UBK FATSO (samples in thread)

[lakeshorephatty]

Hey all. I wasn't getting any pings on this so i thought it would be nice to start a new thread now that there are samples out there. Please read below if you are interested in chiming in. I don't have a lot of time to analyze or test more this week but i might have more thoughts next week.

Originally Posted by audiomichael

I am so ready to hear some clips!

Originally Posted by lakeshorephatty

Well here you go.. I got mine today. Thank you Greg for the quick turnaround and sexy box. Man this thing looks good : ) For some reason the new color makes all the labeling easy to read and i feel like it was well thought out. The unit came with a new serial over the existing serial with the original reprinted. There was also a very nice QC card with a bunch of checks performed before it left Kush audio. I only wanted to mention all that because before I got it back i was thinking very small operation just new starting up, hopefully the quality and QC and professionalism are there. Getting the package set my mind at ease in that way. Greg you're off to a great start design some more products.

Onto the acutal unit. I made a BUNCH of test files on some drums tonight, thats all i had time for. I tried as best i could to level match but it was just by ear and its not my strongest point. I did several tests for each compression as well as a no compression through fatso and a ITB mix so you could get the impression of the sound of the basic unit then a bunch of the compression settings.. Why be so nice to all you guys? Well when i get a new device i put it through some basic tests and i thought why not share them more often from now on if i think its a great device.

I'd had the original fatso for about 6 months and was very used to it. The new unit will take a bit of getting used to, but first and foremost all the compression is now very useful and sweet sounding. It will take some time to find "sweet spots" on the different compressors, but for me personally i couldn't use any of the compressors other than "buss" before and even that wasn't a great setting for my tastes. My personal tastes are for compression to provide a "vibe" or a "coloration" moreso than to control a player and make them sound tighter. In other words if I like the sounds i'm getting with no compression, i'll just automate or level ride the performance for gain control, but if i'm looking for a tonal change, i'll use a compressor. That seems like exactly what Greg was going for with these new settings as they have some great effects on the tones.

Now I had noticed in this thread perhaps or somewhere else that Greg had mentioned the smooth setting wasn't great with "transient" instrument sounds, drums would be one of those and thats the only test i did here. I'm holding my opinion on smooth in check until I hear it on some other source. On drums it still does something nice when you hit it really softly. I think i would be comfortable tracking through it with the right drum tone hitting it very softly and it would sort of squish everything down subtly and help at mix time. However smooth really clamps down hard if you push it a bit harder. I like all the settings, so now i'll place some samples here.. Here's the low down:

a dry file ITB, and a dry rough mix ITB, and a no compression through fatso file. 3 settings on splat, 3 on smooth, 3 on glue. I used Warmth 2 on ALL material. For me with my old fatso i always use SOME warmth, and W2 was the setting i used as default. If i wanted more i turned it up, but W2 makes the mix sit together better without you hearing a perceptable difference track to track. To give you and idea on W2 you will hardly ever see one light come on on the warmth meter at the top of the unit. I used the daw output gain where possible, and i used the input knob on the following settings, and OP to level match as well as i could. I did not turn on the trafo. For THD i was finding that mostly the levels were hitting "comfy" on the new unit on transient hits which is equivalent to 0db on the old unit.

the numbers on each file name denote the lower and upper approx bounds on the gain reduction i was seeing:

splat 0-7 IP4
splat 5-12 IP4
splat 9-17 IP6
smooth 0-6 IP4
smooth 7-10 IP4
smooth 10-15 IP5.5
Glue 3-7 IP4
Glue 5-10 IP5
Glue 10-20 IP6.5

I use apogee ad and da16x converters through the symphony card into my mac pro. Original tracks were recorded straight through pre's no compression. I believe it was germaniums on overheads and TG channel on kick/snare and room mics.

Also.. all files are 320kbps mp3's at 48k

Curious to know what ppl think of this unit. i'll be trying it a lot more soon but the initial signs are that it took my original fatso to a new level by slapping a great quality comp into it for not a lot more money than the original unit.

Russell

AND here is some more info i posted a few posts later in the thread:

Originally Posted by lakeshorephatty

Good morning. I thought i should put a few comments here. I had asked some questions on operation and Greg sent me a great email last night. There will be manual for this box in the next few weeks but in the meantime, Greg gave me a very long and detailed answer with some different tips.

One was for certain that smooth is not generally a good combo with drums. Its not designed to be.

