All respect intended... and in all fairness...have either of you used this, or used a real 73 to compare?

DonnyThompson, post: 448327, member: 46114 wrote: All respect intended... and in all fairness...have either of you used this, or used a real 73 to compare?

No, and I would love to.
I think you and Kurt took my humorous description as an insult towards the product. I thought the video was humorous not the product.
It is a fun and light hearted video reminding us about the 70's.

Guilty as charged, and for that moronic, presumptuous comment of mine, I sincerely apologize. ;)
Again, sorry.
-d

No worries, it's a clear example how wording is so important and how additional comments can change or influence the direction of posts.

Lol .. "subject to the invention of the internet".
This is a funny video. :)

I remember when Cherney actually did look like that. LOL

so how does this work? how do you get a mic signal into the plug?

Kurt Foster, post: 448339, member: 7836 wrote: so how does this work? how do you get a mic signal into the plug?

This is how the Apollo 16's work.

Its an AD waveform emulation in front of the AD path (or with it somehow). You hear it tracking. You still need preamplification that can be what you already use or if I am correct, use the preamp on one of their converters. Although I think this might be exclusive to just the Apollo 16 which means you need an external preamp and if I was choosing a pre, it would likely be something transparent like a Millennia so I get the precise sound intended for that plug-in.
(which is why I have mentioned many times over the years, if you are doing this sort of platform, transparent big rail pre's are likely the best choice for UAD or ITB plugin tracking. (if that makes any sense) ;)

I have tried these (owned a few Apollo's) and they work very well for what they are intended to do, without the iron of course.

EDIT > (I've used this system in a hybrid workflow (Plug-ins during tracking and plug-ins ITB as well) I could see this as being a great inexpensive demonstrative system for institutions showing how the original hardware products were used years ago.

DonnyThompson, post: 448327, member: 46114 wrote: All respect intended... and in all fairness...have either of you used this, or used a real 73 to compare?

i really don't need to hear it to surmise it's a banana in the tail pipe. it's common sense.

1) you need an expensive "transparent" mic pre ($1500 + per channel) and the UAD 16 ($3000+) and this plug in ($250 +) and a computer that will run it ($$$???) to get the "Neve sound". or you can go buy a brand new Neve 1073 for $3395 or find a few used channels on FleaBay for even less and have something that will never go obsolete, is designed with military grade point to point construction that can actually be repaired that you can resell in ten years probably for more than you paid for it.

2) UA has already "upgraded" the Apollo system to a new and better version more than once and to think this will be their last "upgrade" is naive. planned obsolescence is the main point in modern marketing plans for all manufacturers. they have to do it to stay in business. this path is an endless hole people throw their extra cash into. anything that is computer based is only a temporary solution. in five years its a wheel chock or what i call "a digital doorstop".

i will never be convinced that any virtual (adjective almost or nearly as described, but not completely or according to strict definition) technology is better than real hardware and when the tech actually costs more than the real thing it just makes no sense to me. if all you want is something that will wow your buddies and function well for a few years it's fine but at some point Thunderbolt will go the way of all other transfer protocols . in time, an older Apollo will not work with a new computer and that plug won't run either. who has a ten year old plug or computer /interface they are still using or that they can even boot up? in 30 years a real mic pre and eq (with proper care) will still be working and will be compatible with whatever is coming.

Kurt Foster, post: 448342, member: 7836 wrote: i really don't need to hear it to surmise it's a banana in the tail pipe. it's common sense

Thats funny. I like that "banana in the tail pipe"!

Kurt Foster, post: 448342, member: 7836 wrote: 1) you need an expensive "transparent" mic pre ($1500 + per channel) and the UAD 16 ($3000+) and this plug in ($250 +) and a computer that will run it ($$$???) to get the "Neve sound". or you can go buy a brand new Neve 1073 for $3395
or find a few used channels on FleaBay for even less and have something that will never go obsolete, is designed with military grade point to point construction that can actually be repaired that you can resell in ten years probably for more than you paid for it.

Agree 100% but if you choose this patch / path of UAD tracking), its my opinion that GOOD transparent pre combined with the emulators WILL give you a closer emulation to what the coder intended it to sound like. That's my only point. I have been there and done it. Meaning, its not hear-say. I've owned the system. They work but aren't a replacement to iron.

Kurt Foster, post: 448342, member: 7836 wrote: i will never be convinced that any virtual (adjective almost or nearly as described, but not completely or according to strict definition) technology is better than real hardware and when the tech actually costs more than the real thing it just makes no sense to me. if all you want is something that will wow your buddies and be functional well for a few years it's fine but at some point Thunderbolt will go the way of all other transfer protocols . in time, an older Apollo will not work with a new computer and that plug won't run either. who has a ten year old plug or computer /interface they are still using or that they can even boot up? in 30 years a real mic pre and eq (with proper care) will still be working and will be compatible with whatever is coming.

Agree 100%.
Although a lot of people (including Ed ) claim this to be as good as the real deal, I don't hear it that way myself. I would much rather have a real LA2A etc, any day of the week.

I posted this video because I thought the video was funny and it took me back to the 70's.

audiokid, post: 448343, member: 1 wrote: Thats funny. I like that "banana in the tail pipe"!

The only positive sides to the virtual emulation plugins over the real thing is the ease to save settings and the posibility to use multiple instances.
(even if multiple instances may not be that good if overused)

As for getting good preamps, it should be the first buy of any serious recordists and pro studios anyway. Right ?
All in all, emulations don't quite fit in my recording approach. I like to record the sound I want with good preamps and use pluggins that will retain the authenticity of what was recorded instead of emulate something else. (my favorites : FabFilter)

The only area that I may need to upgrade is the reverbs. I get good results with Valhalla, but I'm still looking for alternatives.

pcrecord, post: 448361, member: 46460 wrote: The only positive sides to the virtual emulation plugins over the real thing is the ease to save settings and the posibility to use multiple instances.
(even if multiple instances may not be that good if overused)

As for getting good preamps, it should be the first buy of any serious recordists and pro studios anyway. Right ?
All in all, emulations don't quite fit in my recording approach. I like to record the sound I want with good preamps and use pluggins that will retain the authenticity of what was recorded instead of emulate something else. (my favorites : FabFilter)

The only area that I may need to upgrade is the reverbs. I get good results with Valhalla, but I'm still looking for alternatives.

IK Multimedia/T-Racks has a pretty nice sounding reverb package. The bundle includes separate plugs for Halls, Plates, Rooms, Inverse, etc.
you can download and demo them by downloading their custom shop shell - actually you can try fully functioning versions of any of their professors for 10 days. When in demo mode, you have to have the CS shell open ( you can minimize it), if you don't have the shell open when demo'ing plugs you'll get a burst of white noise every 30 seconds or so.
No iLok required, you authorize through the CS app.
I've found the room and plate verbs to be quite nice, as far as reverb plugs go. I don't use halls much anymore but they sounded as good as any other good hall reverb does.
The controls and settings on each of them are nice ... predelay, mix/wet/dry, stereo/mono and pan settings in between, phase inversion, EQ, Reflection delay and dispersal...
If you do decide to purchase, I think you can get the "all reverb" bundle for $79.
After purchasing and authorizing you no longer need to have CS open while using the processors.
Just a suggestion. At least you can try them first. ;)
D.

Sometime just talking about something and do a simple search can lead to nice finding :
I may save up for the new Fabfilter Pro R