Looking for an EQ and Compressor plugin solution

[wiggum665@hotma]

Hey everyone, my name is Ralph and I've been lurking for a pretty long time, trying to take everything in. Over the past year I've built up a small setup for myself, based around my Macbook Pro and Logic Pro.I have been working with many genres of music, and at this point I feel that I need to add some color to my mixes, in the form of eq's and compressors. The obvious choice would be to go with UAD cards, but theres no way I can afford a magma chassis in addition to the cards and plugins. The sonalksis eq and compressor sounded good, but too neutral for me. I could not get the waves SSL demo to work, and the fact that it only includes the SSL flavor does not appeal to me. The URS plugins sounded great, and had alot of variety to them. I realy loved the 1980 on drums. The URS everything bundle would give me a pretty decent variety, and it costs 750$ with the education discount. The only other compettitor for what I need seems to be the Focusrite Liquid Mix. Has anyone compared these two? I'm realy curious to if the emulations can put me in the ballpark, as It includes all the ones that I could get in the URS bundle and UAD bundle.

[RusRant]

It seems your looking for some coloration, but still have some choice in different selections. I would recommend the URS bundle. A lot of character, very good sound. The 1980 is similar to the Waves SSL comp, in the ballpark anyway. For what its worth I do own SSL, sonalkisis and the URS plugs. If I had to choose any of the I'd go URS.

[Methlab]

I like the URS stuff more then anything. the EQs are awesome. If you get them, you will have a lot of flavors of compression and EQ to pick from when you mix. I would get them over the Liquid Mix.

[wiggum665@hotma]

I see the URS getting alot of praise, and Ive been leaning towards it. The only factor that Is still swaying me towards the Liquid mix is the fact that it models a greater variety of compressors (like the 1176, La2a, and Fairchild 670). The URS compressors seemed to be more effective on drums/ mix bus.

[Ravian]

F#cing love my urs plugs

i work'd with waves eq's (ren, q) but that is in the past man, i love the diff. flavor of eq's that have caricter
and the comps are sweet

[MarsBot]

Hi Wiggum,

I just bought LM and I'm using it with Sonar. The compressors beat any native plugin I've bought or demoed: Waves, Sonalksis, PSP, Compadre, Ozone, URS, Timeworks. I've searched a LONG time for good compression for a native DAW. LM really does it. And the EQ's are very good too.

[theblotted]

Originally Posted by MarsBot

Hi Wiggum,

I just bought LM and I'm using it with Sonar. The compressors beat any native plugin I've bought or demoed: Waves, Sonalksis, PSP, Compadre, Ozone, URS, Timeworks. I've searched a LONG time for good compression for a native DAW. LM really does it. And the EQ's are very good too.

nice first post!

[DrDeltaM]

I haven't tried Liquid Mix at home yet, but the URS plugins are an awesome package. And since you get eductional discount, it's hard to pass on.

The URS plugins are light on the CPU, allowing you to run way more plugins then you could with the Liquid Mix. Liquid Mix does have the advantage of being control surface as well, but when I checked it out at trade shows I was very dissapointed by the fact that the Liquid Mix channel selection isn't synchronised with your DAW channel selection. The overal control surface wasn't too great in use IMO.

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by MarsBot

Hi Wiggum,

I just bought LM and I'm using it with Sonar. The compressors beat any native plugin I've bought or demoed: Waves, Sonalksis, PSP, Compadre, Ozone, URS, Timeworks. I've searched a LONG time for good compression for a native DAW. LM really does it. And the EQ's are very good too.

I'd expect the EQ's to be the strenght of the Liquid Mix rather then the compressors actually. Simply because you can sample EQ settings with convolution, but you can't sample compressor behavior (convolution works for time-invariant systems!). They did sample compressor 'colors', but the actual compressor response is modelled just like any other plugin.

[Geert van den Berg]

Originally Posted by DrDeltaM

They did sample compressor 'colors', but the actual compressor response is modelled just like any other plugin.

I have not tried the Liquid Mix, so I can't judge how good it sounds, but I thought they used Sintefex Dynamic Convolution to sample the compressors, while that might not give a complete representation of what the real deal sounds like, it's not just plain convolution, it goes a bit further.

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by Geert van den Berg

I have not tried the Liquid Mix, so I can't judge how good it sounds, but I thought they used Sintefex Dynamic Convolution to sample the compressors, while that might not give a complete representation of what the real deal sounds like, it's not just plain convolution, it goes a bit further.

That's what I'm saying

The 'dynamic' part in Sintefex Dynamic Convolution, is that they sample at several levels, and made a system to quickly 'switch' from one IR to another depending on input level. But each of those IR's is a static time invariant state of for example an EQ.

What it doesn't (and can't, it's a limitation of the mathematical principle of convolution), is sample attack and release behavior, as that is a time-variant parameter. According to Focusrite, Sintefex never actually modelled the attack and release curves, they just used standard curves. Focusrite said they did model these curves for their Liquid Mix, which should improve the result of emulation. This kind of modelling is what happens in any good emulative compressor plugin. So the difference is: do you get the color of the compressor by an algorithm (most plugs) or by a level-switched IR (Liquid Mix). The actual compression itself is modelling in both cases rather then IR sampling.

[Geert van den Berg]

interesting, good explanation..