cos I didn't have a vocal loaded and couldn't be bothered.

The plugins are excellent. I managed to quickly get a much better result out of them than what I had, which I had been pretty satisfied with until I dropped in the SLLs. The drum strip is utterly fantastic (LMC is very cool), love the channel strip, the reverb... just lovely. I compared the EQ to my current main EQ, and while I still like both and would use them in different cases, the SLL EQ was really very high quality and now I want it. It was real clean. Compressor, good stuff, bus compressor, also good stuff. I'm going to slowly have to buy most of these, starting with that drum strip.

To say they're overpriced or a rip off, or can easily be replaced with other things that are free or much cheaper, I don't think is really true at all. They are pricey, but pretty much in line with SSL's high end competitors. Given how much some of these incorporate into one plugin, some of them come of as much better value than if you were to buy individual plugs to replace, say, the drum strip. I have mix control and stuff, and it's cool, but not as cool as the SLL.

And Activity Monitor says codemeter uses no resources. None.

I'm going to leave these plugins in for this track I think, since I have a month up my sleeve before I have to start buying them.

SSL Duende native - worth it?