| Very interesting test, thanks for posting these files!
I find the difference to be quite pronounced between the HW and SW. I use UA 2192 converters for all my DA needs and I really think that it brings out stuff that you just won't hear with lesser converters, I know that this was true when I used my Digi 002 for all DA incl. iTunes,etc
The HW version of the bass sounds much more 'alive', more 3D than the SW and to my ears it's the same for the acoustic guitar example. Drums are done at very extreme settings where I don't think that the details or even the brand of compression matters much.
There's no doubt that the SW is doing a very good job emulating the 160VU character though. For me though the real difference is the way that a HW compressor is treating the sound when tracking. That's the way I use my 160VUs - mainly 'just a tad' for bass and drums, sometimes acoustic guitars and the occasional vocal.
The difference I hear in these examples is similar to the difference I hear when recording say a bass thru my hardware Sans Amp PSA-1 vs. using the Bomb Factory PSA-1 plug-in. Basically the sonics are very similar, no doubt that you immedeately regognize the sound that's is being emulated. But the HW has more site and depth, again its more 3D. |