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How would you compare between virtual effects such as plugins and outboard effects for recording? Do you think plugins are getting so good that some day most of us will be able to save lots of rack space? Or is outboard gear always going to be necessary? Of course outboard gear such as preamps will be always necessary, but in other cases (not only effects) such as EQ's, Compressors, etc. Can it be enough to have a good plugins bundle instead of some outboard gear?

Comments

anonymous Wed, 04/27/2005 - 14:08

Both have goods.
You have one Plugin and you can load it as much as you want (or your CPU can handle) and use it at same time.
So this Plugin can replace perhaps 25 Multieffect-units.
Suuuuuuuuper !
But (!) there is not 1 Plugin exist, wich can replace my Eventite Harmonizer !
The Quality is amazing and beyond all Soft's I ever heard.
There are also the DSP-Cards like UAD-.... I never tried, I heard the Comp/Limiter is very good.
But I don't know if you can load this Plugins multiple. Anybody can tell us ?
What I can tell you, the A/D Converters are one of the importantst.
The RME's are very good, like I know from the one I own.
I only use Plugins like Kontakt, Battery, Absynth.
Have fun.

anonymous Thu, 04/28/2005 - 08:30

My own view on this is that no one (on this planet anyway) will ever be able to make digital models that are exact clones of analog hardware. They will get close but they wont be able to get the really intimate character of the unit, nor any variance across different units themselves. As available CPU power and techniques get better, the models will get better - but a 100% emulation? I don't think so.

Therefore, at the end of the day, I think most people will be pragmatic about it and use the plugins to great effect. Those lucky ones with the space and budget will keep the original hardware going and take the maintenance expense hit for that extra small percentage of authenticity and sound.

(To answer an earlier point - yes, you can load as many of the same plugin on a UAD card as that card (or multiple cards) will take so you can have multiple 1176LNs, Cambridges etc..)

Mark