Want to buy EQ and Dynamics - Sonnox, SSL Duende or UAD?

[matt thomas]

Any of those options will be good for you

the UAD will give more opportunity for future additions, typically the eq's and comps are more character orientated than the other options (this could be good or bad)

The Sonnox can run without any hardware, i don't think it has the latency issues of the other two

The SSL has the excellent eq that you can get for it called x-eq.

there are other options too. What platform are you, what plugin format do you need? what computer are you working on?

matt

[Simsy]

Hi

I am on a 8 core Mac Pro running Logic.

I run farm PCs for my samples and I have Vienna MIR and a Lexicon PCM96 for reverb so my DAW machine is running very little. So I am not worried about running native if the sonnox stuff is better.

I am not really worried about other plugins as I don't produce any other type of music, and am pretty much covered in the other areas. I just really need a good EQ and Dynamics.

Is there really much difference? Is one more suited to orchestral film music?

Does the UAD stuff add colour? Is the Sonnox very transparent?

[matt thomas]

yeah sonnox is transparent, as is the SSL which may suit you better.

There are various advantages for using a plugin that has no Hardware to go with it. Like you can use it in real time as you play your midi keyboard. And you typically have fewer issues too, so in this case I would probably recommend the Sonnox.

(actually I seem to remember that SSL talking about some special low latency mode, I don't know if this gets around the problem of latency on live instruments?)

There are other companies that are really good, like flux, and sonalksis. Flux plugins tend to have lots of options, which can be good or bad, and the sonalksis eq has a spectrum analyzer which is useful.

I find that eq's are pretty much interchangeable, it comes down to the interface more than anything. Compressors however tend to sound more different.

matt

[matt thomas]

Do you use VSL? they have their own plugin range, I have not tried them, but just saying..

matt

[kittonian]

I'm not a huge UAD fan but either the Sonnox or the SSL Duende are going to be perfect for what you're doing. The thing you have to ask yourself is whether you want an external DSP box/processor or just want to run the software (i.e. Duende vs. Sonnox).

[noah330]

I have the UAD-1 and I also have Duende.

One product I would highly reccomend (that I also own) would be the LiquidMix.

The UAD-1 is great. I love the 1176, LA2A, Fairchild and Pultecs. The precision comp and 140 Plate are awesome as well. The cool thing is you get a graphical representation of each as well, so the interface matches what you're hearing. The UAD definitley adds 'color' - and in the case of the UAD it's a good thing.

The down side is the plugs are kind of expensive and to max one out costs a lot. I got lucky, in that UA gave me all my plugs for free (the plugs up to about 2005) due to my job.

The Duende I love. When I first started mixing professionally I worked on an SSL (and when I was at Berklee they had a couple SSLs as well) and I am most comfortable with that console. The Duende is limited as far as availible plugs, but what it does it does extremely well.

I have the PCIe version - it's about the same money as the mini and does more.

The LiquidMix is fantastic. It took a while for me to get it running solid - now I love it. The sounds are very close - although unlike the UAD and Duende the GUI is the same for all the plugs.

The new emulations are free and the price of admission is insanely low. Yes, it does take longer to get it running stable and to get used to it, but in the end it's great.

I would take LM over the UAD-1 given the choice.

[SWAN808]

I think in this situation a Liquid Mix is quite a good suggestion.

[Ca$h Marty]

I haven't used the other two, but if you are looking for a easy to use, accurate and clean EQ - the UAD Cambridge is unreal. HPF and LPF are extremely usefully in the digital world. They give you multiple different slopes to choose from for each. Then the parametric bands are very flexible.

Most UAD cards come with a voucher for plugs so you could get the Cambridge without spending beyond the card itself.

They have countless other plugs that are great for coloration and so forth but the Cambridge seemed like the most widely useful in your application.

[Weasel9992]

I'm a die-hard UAD fan. The Cambridge EQ is pretty great and there are a few nice compression options on the basic cards.

Frank

[Simsy]

Hey, thanks for all the help!! Never really considered the Liquid Mix, now I have another one to look at!!

I have most of VSL's stuff, as well as their samples I have MIR (the reverb engine) and VSL Suite.

But I am looking to add a really nice EQ and Compressor to my options.

Going to have to do some more research then.

Hey noah330, nice to run into a Berklee grad like myself!! When did you graduate? What major?

[Stiff]

Sonnox does good stuff, that I know. Flux should also be on your tryout list IMO, but as Matt Thomas said, they tend to have a lot of options and they might not fit your workflow. They're both on the clean side IMO.

If you want to stray away from the regular compressor you could check out Pro Audio DSP Dynamic Spectrum Mapper.

[Simsy]

Hi

What is the flux compressor like?

I am starting to side on getting one of the flux bundles, then in the future adding a duende?


What you think?

[matt thomas]

Originally Posted by Simsy

Hi

What is the flux compressor like?

I am starting to side on getting one of the flux bundles, then in the future adding a duende?


What you think?

flux has a great demo policy, basically you can use at sample rates 48k or less, and you can edit them for 20 minutes, and then they keep working but you can't edit them

so its probably a good idea to try them

I think they are great. Although sometimes there are too many options and I go for something simpler to save time. If you put the time in you can get great results.

matt

[matt thomas]

Is there something lacking about VSL suite?

matt

[noah330]

Originally Posted by Simsy

Hey, thanks for all the help!! Never really considered the Liquid Mix, now I have another one to look at!!

Hey noah330, nice to run into a Berklee grad like myself!! When did you graduate? What major?

