Watch This Before Buying ANALOG GEAR In 2024

Explore the choice between analog hardware and plugins for music production. This video covers budget considerations, equipment selection, and building an effective mix bus chain. Discover the unique magic of analog gear and its impact on your sound. If you're debating analog vs. digital, this video provides valuable insights

⬇️Hire me for your next project here ⬇️

🔹 Social Media:

[ThatProMix]

Thanks a lot for watching! Are you thinking about buying analog gear soon? Which unit do you want to buy?

[gravityfreaksmusic]

You are making some really good points here IMHO. I also started as a plugin kid and gradually bought the hardware pieces that got me specific sounds. One thing I always liked to consider was versatility. I think, the Fusion and pieces like the 6176 or 4710d are useful in many applications. I use my Fusion on the master bus, on single buses and for tracking. So i get a lot of mileage out of that one box. With every time I use I get to know it better. So, if a musician is ready and hot and we are looking for THAT sound, I can just dial it in quickly. That in itself is a whole other dynamic than sifting through my plugins, puling one up and finding a setting. A piece of gear like the 6176 is not cheap, but it will give you great sounds for years and you will really get good at finding sounds. In the end, no listener will ever care what gear you used. On the other end, having a specific piece of gear around can help a musician nail a great take, and THAT, the listener will totally care for. :) Ramble *over*

[noegostudios]

Quality analogue gear from mic to monitor is definitely a game changer in my experience. . I've done it all over 35 years. Even tape.
Tape although a great sound, has it's obvious limitations. One being cost. Two being lack of editing.
Investing in analogue processing for betterment shows clients you mean business as well. Its very cool we have emulations of just about everything now. I just believe its now become accepted rather than the same. Especially if you aren't recording organically with mics and wires. So why not just tell your client to save their money and buy plugins and learn to use them? Why pay an engineer or what we call today "producer" In fact thats anyone who has an Imac now I have witnessed. Call me old guy ranting. Ive had years to enjoy the good stuff. Analogue gear is still outselling plugins overall. Sure its more but I dont think its going anywhere soon. I'm not saying anyone is wrong here. Do what you want to do. Just don't assume people should follow your methods. I enjoyed your video thanks. Its an going argument and you gave your reasons with class.

[WhitecloudAudio]

My beginnings were similar to yours. Started off plugins only, and eventually moved onto a hybrid recording and mixing setup.

The biggest advantage to hardware is with compression specifically. After using dozens of plugins, it becomes apparent that hardware compression reacts more naturally with the signal than their digital counterparts.

Especially on the mixbus.

[MarkyGoldstein]

It's actually best to get good instruments and a good preamp, if you are tracking. And good microphones for each task. It's the start of the signal.

[sekritskworl-sekrit_studios]

What do you recommend regarding stageboxes to bring mic lines back to studio from booths?

[michaelgray]

Just stumbled across this, super useful.

The biggest problem I have right now. Is plugin wise, I have a beast of a system running well over 30 tracks with instruments running with no bouncing, zero latency / slow down.

HOWEVER, I'm now moving into the realms of recording drums / acoustics and the want to re-amp. I have some very clean converters on my RME UCX II. But without any outboard gear I'm already at around 11 IO's (excluding drums alone), worried I'll start running out of IO quite quickly if I were to bring in things like a 500 module (Cranborne ADAT) for my vocal / guitar strip to run through the 500 modules to get more of an analogue tone. This isn't even factoring in things for the mix bus.

Then there's the obvious fact that it feels like I'd then end up having to upgrade to something like the UFX III which puts another few G's just to get that additional IO / Madi.

[KS]

Which Mic and Pre are using for your Voice ? Sounds really natural and smooth and non distracting .

