Analogue mixers

[s.k.]

yeah maybe my words were a bit too extreme

[hydrogen]

I've enjoyed reading the conversation here over the past couple weeks but nobody mentioned any of the new console emulations on this board. We are either keeping these secret or it just hasn't been discussed.

The idea is simple you put a "channel strip" on each channel and then another "buss plugin" on the buss that the channels feed into. Then you adjust the gains like you were using an analogue mixer with all this headroom.

Sonimus Satson: http://dsp.sonimus.com/products/satson/ $39 is a steal! (its the one I use)
SKNote Strip Buss: http://www.sknote.it/StripBus.htm $29.00
Airwindows System: http://www.airwindows.com/base.html (Mac Only/but there is a good explanation of process here and what is going on)
Slate VCC: http://www.slatedigital.com/vcc.php
nebula and its mountains of kernels: http://www.acustica-audio.com/ (it is the most complicated to use and CPU taxing of everything and can introduce latency but probably sounds the best out of everything)

Most of these are very low latency plugins, CPU friendly(use them on every channel!) and are best used when in process. There have been A/B tests but they don't really do justice because when you start using them the way you mix changes. Most have a simple HPF/LPF on them you can almost dial in any mix without any additional EQ! and then you essentially have tons of headroom like when you are on an analogue board. You mix things differently and things sound "better". You still have to actually mix the levels/panning/space but it it just becomes a little easier. And at the end of the day its another tool at your disposal.

I guarantee you on the next iteration of DAW's these will include these concepts and have full integration. One DAW/Console manufacturer Harrison has made Harrison Mixbus which is built around this concept using open source ardour http://ardour.org/node/3011.

Also I just wanted to mention since this is kind of a new concept so there is tons of voodoo about this topic. (Just as there is with different analogue mixers and what the different ones are good at) Generally everyone loves these plugins, but as to which ones are better is a mystery and certainly depends on the application. Which is why there are bunches of posts on gearslutz. If you are interested in this sort of approach, search for the plugin names and you'll find threads 40+ pages deep on each of them.

Anyways... just wanted to re-iterate that this is not the magic bullet of mixing!! You still have to mix!! This isn't something you just throw on your master bus and expect to have a gold record. I don't actually start to hear a real difference until I use these on more than 3 of my channels. Then the magic starts to happen, things start to gel sonically and the mix is easier to work with.

[oblioblioblio]

from personal experience, I find analogue distortion to be lightyears ahead of software distortion, although software distortion had it's uses for me. analogue just sings. there's no other way to describe it.

I personally wouldn't use an outboard mixing desk for distortion, I'd rather have a dedicated characterful distortion module/pedal/etc, but obviously I have individual creative needs. I'd personally rather have an single fat quite aggressive mix hogging distortion, than for the subtle overdrive of individual elements that other posters have mentioned, and distortion can be a touchy subject. Lots of character distortion boxes wouldn't work on percussion, many can thin stuff up too much, or be hard to find the right sweet spots.

[steevio]

from personal experience, I find analogue distortion to be lightyears ahead of software distortion, although software distortion had it's uses for me. analogue just sings. there's no other way to describe it.

I personally wouldn't use an outboard mixing desk for distortion, I'd rather have a dedicated characterful distortion module/pedal/etc, but obviously I have individual creative needs. I'd personally rather have an single fat quite aggressive mix hogging distortion, than for the subtle overdrive of individual elements that other posters have mentioned, and distortion can be a touchy subject. Lots of character distortion boxes wouldn't work on percussion, many can thin stuff up too much, or be hard to find the right sweet spots.

i think we should clarify what distortion is, gentle overdriving of a pre-amp is distortion, infact anything which shapes a waveform is distortion, but there are many types of distortion, harmonic, intermodulation, etc etc..

every pre-amp has different characteristics, so everything we are talking about here is only relative, big generalised statements about the subject are totally pointless. in my studio i have many distortion pedals, pre-amps etc.. and they all distort in totally different ways, some extreme, some subtle, some uncontrollable, some downright unpleasant, some sweet,

but one thing is sure, distortion is a very usable technique in music production, and you have to fit the kit to the task in hand. if i just want my hihats to be slightly more crunchy, i'll just drive the channel on my mixer slightly, if i want a virtual analogue synth to sound more dirty and analogue i'll bang it through a moog filter and push the gain a bit, etc etc..

i'd say i use distortion of various flavours on virtually every sound in my mixes, usually overdriving filters or desk channels, its just second nature to me, i dont even think about it,

if anyone here has only ever worked ITB then you cannot know the power of these techniques, its one of the few things that modelling just doesnt do as well.

for any newbs who dont understand about distortion;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distortion_%28music%29

[s.k.]

infact anything which shapes a waveform is distortion, but there are many types of distortion, harmonic, intermodulation, etc etc..

amen to that.

right let me introduce one then - digitally clipping a (crappy) convertor . here is a clip of a bassdrum i made by clipping the korg emx1's convertors (using a t-cable from outputs 3&4 to the "audio in"), and then filtering the result with two parallel bandpasses. pretty creative sh!t huh it certainly does not "sing beautifully" but it roars pretty hard instead haha!

since the topic went off on the distortion tangent i just thought i'd contribute... here:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/qfpdw8

lots of ways to skin the cat i guess, i do it that way because this is what i have available to my hands, outghetto them right?


edit - actually this is called 'analogue clipping', which i find a rather paradoxal term.

[s.k.]

...if so, then tens of thousands of engineers and musicians have been deluding themselves for the last 60 years...

actually that woudn't surprise me at all, as has happend more than once or twice in history, for example all people deluded themselves that earth is flat for even a longer time! human thinks what he wants to be true, therefore is quite a delusional creature

[deccard]

edit - actually this is called 'analogue clipping', which i find a rather paradoxal term.

because you are clipping the analog stage of your converter.

[steevio]

edit - actually this is called 'analogue clipping', which i find a rather paradoxal term.

why bro ?