Dummy Plugins for re-call

[scrubs]

It's probably a good idea for workflow, but what's the incentive for the company?

[colinmiller]

Originally Posted by TornadoTed

I had this idea a couple of years ago and wandered what anyone thinks. It seems even more relevant today with so many hybrid studios about.

It's kind of a modern take on taking a photgraph. How about a 'dummy' plugin that is the same as the front panel of your outboard. Maybe companies could give it away with their hardware.

You would simply stick it in the relevant channel of the DAW and replicate the settings of your outboard on it. When you came back to the project months later it would take minutes to return your outboard to the same state.

I have been doing this for a while. I often use a UAD 1176 plugin bypassed which I set to the same knob positions as my outboard 1176 clone. I also use the Cubase EQ again bypassed to replicate the outboard EQ.

Even better would be for a company to make a plugin where you could design your own panel to your outboard. I'd love to able to make a 'dummy' Soundcraft Sapphyre strip to aid re-call for example.

I know there are chingraph pencils, track sheets ets and every DAW has a notepad you can save with a specific project but isn't this a more elegant solution?

Anybody think this is a good idea or total cr*p?

If it makes you feel better I am in the middle of writing such a program. Except not so much in a plugin format yet (that's in the plans), but more so a web based application that allows you to document all your outboard gear like you do with plugins.

[lowfreq33]

Digital Camera.

[colinmiller]

Originally Posted by lowfreq33

Digital Camera.

That never works really well because the only way for the camera to capture a whole piece is for it to be too far away to get al the settings. And if you move in close, one knob will block the settings of another. Then you have to start taking multiple pictures, and if you have a lot of gear it becomes a big pita. And then having to check to see if you can in fact see all the settings in the pictures...A pultec is a perfect example. It's near impossible to take a picture that allows you to see all the settings.

I tried that for a while and it was just too much of a PITA for me.

[T_R_S]

Screen Capture is built into the OS - Comand Shift 4 then click and drag your mouse over the area you want captured.

[PhiloBeddoe]

Tornado,

FWIW, I do think it's a pretty good idea. I hate taking time for documentation and archiving, and any little thing like this helps.

[TornadoTed]

Originally Posted by scrubs

It's probably a good idea for workflow, but what's the incentive for the company?

I know some smaller studios who don't have outboard because of the inconvenience of re-call.

I'm theorising here but maybe if the hardware companies gave away a freebie that could possibly make their hardware easier to intergrate then maybe they would sell more hardware.

I would buy it if a company made a way to design a plugin to look like you outboard. Surely it wouldn't be that expensive to develop as there is no audio involved only simple static graphics.

[colinmiller]

The reason it wouldn't be any less expensive is because there is so much outboard gear that would have to be done. You'd need at least 100 of em to be usable and individual companies are not going to collaborate.

As I said, I am writing a program to do just this, and use it at my studio. I just have the gear I am using, but could do much more if there was interest. Right now I have a program with pictures of the gear I use that can be manipulated just like you would with a regular plugin, as well as a list of parameters you can just tab through and set (which can be fast and easier than actually turning knobs.

It also keeps notes and information about the projects including where everything is plugged in, delay calculator, sync info,etc . And when moving from song to song, you just copy the settings from the previous songs and only have to change the settings that have actually changed, not start from scratch. And I can have presets of my outboard gear.

I had too much of a problem with my hand cramping up while trying to write down my settings, combined with using pro tools day in and day out. It's still using a computer, but helps keep my hands from getting sore.

[AlexLakis]

I remember there was a thread on here not too long ago where somebody was pimping some free plugins with really good GUI (UA, Manley, etc.) that people were using for recall (I dunno if I'd actually run audio thru the things.) That guy might've gotten shut down for copyright infringement, tho; I can't find the thread...

[Tim Abraham]

I was just thinking this week, after doing another recall, that what I really want is a rack full of digitally (i.e. plug-in) controlled analog gear. Somebody really needs to make this. It can't be that hard--the GR EQ-2NV for instance is digitally controlled analog (and a pita to recall, btw)--why not make it controllable via a plug?

[Jyeah]

Tim, the apogee Ensemble has this, you can change mic gain, 48v and phase all from the computer...

[thecount_x]

Originally Posted by Tim Abraham

I was just thinking this week, after doing another recall, that what I really want is a rack full of digitally (i.e. plug-in) controlled analog gear. Somebody really needs to make this. It can't be that hard--the GR EQ-2NV for instance is digitally controlled analog (and a pita to recall, btw)--why not make it controllable via a plug?

Make it controlled by a plug-in and communicating via blue tooth. That way all current hardware platforms, like my lunchbox, would be compatible. Build the bluetooth capability in to the module itself, and it would be largely transparent. Theoretically. I need more wires like I need to be shot!

[severe]

+1 for any program that can help with the recall of my hardware, as far as documentation is concerned. A program that can write a small file to keep in a DAW session file with all the settings that were used. And for those pieces of hardware that have built in software, one could just document the name of the user preset you used.

But as for software that's controlling my hardware, I'll pass.

[kurt]

Hi.
Apogee Sessiontools has lots of drawings. Portico 5043 has it.
You can quickly mark your settings & save them in session folder.

[colinmiller]

If people are interested, then maybe I will spend a little more time making my recall program more presentable so others can use it. The time consuming part is the graphics and getting photos of the gear. It's not as simple as it sounds.

[severe]

Originally Posted by colinmiller

If people are interested, then maybe I will spend a little more time making my recall program more presentable so others can use it. The time consuming part is the graphics and getting photos of the gear. It's not as simple as it sounds.

Would you accept photos from cell phones?

We can start this tonight!

[peeder]

I posted a thread here calling for well beyond recall...Play-only Plugins!

I believe the plug-in makers will benefit from allowing the use of their plugins universally, you just have to pay for the ability to alter their settings (either via direct interaction, preset loading, or automation).

Thus all your sessions would be 100% universally portable, and wherever you went with them, people would say, "Damn I gotsta get me that plug!"