does everyone here use plugins only for their effects? i've listened to a few new CDs at the library and alot of VST synth demos and alot of what i heard has that sterile glassy digital sound.
does anyone here use real analogue gear to fatten their digital tracks at all? i'm about to get a dedicated PC for recording and plan on resampling tracks through analogue gear at 24/96 to make it sound more analogue.
i still have the TC Electronics chorus pedal i always intended to fatten up the FM-7 i never bought and plan on getting a couple more essential sculpting tools to tweak sounds. i especially love the flanger setting for vocals but the chorus fattens instruments nicely.
i'm kind of stuck on what to do for getting "tube sound". i've considered a tube guitar preamp, a sansamp or possibly a tube limiter. i'm leaning towards the limiter as that is the most universal tool of the three, but i intend to use distortion alot in my songs as i love the fat synthetic sound of drums driven into clipping. i'm also considering a tubed mic preamp as they're pretty cheap and my PZM mics could stand some treble taming.
what would you consider the essential tools to make digital source material sound analogue? an external filter? a cheap spring reverb? any feedback on what you use or wish you had is appreciated.
what HARDWARE gear do you use to tame digital sound?
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- KVRAF
- 3850 posts since 5 Mar, 2004 from Millicent Australia
You cannot make a glassy sound, sound like a MINI Moog from a record pressed in 1979. Can't be done sorry.
What you can do is start with warmer, dirtier sounds and then use fx ets that have character. Warmers etc are only that: character adders in the form of eq and distortions of one kind or another.
Try this and you may be amazed: add a small amount of white noise just under an instrument. Hey presto it sounds warmer and more real already.
What you can do is start with warmer, dirtier sounds and then use fx ets that have character. Warmers etc are only that: character adders in the form of eq and distortions of one kind or another.
Try this and you may be amazed: add a small amount of white noise just under an instrument. Hey presto it sounds warmer and more real already.
Benedict Roff-Marsh
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
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- KVRAF
- 6478 posts since 16 Dec, 2002
I have to say the one most important tool to achieve what you ask for (for me) is a high-end tube preamp. I don't mean just any kind of slap on tube pre like ART and Behringer are known for, but a great vintage style tube coupled transformer based design. Record anything through them, or feed your busses to them, and they will impart some of the crucial bits missing from solid state and digital world.
I ended up building my own two channel tube pre based on a modernised vintage design and it's the greatest thing that happened to my studio for years. I basically record everything with it, and run the most crucial mixdown busses through it.
When I feel the effect isn't strong enough (because it's really quite subtle in all great preamps), I use a plugin tool I developed just for this purpose.
Click the RetroBand link below and listen to the examples, and wether it might work for you as well as it has for me.
I ended up building my own two channel tube pre based on a modernised vintage design and it's the greatest thing that happened to my studio for years. I basically record everything with it, and run the most crucial mixdown busses through it.
When I feel the effect isn't strong enough (because it's really quite subtle in all great preamps), I use a plugin tool I developed just for this purpose.
Click the RetroBand link below and listen to the examples, and wether it might work for you as well as it has for me.
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- KVRist
- 319 posts since 19 Mar, 2004 from vienna
i get fine results,using the electro-harmonics LPB2ube preamp.
you only have to change the tubes. because the normal inbuilt sovteks are not very
hifi. change the tubes for a good NOS or the relatively new"sovtek LPS" and you will
get a wonderful silky sound .(a sound i wasn't able to get with any S/W tube emulation/and i tried almost all, from voxengo to AIPL and backwards.
the LPB2ube is very affordable (around the 200 euro range)
kind regards......
listen to my songs at: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap
you only have to change the tubes. because the normal inbuilt sovteks are not very
hifi. change the tubes for a good NOS or the relatively new"sovtek LPS" and you will
get a wonderful silky sound .(a sound i wasn't able to get with any S/W tube emulation/and i tried almost all, from voxengo to AIPL and backwards.
the LPB2ube is very affordable (around the 200 euro range)
kind regards......
listen to my songs at: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap
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- KVRist
- 284 posts since 23 May, 2006 from Great Neck, New York
Owning a lot of pre-digital-era gear will help a lot.