98 Music Synth/MP&E

[Felix (Flux)]

Originally Posted by matt thomas

flux has a great demo policy, basically you can use at sample rates 48k or less, and you can edit them for 20 minutes, and then they keep working but you can't edit them

so its probably a good idea to try them

I think they are great. Although sometimes there are too many options and I go for something simpler to save time. If you put the time in you can get great results.

matt

And if you need, we can provide a ten day fully working demo as well (iLok asset).

Just send an email to support..



Cheers,
/felix

[cowudders]

Buy something without additional latency!
You're going to play your sounds in realtime through the plug-ins, no?

[Whitecat]

the flux stuff is definitely cool and they're good guys.

I'm also a huge Duende fan. it's genuine SSL-in-a-box.

come to think of it, both of those would complement each other very well!

[Simsy]

Hi

Thanks for all the advice. I downloaded the flux demo plugins. I have to say that I love the EQ!!! I don't like the Compressor just as much.

Think I might purchase the Flux EQ and then get the duende.

[Felix (Flux)]

Originally Posted by Simsy

Hi

Thanks for all the advice. I downloaded the flux demo plugins. I have to say that I love the EQ!!! I don't like the Compressor just as much.

Think I might purchase the Flux EQ and then get the duende.

Dont forget that you have three dynamic processors to look into, Pure Compressor, Solera and Syrah...



Cheers,
/Felix

[nightscope]

Originally Posted by Simsy

Think I might purchase the Flux EQ and then get the duende.

Get Duende first. Demo the X-EQ, which is Algorithmix Blue at 1/3 the price. You may or may not need Flux after that.

ns

[IzovAge]

The Sonalksis Essentials are often overlooked but have a good sound, definitely worth checking out.

[skatmatt]

i wanted to get a UAD 2 and a profire 2626 but UAD isnt compatable with m powered.

should i get a 003 instead even though its more expensive/supossedly not a good as the 2626 so i can use UAD

or should i get different plugs to suit the 2626?

im mainly recording metal/rock at a home studio.

thanks matt

[thearnicasync]

Originally Posted by IzovAge

The Sonalksis Essentials are often overlooked but have a good sound, definitely worth checking out.

If I was doing score work exclusively, this would be my choice for sure. They sound great and you're not paying for the UAD rock and roll or for any sort of SSL namesake. If you don't need a "sound" there's no reason IMO to shell out for it, be it 1176, SSL, et. al. The sonnox stuff is great too, though, and a great choice if you can justify the cash. Sounds like maybe you can, too...

$.02

[lordnielson]

I guess you could do much worse than Eiosis Aireq and Stillwell Rocket...

Don't know if they're fantastic or "kill" other plugins. But they kill your material a lot less than some other plugins.

For sure...

[Stiff]

Originally Posted by Simsy

Hi

Thanks for all the advice. I downloaded the flux demo plugins. I have to say that I love the EQ!!! I don't like the Compressor just as much.

Think I might purchase the Flux EQ and then get the duende.

The Epure EQ is excellent. Did you try Syrah or just the Pure Compressor? Personally I'm more of a fan of Syrah.

[terrytee]

Originally Posted by Simsy

Hi

I score for film and television, not big budget stuff mainly local, but I make a living out of it.

I want to purchase a good EQ and Compressor for mixing, mainly Orchestral with additional synths and electronic loops.

So I am looking for your views and opinions on

Sonnox EQ, Compressor
SSL Duende EQ, Compressor
UAD card?

I know that the UAD card has extra stuff, but I am really only concerned about EQ and a Compressor?

So how does the Sonnox, compare to the SSL?

And how does the SSL compare to say the neve plugins in the UAD?

Taking into consideration the type of music I am mixing?

Thanks, your advice will be greatly appreciated!!!!!

SSL Duende, according to SSL it's the same DSP card thats in there digital consoles so if your getting the same sound as a c200 or even a c300, film and t.v production desk, it's gotta make sense for your line of work.

[The Listener]

I own UAD and it is great with Precision EQ and limiter and all the Neve stuff, but when I need transparency, non-coloured sound I would look at other plug-ins. As EQ and compressors go I would suggest - PlparEQ, Sonalksis, Voxengo: Sonalksis EQ and compressor, Voxengo GlissEQ, CurveEQ, Voxengo limiter and Varisaturator.

I liked the demos of SSL Duende - my impression is that their bus compressor and channel EQ are the most musically pleasing and transparent between the three competitors (other two - Waves and UAD).

I tried Sonnox plug-ins and they are good, but I like others better.

You can mix well with any of those, actually.

For what you mentioned I would even suggest just getting Samplitude and use its integrated EQ and dynamics plug-ins. Should work extremely well for what you do.

My personal impression about the difference between SSL and UAD Neve stuff - SSL is clear, snappy, "groovy", upfront, Neve EQs and compressors are coloured, round, creamy, making things bigger than life, less upfront, more euphonic, "buttery", sometimes too much and sometimes it is exactly what saves the mix.

[Heartfelt]

I missed what platform you are on or what flavor of Duende you are looking at but...

On a windows machine, Quad Phenom, I use the Duende PCIe. With the "clean-character" of the SSL channel stuff, it is great for general pupose shaping and control. The buss comp is awesome as well. For a thickening or character comp, I grab something else. I agree with The_Listener on the upfront-ness of the SSL. That is one reason I like it. I got burned out on the creamy stuff (MHO) and I am all about upfront, punchy mixes.

With that said, I love the duende and on PCIe, it is rock solid and works well along with Waves and Stillwell plugs. I use Version 2 and have been shy to try V3.