Brent I have enjoyed your comments throughout this thread.

I also found the lack of meter and drop in volume sooo annoying. I have the Berich Density and when I am over the other side of my studio playing piano and recording regularly through the Density I can see the meters moving and... there is no drop in level either....

The Density looks like a great piece of gear.

But apart the cumbersome workflow of the Zulu. How would you describe both units? How different they are in normal usage?

It took me a while to realize that as well. Even when I thought it was the cat's pajamas, I would never run a full mix through it. After listening more critically to some tracks recorded with ZULU a year or so ago, I realize now the high end was ruined. They were recorded with the bias knob at 12 O clock. Maybe my ears are changing or something but I'm not even loving the sound of tape on everything anymore and only use tape on a track here or there (bouncing the track to tape and back). I guess it's taken me years to learn how to make digital sound good.

As far as hype GS doesn’t hype people do and Zulu is fine. Where people got/get in trouble is pre ordering. That’s a crapshoot and anyone trying to save money off brand takes chances.

Nothing wrong with people loving something and being enthusiastic about it.....! There are also lots of products that are great even though the people behind them spin out.....

Isn't Bias at 12 o'clock taking out a bit of the high end?

The bias knob is really counter-intuitive. The most transparent setting is all the way clockwise.

It certainly is if you’ve ever adjusted bias on an actual tape machine. Which makes me wonder if the designer ever has.

So no one has had success with using the Zulu to profess a full mix? I felt like I’ve read plenty of guys saying good things about processing a full mix through Zulu. Has everyone now found it to be not such a good idea?

Some people seems to like it, like FTRSHK on the last page, that have even compared with other tape emulation gear.

Other users have said here that are using it on the 2-Bus, or as a limiter/soft clipper not many days ago.

I have used Zulu to process entire mixes with great success. It's next to impossible to A - B to quickly determine exactly what is is doing...but more often then not I am pleased with the way my mix sounds when Zulu is in the chain. Whenever I am not completely satisfied with my mix Zulu has yet to be the problem. I too use it last in my mixbuss chain.

Just dropping in here with a couple quick questions, as a guy who just hooked up a Zulu for the first time.

1) If I have, say, a drum bus running out to the Zulu and back into my DAW, is it a bad idea to raise the send signal until the drum bus channel is clipping? I've heard the Zulu needs a hot signal, and while normally I wouldn't clip a channel in the digital world, is it perhaps not the same thing in this case because the signal is going direct to the Zulu, where a loud signal is needed?

Another way I could ask this is, how are you getting a loud enough signal to your Zulu (short of using additional outboard gear pre-Zulu)?

2) Is there a good reason why it would not be advisable to run a finished master into the zulu, back into the DAW, and then just use a transparent limiter to get the master back up to the target volume level?
I'm in the middle of mixing/mastering a band's album and would like to knock down the transients/add some saturation using the zulu, but I've already mastered half of the songs.

Thanks

Based on my limited time with one...

Yes, it's a bad idea.

I couldn't, without using analog outboard gear.

A good tech-based reason? No. You could also Normalize and skip the limiter.