The other three types are. yep i said three. I didn't realize "code name squish" was really splat and spank together and this is supposed to be a great comp as well. Here is another aspect which i think is cool best described by Greg:

There are two big things to be aware of with Splat:

1) to get it to behave the way it does, I had to create a bizarre gain structure inside the circuit. The effect of this is that it begins compressing when the input knob is very low, and it has a quiet output so you have to really juice the output knob to restore equal gain. So on other comps you might be at 6 and 4, on Splat don't be surprised if you end up at 2 and 9, or 10 and 1. If you put it on, e.g., a drum buss, and you go into the red and beyond, it begins to do some kind of bizarre negative compression. Instead of blowing up, the room will start to disappear and drums get very 70's dry, but with an unmistakeably modern degree of squeeze. I've never heard any other compressor behave this way. Don't be afraid to play with the full swing of the input knob to hear the range of sounds it creates.

2) Because this is now my go-to drum compressor, I wanted the Warmth work in extremely subtle increments. Even at maximum, you will likely only get 2-4db of reduction at best unless the material is extremely bright. Essentially, each step is now like a 1/4db high shelf atenuator at 12k, to super-fine-tune the top end of cymbals or vocals rather than coarsely crush them.

I didn't try compressing that much with splat, and also i was wondering about warmth, but i think thats great because I could never get past 5 on warmth on any sources anyway. On certain sources i was looking for finer warmth control so great. I now need two of these units to run things in parallel.. fun fun!

Russell

I can't attach the files twice to GS so please use the link below to head to the posts with the files:

UBK Edition FATSO

and

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/3902430-post103.html

Regards,

Russell

[khai]

Thanks for these samples, Russell.

[World Studios]

Any Chance of some files of a complete pop mix thru it?

UBKFatso gives your drums a lot of beef, but the box may me too much for the master bus... Some of the new options give a bit of clarity, which is good in my book. Fat is good. Murky is not... :-)

[Brad McGowan]

I think the source material that Russell used to make his clips is a bit dark and perhaps "murky" sounding to some. So any compression added by the UBK FATSO seems like it is only going to accentuate that.

Brad

[lakeshorephatty]

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

I think the source material that Russell used to make his clips is a bit dark and perhaps "murky" sounding to some. So any compression added by the UBK FATSO seems like it is only going to accentuate that.

Brad

Yeah, i would agree. In this case i wasn't too hot on the overhead mics. I'd rather have a cymbal sound that blends in well over a harsh one, so there's a lot of top rolled out on these drums.

I definately am not into modern drum sounds, so at the best of times drums i like would sound clear, but very round and warm. at worst a little bit "murky" in order to make the tone smooth enough. If that makes sense..

[Brad McGowan]

Sometimes people record things and they just don't know what they are doing. Other times people record things and achieve the sound they want, but then other people just don't get it. I could tell you were a fan of non-modern drum sounds when I heard your tracks. For whatever reason, some folks can't get their head around a drum sound that isn't similar to what you hear on a modern rock station. Go figure. I'm all for murky if it's what the song calls for.

rock on,
Brad

[lakeshorephatty]

Hey all,

Today i had some more time to play with this. So what i did was take a track as close to finished as i could get it without the new ubk fatso, then apply what i thought the box could help with, I have two files, one before and one after.

Before, the track had been recorded, then every channel had been sent through my original fatso on settings I liked, no compression used because i didn't find the fatso's original compression very useful to me, except on bass, where i used i believe the buss compressor.

So the track should glue pretty well with every track through the fatso right?

I couldnt' believe what happened after i used the UBK. I actually compressed "everything" I basically found a setting i liked and tweaked it until it sounded good, then if that grouping of sounds had a lot of dynamics in it, i may have changed the setting and recorded again at the new setting carefully blending the sections. I'd never tried that but it worked well to preserve a good amount of dynamics. I didn't want quite all the dynamics i had but i wanted some. All the compression was "buss style" in that it was applied to groups, not individual tracks, except when i put "squish" (splat + spank) on the kick and snare grouped and pulverized it to give the kick some sustain and the snare ghost notes some presence. I blended this new track in parallel with the original drums.

On piano, the guitar, and the vibrato wurli I used 'smooth' and it really did a neat tapey thing i've never heard the fatso do before.

On drums i used "splat" on the bus

On bass I believe i used glue. It sounded great.

I used the trafo when it seemed right but typically i leave that off.

I had to adjust some of the reverb levels (which are all demeter RV-1) once the compression was in place.

All in all, this turned out a silly amount better in my mind.

Thanks Greg for the mod. this is really fantastic!

Russell

[lostinmusic]

Originally Posted by lakeshorephatty

Today i had some more time to play with this. So what i did was take a track as close to finished as i could get it without the new ubk fatso, then apply what i thought the box could help with, I have two files, one before and one after.