I would say, that prevents my recordings sounding too sterile.
Taking advantage of the dynamics, and, not
going overboard with the compressor makes a
world of a difference as well.
Your best bet would be toget your hands on a Spectrum Analyzer. Study how analog recordings were recorded using the graph,
then simulate it as close as possible with
your digital recording.
I would say, that prevents my recordings sounding too sterile.
Taking advantage of the dynamics, and, not
going overboard with the compressor makes a
world of a difference as well.
Your best bet would be toget your hands on a Spectrum Analyzer. Study how analog recordings were recorded using the graph,
then simulate it as close as possible with
your digital recording.
OMNIFEX
14.8 GB Of VST Effects And Growing By The Moment
14.8 GB Of VST Effects And Growing By The Moment
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- KVRAF
- 1890 posts since 23 Dec, 2003
i am running my Fireface outputs through a bunch of analog outboard like Empirical labs Fatso (my favourite for everything drums) Distressor, Sansamp and the like to bring the beef back.
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- KVRist
- 319 posts since 19 Mar, 2004 from vienna
beside the electro-harmonix tools,try also the phonic tube units "T8200 /T8300
they are also not "starved-tube-designs" (low voltage units like ART /Behringer)
i saw them recently much price reduced at a german retailer (probably thomann)
around 200 euro range too.they got good reviews in several musicgear magazines.
listen to my songs: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap
they are also not "starved-tube-designs" (low voltage units like ART /Behringer)
i saw them recently much price reduced at a german retailer (probably thomann)
around 200 euro range too.they got good reviews in several musicgear magazines.
listen to my songs: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap
Last edited by premiumcrap on Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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- KVRian
- 1358 posts since 15 Oct, 2005 from The Far North
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- KVRist
- 319 posts since 19 Mar, 2004 from vienna
T8200 dual_band tube compressor /stereo is only euro 159 at thomann.de
listen to my songs: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap
listen to my songs: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap
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- KVRian
- 568 posts since 17 Dec, 2003 from Under the Overtones
i would say that bringing out any sound to an analogue outboard like preamps, tape, compressor, eg, etc will give you some 3d space and "warmth" lacking from DAWs
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- KVRist
- 319 posts since 19 Mar, 2004 from vienna
a good overview of different tubes..."if you wanna beef up any preamp/compressor",
you can find on this site: http://www.tubedepot.com the rigth tube is imho the
crucial thing.
listen to my songs: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap
you can find on this site: http://www.tubedepot.com the rigth tube is imho the
crucial thing.
listen to my songs: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap
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- KVRAF
- 11396 posts since 3 Feb, 2003 from Finland, Espoo
Also, if not building your own gear, then there is always the Rupert Neve Design Portico series of half rack units. They feature both an input and output transformer and do colour the sound rather pleasantly. It seems like a lot of people like his 2 channel/stereo compressor/limiter, the 5043 for the colouring AND you get a very good compressor too (several famous enginers/producers have stated it is superior to the 33609! 
).
Cheers!
bManic
).Cheers!
bManic
"Wisdom is wisdom, regardless of the idiot who said it." -an idiot
"They don't ban hate speech; they ban speech they hate." -an oracle
"They don't ban hate speech; they ban speech they hate." -an oracle
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- KVRist
- 319 posts since 19 Mar, 2004 from vienna
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... B2ube/10/1
without the rating of one possibly deaf reviewer,this electro-harmonix LPB2ube would
reach an absolutely high rating from this users...and it's really not just for
guitars,i promise.....
kind regards...: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap
without the rating of one possibly deaf reviewer,this electro-harmonix LPB2ube would
reach an absolutely high rating from this users...and it's really not just for
guitars,i promise.....
kind regards...: http://www.soundclick.com/premiumcrap