Subject:Plugins vs hardware.

Posted by: luces

Date:2/19/2003 10:19:42 AM

Howdy everybody. I was just wondering if someone could express their opinions about some fx stuff. I was looking through a mail order catalog and was noticing all of these really high end expensive outboard pieces of gear(Avalon, Joe Meek, and lots of names I've never heard of before) and I was wondering if any of you with experience think that $3,000.00 dollar compressor is 30 times better than a $100.00 compressor plugin? This goes for fx such as reverb, delay, etc.

They say you get what you paid for, but I just wonder if some of theses really high end toys are that much better than software? Also, what are some of your prefered plugins? I am using only stuff from SOFO(that is included in SF and Acid). I have used some TC works stuff in the past, but have never had the opportunity to a/b them on my own system.

I am obviously looking to get some great sounding plugins and would like to be able to take my projects to the mastering stage and complete them myself. I don't claim to be a mastering engineer, but I think I have enough knowledge to create good demo stuff. Do you think that the SOFO stuff is competitive with other plugins such as WAVES or TC Works? Thanks for your opinions,Luces

Subject:RE: Plugins vs hardware.

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:2/19/2003 2:03:47 PM

The one advantage of having external hardware is that your computer won't have to do any processing; it just passes the audio signal along which has already been processed by the external gear.

SoFo's plug-ins are great, considering they literally give them away with the pro level programs. They're not exactly a tweakmaster's paradise, but they certainly can get you started. Don't forget about iZotope's Ozone.

HTH,
Iacobus

Subject:RE: Plugins vs hardware.

Reply by: SonicJG

Date:2/19/2003 3:13:13 PM

Sonic Foundry's plug-ins are pretty good for what they do. The gems, IMHO, are Wave Hammer, Acoustic Mirror, Resonance Filter, Distortion, Amplitude Modulation, Gapper/Snipper, and Noise Reduction. As far as third-party plugs, there are some(Waves, TC, Thelotron, Izotope, Ohm Force, to name only a few) which have a lot of clarity, and very smooth, natural processing (or over-the-top processing, if that's what you want).

As far as buying an outboard compressor--sure, they have their place. Are you on a budget? I am, and find an FMR Audio Really Nice Compressor is a valuable tool to have in place as an insert on my Mackie main out, to keep from overloading my sound card inputs. It's inexpensive, but surprisingly good quality.

Would you get a 30x (subjective) improvement if you purchase outboard gear that's 30x as expensive as software or cheaper hardware? No. You'd get more like a 2x or 3x improvement. The difference between a $600 and a $3000 piece of gear is likely closer to 1.2x, but professionals are willing/able to pay for those diminishing returns to get the stellar results.

Plug-ins and processing are getting good enough nowadays that many/most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between good emulated software algorithms and good hardware circuits, unless they have very good ears, or are doing critical listening.

Joel

Subject:RE: Plugins vs hardware.

Reply by: ATP

Date:2/19/2003 4:29:38 PM

a small point in the defense of hardware audio equipment is that you can usually change parameters by turning knobs and sliding switches. doing this in a software plugin using your mouse can be frustrating at times, especially if you're playing the song while you're adjusting parameters. so in this regard the hardware version may be more comfortable.

and there's the matter of your operating system crashing, or getting unstable etc etc.

however, these facts alone don't warrant a $30.000 bill in my opinion. so in that regard, i'm very happy there is such a great abundance of software plugins, effects and instruments available today. :)

Subject:RE: Plugins vs hardware.

Reply by: drbam

Date:2/19/2003 5:17:31 PM

The biggest shortcoming in the dx efx world is the verbs. Althought some are quite nice, no verb plugin compares to the PCM 80/90 series (and above) Lexicons. The TDM versions are great but that's not the world we're operating in. ;-) I do a lot of acoustic, ambient, and atmospheric stuff which requires long spacious verbs and so far the native plugins just aren't there yet. Maybe soon tho. . .

drbam

Subject:RE: Plugins vs hardware.

Reply by: ozzborn

Date:2/20/2003 8:08:09 AM

this is why i would like acid to have vst plugins so we can use the t.c. powercore card and the uad card.
then you can have the advantages of dedicated dsp for reverbs and delays but the convience of plugins.