Poll....Analogue tube sound or clean clinical digital sound?

[PinnacleProdUK]

I myself prefer the warm analogue sound and would put everything through tubes if i could... but some people dont like this sound and prefer the clean digital sound with no saturation. What do you prefer and why?

EDIT... but do also agree with keyflo below that some sounds need to be clean without saturation.

[Keyflo]

i think both, some sounds need to be digital, and some analogue

[TonyBelmont]

There is no such thing as a definitive "analog tube sound"... this was a marketing gimmick of the consumer music stores in the mid-late 90's to help them sell gear to people who were buying Mackie's and ADAT's.

There are tube units that could be described as "clean", with no saturation whatsoever.

[PinnacleProdUK]

i agree and understand what you are saying however i just wondered if people actually prefer the sound of tubes when they do produce and warm saturated sound or if they dislike the "tube" sound and prefer everything in digital.....

This could apply to buying a tube mic or pre that can offer the kind of warm saturated sound they were after or even using saturation plugins on a digital signal to give it that warm "tube" sound!

[surflounge]

Both
preamps for color

[bgrotto]

I'm with Tony. Some of the cleanest amplifiers of any kind (guitar, mic, line, phono, whatever) that I've ever heard have been valve amps.

Anyway, more often than not, with true tube designs (none of this starved voltage or whatever-its-called "toob" nonsense), most of the coloration you're hearing is coming from the transformers, NOT the tubes.

Also - it's not a "tube or digital?" thing. I mean, there's like at least one or two non-digital alternatives...

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by PinnacleProdUK

i agree and understand what you are saying however i just wondered if people actually prefer the sound of tubes when they do produce and warm saturated sound or if they dislike the "tube" sound and prefer everything in digital.....

This could apply to buying a tube mic or pre that can offer the kind of warm saturated sound they were after or even using saturation plugins on a digital signal to give it that warm "tube" sound!

If you take the words "tube" and "digital" out of your posts, and use your descriptions without those words, you would have a much better exchange with people. Because as you are wording things now, they will fall under the stereotypical "tube" vs "digital" bullshit arguments that have been going on for the last decade.

As we have already established, the saturation could come from numerous things (and more often that not, come from the TRANSFORMERS, and not the tubes so much).

[BOWIE]

Though I like both, I really get off on the surreal mojo that comes from good tubes, tape, transformers, etc. So long as it's high-quality stuff. I'd take cheap digital over cheap analog.

[Keyflo]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

If you take the words "tube" and "digital" out of your posts, and use your descriptions without those words, you would have a much better exchange with people. Because as you are wording things now, they will fall under the stereotypical "tube" vs "digital" bullshit arguments that have been going on for the last decade.

As we have already established, the saturation could come from numerous things (and more often that not, come from the TRANSFORMERS, and not the tubes so much).

Tony giving us some of that Electrical Engineering talk, I major in it, eventually i would like to build some audio equipment, maybe event the next big thing liek the distressors, 1176 and stuff. I have a long way to go...BTW THIS IS POST 1000 CONGRATS TO ME

[phillysoulman]

Originally Posted by Keyflo

Tony giving us some of that Electrical Engineering talk, I major in it, eventually i would like to build some audio equipment, maybe event the next big thing liek the distressors, 1176 and stuff. I have a long way to go...BTW THIS IS POST 1000 CONGRATS TO ME

Gongrats...and on V Day no less.

[Bob Olhsson]

What I don't like is cheap digital or analog sound. Great clean gear doesn't make everything sound cold.

I also think saturation is way over-rated.

[H-Rezz]

i agree with Bob ......

I think the tendency is to blame digital or clean gear and compensate with some sort of saturation device , be it hardware or plug-ins , when all a certain sound needed was a bit of hi-end taken of the top with eq , that way it keeps it's crispness without adding needless harmonics that if overdone can cloud a mix into a sonic mess ....

I also agree with Tony and Ben, there is a misconception that tubes will give you a warm/fuzzy sound , this can and often does come from other parts of the design .......i have a Manley Tube Direct box and i can tell you it's very clean and quite hi-fi sounding, in fact hitting a mic input with a transformer makes a bigger difference to the colour than the D.I. box alone ......

I think choosing your sounds wisely can have a bigger impact in the overall perceived 'warmness' than a tube interface of some type ....YMMV.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by H-Rezz

I think choosing your sounds wisely can have a bigger impact in the overall perceived 'warmness' than a tube interface of some type ....YMMV.

Its a hold over from the 80's & 90's mentality of having someone or something "fix it in the mix".

The problem is that someone with that some studio is financially unobtainable for some so they want the same input but for less to no money. Problem is that kind of experience & talent comes with a price.

But the way to compensate is to start with the best sources and choose the sounds wisely so they fit in a well placed arrangement, but that takes someone with great ears & experience, henceforth someone who is probably successful and henceforth someone who charges a boatload of money.

The best advice for someone who wants to develop this kind of ear is to go work/assist someone who is successful on either front and learn & absorb as much as you can from them.

[eddierodriguez]

real analog tube gear

[azwun25]

If there was a choice of big iron transformers I would have picked that so I didn't vote.

[Mr.HOLMES]

Here comes mine.

First there is a rating already in your question:

Clinical digital sound?

Times are over where we had to use low resolution plug ins and bad converters even midrange converters today does not sound clinical or harsh. The best plugs for me are those who try to emulate Solid State gear gear which aim it was to sound clean no saturation etc.

Ok saturation is nice to get a nice RMS level but it stars to be overrated here at GS.
I think there is nice expensive tube stuff out in this world which have nothing to do with not sounding clean or better trying to clean as much as it can sound clean.

We have digital EQs today which are good enough for a great sound so do not worry to much about the stupid digital vs analogue hype we have here.

My best experience I still make with the Waves SSL EQ and the Waves SSL Bus Comp after this I go out in one unit called SPL Charisma to get a slight of a breeze saturation...just for the taste....also tubes do some natural widening to the sound and the slight of the breeze saturation keeps the reverbs a bit more alive.

I mean what is the next step a 12 K reverb unit?

[rogerbrain]

Originally Posted by PinnacleProdUK

I myself prefer the warm analogue sound and would put everything through tubes if i could... but some people dont like this sound and prefer the clean digital sound with no saturation. What do you prefer and why?

EDIT... but do also agree with keyflo below that some sounds need to be clean without saturation.

I don't get it??

1- are we asking about Digital emulations of tube stuff?? IMNSHO they sound very fake.

and why are we equating saturation with analog??

why is digital 'clean' and analog 'warm'???

I have some (actual outboard) tube gear that is C L E A N and transparent and does not saturate, and some Solid State stuff that has a lot of charactor. I have compressors and limiters that 'saturate' both tube type and Solid state (analog)

or are we exploring the difference between pretend tubes and analog emulators in the digital domain and things that don't pretend to sound 'analog'

don't get me wrong .. I use plug in's and record to a computer and generally mix ITB ..but it laffs me up when I hear about analog sound from plug ins.

I generally go for absolute clean on most tracks and choose a few to put a 'colored' sound on.

[rogerbrain]

Originally Posted by azwun25

If there was a choice of big iron transformers I would have picked that so I didn't vote.

still waiting for the BIT (big iron tranny) plug in

[Tibbon]

How about this one: Analog- for most things it still puts the smackdown on digital.

Tube vs solid state is a nonissue if things are done right, and not all tube stuff is wooly and 'warm'

[Lifted]

Some things sound great digital dry, some things sound great analog saturated.

So little bit of both. Depends on the record. Worst digital dry song to me is The Game ft. 50 Cent - How We Do. It's so dry and boring to me, but some dig it.