Really nice little jam! I use a Fatso on the mix the whole time (without the compressor) but in this case I definitely prefer the 'before' example. I thought that the high end was particularly sweet on the rides but ended up nothing special on the 'after' example. I still think I may have the mod done but maybe ask for the eq adjustment to be left off. More samples would be great if UBK is watching...?

[u b k]

no worries, i'll be posting a video on monday which has plenty of sounds in it.

regarding the mixes below, i think the after sounds freakin' incredible, it sounds like a record. the only thing i'd have done differently is leave the piano less compressed at the top --- losing the dynamics on the naked piano kills a bit of the emotion for me --- and crossfading the compressed track in until it's full squeeze when the drums hit full on.

but that's pickin' nits, the mix and the tune are lovely. the sound i'm hearing on them is the sound i wanted to hear when i created these comps, which makes me smile.

nice job. thumbsup


gregory scott - ubk
.

[tomdarude]

Originally Posted by u b k

no worries, i'll be posting a video on monday which has plenty of sounds in it.

cooooool Greg, can´t wait....please put it on something like vimeo instead of youtube, so we can actually hear something!

can´t wait to try the mod!!

[ninjaneer]

Originally Posted by lakeshorephatty

Today i ...

thanks for posting thumbsup

[GilWave]

Originally Posted by tomdarude

cooooool Greg, can´t wait....please put it on something like vimeo instead of youtube, so we can actually hear something!

It'll be hosted on kushaudio.com, along with a set of uncompressed reference audio files for download.

-g

[khai]

This music reminds me of Dark side of the moon for some reason. Especially the compressed version. I prefer the uncompressed version (I'm not a great fan of compression to say the truth), but I like the fact that the ubk fatso can compress much and avoid artefacts. I have a hard time with the compression presets and will also get the modification.

[u b k]

Originally Posted by khai

...(I'm not a great fan of compression to say the truth), but I like the fact that the ubk fatso can compress much and avoid artefacts.

be warned: because it's so effortless at any level of squeeze, you may start to develop a fondness for compression with this box. the sound is like a drug.

but the thing to bear in mind is that it really can be used subtly to great effect. it's just... well, it's just not as much fun.


gregory scott - 'ubk'
.

[MDSleep]

i have lurked here for years, I have been meaning to register, but this thread pushed me over the edge.

thanks for posting these files, lakeshore!

this looks and sounds like a really cool box, I am going to be snagging one in the next few weeks thanks to lakeshore and UBK.

cool stuff!

[TimmyP1955]

Originally Posted by lakeshorephatty

Hey all,

Today i had some more time to play with this. So what i did was take a track as close to finished as i could get it without the new ubk fatso, then apply what i thought the box could help with, I have two files, one before and one after.

Before, the track had been recorded, then every channel had been sent through my original fatso on settings I liked, no compression used because i didn't find the fatso's original compression very useful to me, except on bass, where i used i believe the buss compressor.

So the track should glue pretty well with every track through the fatso right?

I couldnt' believe what happened after i used the UBK. I actually compressed "everything" I basically found a setting i liked and tweaked it until it sounded good, then if that grouping of sounds had a lot of dynamics in it, i may have changed the setting and recorded again at the new setting carefully blending the sections. I'd never tried that but it worked well to preserve a good amount of dynamics. I didn't want quite all the dynamics i had but i wanted some. All the compression was "buss style" in that it was applied to groups, not individual tracks, except when i put "squish" (splat + spank) on the kick and snare grouped and pulverized it to give the kick some sustain and the snare ghost notes some presence. I blended this new track in parallel with the original drums.

On piano, the guitar, and the vibrato wurli I used 'smooth' and it really did a neat tapey thing i've never heard the fatso do before.

On drums i used "splat" on the bus

On bass I believe i used glue. It sounded great.

I used the trafo when it seemed right but typically i leave that off.

I had to adjust some of the reverb levels (which are all demeter RV-1) once the compression was in place.

All in all, this turned out a silly amount better in my mind.

Thanks Greg for the mod. this is really fantastic!

Russell

I just had a listen to the two files. I listened to the "after" first. My first impression was that the pianist wasn't very good, and the piece did not do anything for me, although there were some good sounds. Then I listened to the "before". The pianist was a lot better. The entire ensemble was much more together, with a much better feel. In short, the "after" may sound better technically, but the music was ruined in the process.

[Coucou]

Im a pianist and I don't think the UBK Fatso did a bad job at all. I think it is over compressed but the sound of the compression is good.
The problem is that the original file is just too bad. It is very unfair to test a pro audio gear with such a bad samples (Actually I refer to all of those I heard here beside those provided by UBK).

I truly would like to listen to the UBK Fatso on properly recorded music with great AD and with sounds full of harmonics.
Any body can post more samples please?