Quote:
Originally Posted by
cap217
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Well I went down the path of trying everything.
Townhouse
Waves SSL
Puig 670 or whatever it is Waves
PA Iron
PA Shadow Hills Class A
Townhouse is the most lively of the bunch. It doesnt compress like Im used to. I think when I made my first impression comments I got push back because I compared it to the waves ssl and it was more open and lively. But after using it a lot it just doenst glue the track together like I used to an ssl comp doing. I stick to my ssl settings but maybe I need to compress past 4db on this software?
Waves ssl is the most ssl like to me (I worked on a 4k g for years). It lacks the depth maybe but that can be so many things in my memory. When I say the most ssl like its because of the way the metering works (its a little slow) and how it glues the track together. Its not as open as the townhouse but thats good and its good to have both options.
Puig is instantly warm. Its more narrow to me but also adds heft. I dont use it much on master buss though. I do like that I can do dual mono so I use it in buss channels for guitars a lot.
PA Iron I just got because I wasnt happy with the way the SH worked. I only used this on 1 mix and 1 master so far but it does what I want. I only used the stock mastering settings in the manual too because there are so many options with eq curves and tube saturation that it gets overwhelming. But on the stock recommendations this does everything you want. Glues the track togther. Controls bass without it getting loose or boomy. Adds heft in a transparent way. You can also really push this past the normal 1-3 db of reduction and it doesnt smash the signal in a negative way. Very good so far and Ive only touched the surface.
SH Class A I dont really like. Ill find uses on tracks but its not a modern compressor for what I am doing. I have not bypassed optical and use only discrete because opto is flabby to me. I feel like this doesnt really compress things like I expect. And with the low end flub it doesnt do it for me.
Man I switch all the time because of the vibe I'm after for the track or because I want to try something different. As I most likely would have alluded earlier. It seems interesting to me the at someone keeps switching because of a specific sound they remember.
You do realise though, that our brains never recall anything accurately. That's why eye-witness accounts of traumatic events are never consistent. It's also why we also tend to remember the past as "better" than what it actually is. What I'm trying to get at, is this ghost you're chasing might just be that... a ghost. You might be chasing the impression of a sound that you're brain has no way of accurately recalling.
In which case, just go with the vibe you like, even if isn't an SSL and clearly, you've tried a few alternatives. There will never ever be a perfect solution, that's why I always suggest having several.