ITB 'Vintage' Compressors - Blind Test!

[digital 1010]

I like 3 best, 4 sounds by far the worst, the kick is destroyed.

As too which is which, i dont know, 2,3 and 5 all sound fairly similar so 4 is the odd one out but I'm guessing thats due to matching settings rather than by ear 4 is squashing way more than the other 3.

Hoping 3 is Alloy but i reckon its the API

Ben

[FossilTooth]

I agree that #4 is the only one that sounded downright lousy and artificial on this particular loop. Maybe it would work on other things or with other settings, but not as it is on this clip -- it just sounded amateur to my ear at these settings.

Honestly, they're all fine in this context, #4 aside. I'd be pretty happy with 1, 3 or 5.

#1 is perhaps the most subtle, except on that initial kick hit. That's where you really here the differences on these compressor examples: attack and release times and slopes.

If you want "that vintage sound" start listening to a lot of vintage records and compressing and recording and EQing with vintage tastes in mind. The secret to making things sound like they're of another era isn't in the gear quite as much as it's in the choices.

There are a lot of records made on vintage gear that sound very "modern." The opposite can be achieved as well. This game is all about taste, not toys.

[MonikerMatt]

Originally Posted by FossilTooth

The secret to making things sound like they're of another era isn't in the gear quite as much as it's in the choices.

For sure, you are absolutely right, but not forgetting that the way a lot of vintage gear was designed does still come in to play sonically.

That's sort of why I wanted to do this test, to see how the coloration of these plugs would stand up, though it's definitely NOT a case of suddenly sounding awesomely vintage just by buying them! With you on that!

I won't reveal the results yet, let's keep guessing away. And yes, I definitely matched them exactly by settings, but I was surprised that #4 was so different.

[euphoria89]

2 and 4 sound like the SSL and API modules. I think 2 is the SSL, and 4 the API, but to me they sound a little like i remember them.

[lobsterinn]

Did you use any of the filter or distortion modeling on the Trash 2 example? If you really want to use it to mimic vintage analog gear, some judicious use of those processes would help nudge it in that direction. It is so versatile, I imagine you could get pretty close to anything if you spent enough time tweaking.

As far as the samples, they all sound useable in the right context. I'm sure with the rest of the music un-muted I would have an opinion which was best.

[MonikerMatt]

Originally Posted by lobsterinn

Did you use any of the filter or distortion modeling on the Trash 2 example? If you really want to use it to mimic vintage analog gear, some judicious use of those processes would help nudge it in that direction. It is so versatile, I imagine you could get pretty close to anything if you spent enough time tweaking.

As far as the samples, they all sound useable in the right context. I'm sure with the rest of the music un-muted I would have an opinion which was best.

I didn't use anything except the compressor for the Trash 2 example. You are right, there are some more features there, just as there are in Alloy 2 and the GChannel that I could use to make it sound even better, but this was just focussing on the comps. And the Trash 2 comp does impart some nice glue anyway, as do the others.

Also - I agree. I own all of these plugs and they are all usable, so the final reveal isn't intended to say 'this plug good' and 'this plug bad', but rather to let people decide for themselves which one they generally prefer the sound of in this context. No matter what wins and what loses here, each of these plugins has people who swear by them. It's all good :-)

I've already done the double blind test with these files myself. Be interesting to compare at the end.

[kraku]

You should RMS match those clips. They get slightly louder towards the end (except the clip number 4). Human brain deciphers louder = better which will definitely skew the results.

On first listening through the clips sounded different to me. On a second listening through when taking into consideration the unequal volume levels, they sounded really close to each other, no big differences there, except the clip number 4.

Could you post RMS matched clips?

[MonikerMatt]

i can post them up this weekend for sure.

but just to be clear, i wanted this test to be about how each compressor works with exactly the same settings.

so if one compressor comes in slightly quieter with the same settings as another, that's something that i think we should be aware of and why, rather than me posting clips of compressors with different settings to account for RMS matching.

in my humble opinion, though, i do know what you mean.

[Whistlin' Pete]

4 really sounds like the Waves API to me. I'm thinking the Waves SSL is either 2 or 3. I haven't used any of the other 3, so I have no idea how they sound. I prefer 3 and 5 in this test.

[20100db]

And...
what's the verdict?
;-)

[kraku]

Originally Posted by 20100db

And...
what's the verdict?
;-)

The verdict is that louder sounds better.

[20100db]

if you put the same rms, the louder sounds less good !

[20100db]

???
;-)

[jcoutu1]

Any results yet?

4 Sounds weak. I haven't used all of the comps listed here, so I can pick which is which.

[theturtlemafia]

So.... any update?

[Tjad]

Liked the third most, fourth least. No idea which is which.

So, OP, let's hear it?

[Alcje]

Hmm Im going for 5.

[henge]

I like 5 the best. Never having worked with these comps I can't say which is which.

[djayart]

Result please?

[doogie]

[doogie]

where's the result for this?

[doogie]

seriously did one of the company's get to you and buy you off?

[jcoutu1]

We're not getting the results to this. He joined GS then 2 days later was his activity.


MonikerMatt MonikerMatt is offline
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Last Activity: 6th December 2012

[MonikerMatt]

Hey now.. I took my time OKAY? :-)

1) Logic Compressor

2) Waves API 2500

3) iZotope Alloy 2

4) SSL GCHannel

5) iZotope Trash 2

what does everyone think now? i was actually surprised by how much i loved the sound of the logic compressor compared to the waves stuff, and also i did like alloy 2 a lot as well

[Dude111]

#4 sounded horrid (I closed it within seconds )