Replace my current pres with Liquid Channel dilemma?

[frans]

There is not that much love here on GS for the liquidchannel. Did you ever try one? Because the question isn't what others think it does, but if YOU will like what it does.

[DamZ]

i own a liquid mix 32 and i had for a bit of time liq channel.

my results are the following:
syntefex convolutions seems to be great for some emulation, but totally "un-tasty" on others. for examp la 610 amp emulation was quite good, strangely more than their isa one.
on liquid mix i've notice joemeek and la2a convolutions quite good, but others like distressor are totally different.

However my bigger sonic disappoint, on both units (liquid mix and channel), seems to a considerable loss of the nice high end (called brillance, air or whatever). sometimes, f.e. in vocals bad recorder, with a lot of C, sibiliants and more, could be very useful that attenuation.

as many here i had the opportunity at work or somewhere else to try some great stuff like tubetech maselec thermionic and im not sayng that dsp can emulate, but some are very nice.

maybe worth it, but u know, it's all about the fukin way u use it.....

i think that, as other tools, digital tools can be used in some cases but not in others.

[dickiefunk]

Thanks for the replies guys.
I'm guessing that some of the pres people have compared to the emulations in the Liquid Channel will sound a little different to the units used by Focusrite to emulate? As everyone is probably aware you could have two 1073's and they could both sound different to each other?
I read that Hugh from Sound On Sound had a chance to compare the actual hardware they emulated and found them virtually indistinguishable!?

I read in one review that the reviewer couldn't tell the difference between the 610 and the Liquid Channel!?
If the Liquid Channel is capable of producing the sound of my ISA One and 610 + offer me lots of other tones then I think I would be extremely happy.
Also, one of the techs at Focusrite said that the basic pre of the Liquid Channel has a little less noise than the ISA One?

[DamZ]

i always noticed something different between the real and the emulation. now, i didnt have the occasion to try the big ones like la 2a, eqp1a etc... but, for my opinion (and im not a big pro), when i had the chance to test, emulation carries a worst detail and opening on high end.
f.e. comparing real cl1b with the liquid and the softube emulation, the hardware one was very more brillant than the other plugins. also for the engineer that tested them with me.
there are some emulation that are quite nice like the joemeek sc2 on liquidmix, on drum bus sometimes is priceless. i found la2a waves too "copied" from the original one, especially in controls: they could have made another panel where maybe u can have a digital like, more easy, interface....after all we are on computers...

however, as i told first, i prefere use quite low gr on plugins, whatever kind. if i need more compression, i chain another one. -8db GR on the real cl1b was absolutely not comparable to the emulations......the real unit gave something maybe smashed, but with a personality. emulations gave us just s***

everbody says that digital i different. that's true i think, but if it's like these u need another approach to it, to the levels, the action of plugs etc. i think that digital needs just another way to reach the result but for pro results u need pro ears and for some kind of music analog is essential...

[dickiefunk]

Any more thoughts or user experiences?

[dkelley]

I actually have been very happy with the liquid mix's emulations and havne't found a loss of high end definition in my use of any of the emulations I like (such as api on mix buss which I use often or la2a on vocals which I have used at times or a couple of comps I like often but can't recall right now, and the distressors sound about right to me if you're going to set the drive like that, which I never did when I had a distressor because I don't like that sound, but it did remind me of the idstressor sound pretty much in those settings (remember the LM can only model one type of sound for each emulation, distressors have different models in LM for different drive settings and so on, some other comps and eqs also have different models for different types of settings).

however I haven't used liquid pres enough to have useful feedback other than they sound great on the trakcs I've been given where the tracking engineer used them, often to the poitn of definitely sounding like they could have been tracked with such'n'such preamp as they intended it to sound like.

which is kind of the whole point, right?

I may not be listening to the same things as some other engineers however, and it's also possible I'm using different firmware revisions from other engineers who tried the Liquid Mix. I use latest fw which is MUCH more stable and MUCH nicer sounding imho than older versions.

but it's possible they used that same setup and just were listening harder to smaller details than I do.

[dkelley]

oh and I for one would love to read info about any bigger studios/engineers who've used and been happy wiht the liquid preamps and what albums they have been used on for what vocals etc.

