Spot the difference in this shootout between vintage, analog gear and digital plugins
☛ Learn the go-to starting points for EQ and compression in heavy mixes with my FREE Mixing Cheatsheet: http://mixcheatsheet.com
Watch This Next: I Recorded Drums to TAPE… Can You Hear the Difference? https://youtu.be/OjMIdmwwXK0
Music I’ve Worked On: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6I7P7AIIWRB6ocsjQjGPKX?si=e89941db94084b03
Website: https://hardcoremusicstudio.com
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MY FAVORITE GEAR:
Computer / Interface:
Mac M1 Studio Max https://sweetwater.sjv.io/anOMOo
Avid Carbon https://sweetwater.sjv.io/ZQ6M6g
Apogee Duet 3 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/y2qXqb
Monitors / Headphones:
Avantone CLA-10a https://sweetwater.sjv.io/WqyMyZ
Audio Technica ATH-M50 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/PyOMON
Microphones:
Shure SM57 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/daOMy7
AKG D112 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/Kj0MBy
Sennheiser e604 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/DKyvWa
Shure SM7b https://sweetwater.sjv.io/5g5vk3
AKG C451b https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jre9Rv
Shure SM81 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/eK1LnD
Audio Technica AT4050 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/JzKMqr
Preamps/Outboard:
API 3124 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/eK1LRD
EL8 Distressor https://sweetwater.sjv.io/XYmMd4
Favorite Plugins:
BSA Clipper https://blacksaltaudio.com/clipper
Escalator https://blacksaltaudio.com/escalator
Low Control https://blacksaltaudio.com/low-control
Waves SSL Bundle https://waves.alzt.net/dMd4q
Waves CLA Compressors https://waves.alzt.net/0va0P
Waves Platinum https://waves.alzt.net/jxz2M
Slate Trigger 2 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/MmAM53
SoundToys Rack https://sweetwater.sjv.io/xkLgyd
Auto-tune Pro https://sweetwater.sjv.io/OreMYr
Vocalign Project https://sweetwater.sjv.io/xkLgyA
Cranesong Phoenix II https://sweetwater.sjv.io/PyOMrz
Instruments / Amps:
Ludwig Black Beauty Snare https://sweetwater.sjv.io/1r9vDR
Gibson Les Paul https://sweetwater.sjv.io/B0nvz1
Evertune Guitars https://sweetwater.sjv.io/WqyM6P
Fender Jazz Bass https://sweetwater.sjv.io/nLX5R6
Sansamp Bass Driver DI https://sweetwater.sjv.io/OreM9Q
EVH 5150 https://sweetwater.sjv.io/4PGvr9
Mesa 2×12 cab https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75avGA
source
Grab your free Mixing Cheatsheet to learn the go-to starting points for EQ and compression in heavy mixes: http://www.mixcheatsheet.com
I could hear a subtle difference, yes but not a $60,000 difference.
When it comes to the CLA I preferred the hardware. Sounds thicker and more natural on the vocals. For the other ones I really think it didn‘t matter.
Analog definitely sound better and can forgive you more mistakes than digital but it is not as convenient to work with and quality difference isn't often worth the jaw dropping price 🙂 and usually analog shows its dominance in extreme conditions. It's like driving corsa and ferrari in a 50 speed limit area, and arguing which has more power 😉
A.B have diffirent Level ….. in this video….. so
80% is there.
The rest will be 100% because of upgrades and new technologies im sure
So I do think you're being pretty disingenuous here. Most of the hardware gear you showed has top quality modern build versions that range from $400-$1200 and you bottoming them at $10,000-$60,000.
Secondly, dialing in time. Plugins take longer to dial in the right sound, especially for beginners; hardware is insanely faster and easier. To get the most value out of my time; and to not waste clients time. Dropping $5,000 on a few pieces of hardware is worth it. It is more affordable than ever.
I got them all wrong… It's even against the odds of randomly guessing! I should start mixing randomly 🙂
Appreciated the content
Oh man. The Fairchild got me! I genuinely preferred the plugin version, and I don't even really like the sound of that particular plugin in the first place. I guess I don't like Fairchilds! Mind blown.
I scored 400 😂. Was just listening on my phone speaker though. I guess wrongly on the Fairchild.
If you are comparing Waves with analog, that's a big joke.
Slate or UAD, they are near to hardware brother..
Not Waves.. Ofcourse unless you are for getting money from referrals .. 🙂
pls dont interrupt the music sample next time u make comparisons, when u stop it u introduce confusion
This is awesome. I guessed all but one correctly while listening on just my iPhone speakers. I totally agree that you can get by with plugins. But it also goes to show that there is something…. Dare I say….. special, to the hardware as well. Both are valid. Use both lol.
Interesting comparison, I got all of them correct and generally preferred the hardware, however, I have a number of issues with this test. Firstly, you are matching the hardware to the plugin rather than getting the best out of the hardware vs the best out of the plugin. Secondly, the time it takes to get to the result you are after. It would be interesting to either limit the time spent on both to the same time or time how long it takes on both to achieve a result you are happy with. Thirdly, I would like to hear the A/B of a mix where you have used the hardware, dialling it in to get the most out of it vs the same approach in software all combined in the mix as all the small differences can add up to a big difference when put together.
The hardware difference becomes more obvious when you push it harder.
Doing subtle compression is going to make the differences go away.
You really gotta smash that 1176 into distortion to hear the difference between the plugin and the hardware.
wow, thank you for this video! The differences are so tiny, I had to listen multiple times and really, now, after I saw your video, I can't believe how close they are. I never got a chance to work with the hardware stuff, so it's important to me to realise that the differences probably don't matter that much, it's more about the experience you guys have
To be honest, it's been said a lot that plugins sound like 90-95% of what the hardware gives and I think that's correct, but after experimenting, when you add more layers of analog equipment (console, bus compressor , etc) creates a sound that starts to get further and further away from what is achieved in the daw with plugins, with this I do not mean that mixing itb is inferior, in fact many pro mixers mix itb , but it does not even sound the same as these pros, and for me that's the reason why because modern records have such a cold and clean midrange texture, that in some genres like pop it sounds great, but in rock not always, it's just my opinion.
I´m…… the man….. in the box!
super amazin video
I also guessed correctly every time. Whatever had more saturation was the hardware each time imo
the waves 1176 sound tamed almost cutting out pieces, and the hardware is more open and transparent
Gonna be hard to hear on YouTube with their algorithm. Folks need the files to listen in their room on their monitors.
I was able to spot the hardware in all of them. Differences were not huge, but I did like the hardware sound better every time. The one that stood out the most was the Fairchild. Plug-in had a little harsh digital sound, hardware was super smooth. All the others would fall into subjective taste.
Could hear the difference in the 1176, and the Ssl, not the neve, got the pultec and fair child wrong. Ssl sounded like a big difference