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rcm · 8th December 2007, 07:41 PM

I work mostly OTB, but I have been doing stuff off and on for 15 years ITB, here is my advice (which has sort of been touched on):

I would invest in one channel of compression that can really do dramatic changes. The Distressor is the first one to come to mind. Something like the Massey plug compressor can do a fair job of doing a little bit of compression, but when you need to do something more extreme to sculpt the sound a hardware box like the Distressor will open up a lot more possibilities and impart more character.

Second would be a match pair of nice colored EQ, like those from Avedis, A Design, Manley, API etc. This is for the same reason as above. Several plug in EQs will do a decent job of small amount of EQ, but for more extreme sculpting or tone tweaking, I find hardware will allow you a wider range of possibilities and impart a bit more bigness, musicality and character on the track (something plugs do not usually do)

You can develop a work flow where the majority of the work is done with your plug ins, but for tracks need more dramatic sculpting use the hardware and print it back to a track (time aligning for latency if needed). I find that the benifits of a great piece of hardware usually outweigh the problems of medium grade conversion

Then on the two buss or if you are doing home brew mastering you can run the whole track through you vibe EQ. A great hardware EQ can really go a long way to imparting a lot of bigness and analog character that people associate with OTB.

8th December 2007, 07:41 PM	#33
rcm Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,833	I work mostly OTB, but I have been doing stuff off and on for 15 years ITB, here is my advice (which has sort of been touched on): I would invest in one channel of compression that can really do dramatic changes. The Distressor is the first one to come to mind. Something like the Massey plug compressor can do a fair job of doing a little bit of compression, but when you need to do something more extreme to sculpt the sound a hardware box like the Distressor will open up a lot more possibilities and impart more character. Second would be a match pair of nice colored EQ, like those from Avedis, A Design, Manley, API etc. This is for the same reason as above. Several plug in EQs will do a decent job of small amount of EQ, but for more extreme sculpting or tone tweaking, I find hardware will allow you a wider range of possibilities and impart a bit more bigness, musicality and character on the track (something plugs do not usually do) You can develop a work flow where the majority of the work is done with your plug ins, but for tracks need more dramatic sculpting use the hardware and print it back to a track (time aligning for latency if needed). I find that the benifits of a great piece of hardware usually outweigh the problems of medium grade conversion Then on the two buss or if you are doing home brew mastering you can run the whole track through you vibe EQ. A great hardware EQ can really go a long way to imparting a lot of bigness and analog character that people associate with OTB. __________________ Ronan Chris Murphy http://www.venetowest.com + http://www.homerecordingbootcamp.com Six day boot camp November 17– 22 in Los Angeles