I love reading that kind of thing. I'm very much into dsp and such and am always looking for examples of these types of things working well where people don't even know a modelling app is being used instead of the real thing (which has happened in some guitar amp modelling situations before to the surprise of some listeners).

there are plenty of examples of modelling NOT working effectively LoL, I like to see arguments and examples of successful results too sometimes.

cheers
Don

[dickiefunk]

I know Imogen Heap uses the Liquid Pres and won a Grammy for best engineered album (non classical) 2010.

[icecubeman]

Here is some interesting video... Focusrite Liquid Channel at Abbey Road - YouTube

[dickiefunk]

Yeah very interesting!!

[dkelley]

ok, I'm sold on both accounts :-)

[dickiefunk]

Any more thoughts / user experiences with the Liquid Channel and any of the pres I own?

[TrueZebra]

I have 2. In stereo mode if i want to. Easy connection with usb.
I run them at 96khz.

It is a great channelstrip and should be seen as a channelstrip.
Not everything sounds the same, there is colour between every preamp and compressor (compressors ofcourse act differently).

I have used the liquid mix in the past, sold it because they discontinued the product and stopped with software updates.
It is strange that "users" react to the liquid hardware feedback when they've only owned a liquid mix. You can not compare a LC with a LM. Different Sound.

There are some presets i use so i guess it would come down to 6 preamps and 6 compressors that i use.

Sound ?
I've had amek neve design(channel strip) , apogee preamps, SSL preamps, orpheus preamps.
There is so much more options and flavors in a LC and i'll take this one before the rest.
Great device.
I even had the 4 pre (transformerless design), the LC is much better.
The clean version preamp is excellent too.

It is their last great design and was developed to put them back on the "pro" market.
People will make great albums with just the LC or with just the orpheus preamps.

Focusrite should have kept on going with their promises of updates...
but like every company lately this is not the case (arturia, roland, ...)

This is a channelstrip not just a preamp.
Great results !

[dickiefunk]

I've had a bit of a sort out here and am now going to be in the position where I don't need to sell my ISA One and UA 610. I've been offered a Liquid Channel for £700 which seems like a pretty good deal?
This way I will have a great bass di (UA610) a great guitar di (ISA One) and a great vocal channel strip (Liquid Channel)? The UA 610 and ISA One pres will come in very handy aswell as the pres on my Saffire interface.

[Birdland101]

Dickiefunk
Did you purchase the Liquid Channel?
I have one and I find that in mixes various preamp sounds help tracks to cut through a mix more than using the same preamp for everything. It is better for each track has a unique sonic character. When u send the track for mastering thats when you can get an expensive analog gear sound added to your track. If your preamp is great and your converters are great. You well within the ballpark.

[dickiefunk]

Originally Posted by Birdland101

Dickiefunk
Did you purchase the Liquid Channel?
I have one and I find that in mixes various preamp sounds help tracks to cut through a mix more than using the same preamp for everything. It is better for each track has a unique sonic character. When u send the track for mastering thats when you can get an expensive analog gear sound added to your track. If your preamp is great and your converters are great. You well within the ballpark.

Hi,

Yes I bought the Liquid Channel and am very happy with it so far!

[Arnenormann]

Originally Posted by TrueZebra

I have 2. In stereo mode if i want to. Easy connection with usb.
I run them at 96khz.

It is a great channelstrip and should be seen as a channelstrip.
Not everything sounds the same, there is colour between every preamp and compressor (compressors ofcourse act differently).

I have used the liquid mix in the past, sold it because they discontinued the product and stopped with software updates.
It is strange that "users" react to the liquid hardware feedback when they've only owned a liquid mix. You can not compare a LC with a LM. Different Sound.

There are some presets i use so i guess it would come down to 6 preamps and 6 compressors that i use.

Sound ?
I've had amek neve design(channel strip) , apogee preamps, SSL preamps, orpheus preamps.
There is so much more options and flavors in a LC and i'll take this one before the rest.
Great device.
I even had the 4 pre (transformerless design), the LC is much better.
The clean version preamp is excellent too.

It is their last great design and was developed to put them back on the "pro" market.
People will make great albums with just the LC or with just the orpheus preamps.

Focusrite should have kept on going with their promises of updates...
but like every company lately this is not the case (arturia, roland, ...)

This is a channelstrip not just a preamp.
Great results !

any experience using only the comps and/or eq´s(only) for bus duties in stereo link-mode?!

[Birdland101]

I also have a question! Im battling to get the music from pro tools (mbox2) and back in through spdif, so I can run tracks though it for comp and eq! its making me mad!