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Ok, I know nothing can't beat the real thing. Thing is I don't have the money for a Neve console or ssl outboard processing.
So the question is, which plugin or plugin combination will bring me close to the real thing ?
I usually record and mix modern music (pop, rock etc...) Now I got this nice Blues band who revisited a few old classics. I want them to sound actual, but then also have a tinny bit of that analog sound on their album. I'm using T-Racks CS for mastering but I'd like something I can put before it to smooth it and warm it up.

Should I put a Tape simulator on the main bus or rather on each channel ?
Open to suggestion here ! ;)

Comments

CoyoteTrax Mon, 05/06/2013 - 10:39

pcrecord, post: 404365 wrote: Which Voxengo plugin Blaumph ?

Personally, I use Voxengo's Elephant. I did a lot of comparison's and felt Elephant was the way to go. It's so efficient as a maximizer/limiter and retains a little more clarity with it's "analog" features than the other plugs I compared it to. A fantastic final mix tool IMO, at a great price.

pcrecord Tue, 05/07/2013 - 02:55

MadMax, post: 404375 wrote: Forgive me... but you're asking....

Why not just insert some analog hardware... like a tape deck, compressor, limiter, etc???

Most tracks are recorded with a tube preamp and tube compressor combo (DBX silver 576) it's a fairly recent. What I'm looking for is a PLUGIN which will help me get a older sound. Kind a vintage.

LJ25 Tue, 05/07/2013 - 06:10

I get great results using PSP Vintage Warmer for that. Behaves like tape would so as you limit and compress your track instead of getting that harsh digital clipping you get some really interesting sounds. Some of which are terrible. Some are amazing. Definitely worth a go. Has built in eq, limiting parameters, compression parameters. Not that they are much use unless you don't know what your start point is but the pre-sets are very handy for throwing a quick mix about too.

pcrecord Tue, 05/07/2013 - 09:30

I tried the PSP Vintage Warmer was not very impressed, most of its goods happens when you push it so that some compression is at work. But, I want to do a pre-mastering effect, so compressing the signal is not my goal. I'll try Oxford Inflator to see if I can tweak it to warm things up without compressing the signal too much.

Tx guys !
Any other suggestions ?

KurtFoster Sat, 06/15/2013 - 21:44

i think the only thing you need to do to make it sound more analog is to mix it analog. duh pretty simple. that "not analog" thing you are hearing is itb summing. you can put whatever flavor of the soon to be obsolete / unusable over priced software rip off "plug in" you want but it's still gonna be itb ... narrow, flat and non dimensional. that big round sound comes from mixing with a summing solution or better yet a console (even a cheapo Mackie). i learned a long time ago when working with blackface ADATs there's nothing wrong with digital recording ... it's digital mixing that's the culprit.

audiokid Sat, 06/15/2013 - 22:36

exactly.

and I will add a bit more to Kurt's already spot on response... , if your are into dance, electronic, dubstep etc, then ITB is great. I mean, its all electronically generated sounds so its already ITB, follow? Why go out really, however I know I can still make digital mixes sound bigger OTB. Its when we start mixing and summing "real" music with real world transients full of acoustic information and human dynamics ( the magic is in the transients) ITB lacks and kills as its calculating and summing it all down into two track music all perfectly sounding . I suppose people get it down and done, but I am never satisfied.

I'm really starting to understand the magic and value each analog channel makes in a mix. Variation and individuality makes a mix musical. Not all perfectly boring channels.

can plug-ins do that, maybe on their own but when you start adding all those plug-in together, its becomes a mess of just more digital emulation. I have a bunch of analog plug-ins but I never use them. But I'm fortunate that i don't have too either.

imho.

ouzo77 Mon, 06/24/2013 - 08:33

And for those who can't afford or don't have the space for analog mixing there are plenty of good plugins that can bring a digital in-the-box mix to the next level.
They work for me, but like I said I've never mixed analog. So I don't really care if it doesn't sound exactly like the real thing, as long as it sounds good (to me).

CoyoteTrax Mon, 06/24/2013 - 17:33

ouzo77, post: 405872 wrote: And for those who can't afford or don't have the space for analog mixing there are plenty of good plugins that can bring a digital in-the-box mix to the next level.
They work for me, but like I said I've never mixed analog. So I don't really care if it doesn't sound exactly like the real thing, as long as it sounds good (to me).

Yup, ITB is fantastic for the bedio and it works for me and I'm so grateful for plugs like Voxengo Elephant (my current choice) or Ozone, which is actually pretty cool.

But man, if someone has had the opportunity to mix OTB in a multi-million $$ studio they know the difference. I've been fortunate enough to have that experience, and I know Kurt has too. Personally, I'll never get over the beautiful sound[?] of Focusrite's RED series stuff. So sweet.

anonymous Tue, 06/25/2013 - 05:52

so far I've been happy with Harrison's MixBus software in terms of warmth. It's not a plug, but a full platform... and for a grand total of $40, which is a lot less than many plugs.

Personally though, to my ears, there's nothing that truly emulates analog... but analog.

If you are really looking to get "that sound" from a digital source, my recommendation would be to contact Chris (audiokid) and talk to him about running stems or a 2 mix through his rig.

fwiw
-d.

CoyoteTrax Thu, 07/11/2013 - 06:50

2 plugs I've been using on the mix bus in addition to Elephant are Stillwell's Vibe EQ and Bad Bus Mojo - wow! Really a great way to smooth and color your mix. You can demo both plugs free. [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.stillwel…"]Audio Plugins | Stillwell Audio - It's About The Sound[/]="http://www.stillwel…"]Audio Plugins | Stillwell Audio - It's About The Sound[/]