[rishis]

I am more or less in the same boat as you are, I have been mixing in the box for close to a decade and recently started going hybrid for exactly same reason that you mentioned - the mixes were not going to the next level with plugins anymore. I started my analog journey with the SSL Bus+ and its been the best thing that I did to my mixes in a very long time, the previous one was room treatment several years back. The glue to the final mix that this compressor creates is no where close to what plugins do. I have often heard that plugins are weak especially in the area of compression when compared to hardware and I could very well hear that now ! I am currently looking for the next piece of gear - I am not sure analog EQs will make a lot of difference since plugins are very good esp at surgical EQ and I already have a dynamic EQ on the Bus+. So looking at stereo channel strip like carnborne EC2 which can be used on the mix bus as well as for tracking. The content in this video is very genuine, practical no-nonsense stuff very useful for beginners in the analog world. Thank you.

[gitarman]

Channel Strip for me Neve Shelford Channel Strip diode bus comp, red blue silk one of Rupert’s finest designs

[brianzielkeii]

Great video. I am the target audience for this. You make me think differently. I started with an apollo twin. Great unit, but i didnt like it because i became aware that it wasn't a great AD/DA converter. I considered the purchasing order in the opposite direction. I started with and rme card for the computer to get into AES and avoid usb or thunderbolt. Then I got a high quality 8 channel AD/DA converter. Then on to getting a stereo analog preamp pair. Then good mics. As soon as I had that my ability to record well exploded. I then got an Avocet and a pair of focal monitors...again awesome. Except the preamps, I don't consider that I have made any investments in analog gear so here I am watching your video. Do I get compressors and EQs for my preamp so I can print the best possible tracks, or do I invest in mastering gear for the mix bus? Does this change your opinion? What do the input outputs look like for mastering gear? Basically I don't understand how to efficiently go from computer to gear to computer to my Avocet. Too many options.. paralysis by analysis...

[kmmusiclab]

This is a great informative video. I have been making music since 1992 and it was all analog hardware based back then, computers were used (if you had the money for it) but only for sequencing and it was very basic at best. You couldn't edit audio as easily as today and there were NO plug-Ins. I personally have a HYBRID studio now and prefer that workflow over the completely ITB approach. But you have address all the other things to consider if using outboard gear, like space, recall, and especially the cables which will be a HUGE expense. Like you I have quite a bit of outboard gear and will never go completely ITB. For me I think the investment is better in the long run. I sell and buy new gear frequently to upgrade to something else when I want, you just can't do that with PLUG-INS....I have so many plug-ins that have "DIGITAL DUST" as you have said, that are just worthless now. The main advice I hear you saying is be very strategic with your purchases, and think LONG TERM.

[kioskohz]

NIce video! The almost unlimited possibilities of plugins decreases the creativity. It is recommended to work with few gear that you know well, than with an extended amount of gear. The line that draws the musician to a collectionist is very thin. Pretty much what you explained.

[AyoMillz]

Very informative video... all great points... at around 7:30 I was wondering why you didn't opt for a patchbay instead of an additional interface

[DeviHisgen]

I am researching a good setup for myself and it looks something like this:
-Black Lion Audio Seventeen
-Art pro VLA II
-Behringer Exciter
-IGS audio 825EQ
-Tegeler Varitube compressor VTC
-SPL vitalizer
-Erica Synths Zen Delay
-Herritage Audia LANG PEQ-2 Equalizer
-Black Lion Audio PG-2 Type-F (for power)
-the t.racks Power 8 IEC VA (also for power)

I own a Presonus Quantum HD8 interface and I already have a SSL Fusion.

[shevyjohn]

i started with plugins now im hybrid which is the way to go keep in mind having high quality converters will speed up mixing as it removes that dull sqaushy sound its like lefting the blanket away you can heat the plugins like reverbs work better translation works better cheap interfaces will make you work harder and longer you want to make fast decisions my current gear is a neve summing board a maag eq4m dangerous compressor im also building my own compressor using high quality parts my music now sound amd hold up like major releases it takes lots of work and training

[mialarssen]

Informative Video. Thank you :) ... Are you Moroccan ?

[andreyandrey]

Thank you, my thoughts on this issue simply coincide word for word with the opinion you voiced. There is no doubt anymore, I plan to purchase a Warm Audio Bus-Compressor as my first rack-mount and analog device!

[notes_]

This video came to my life at the right time! You made the explanation very personal and understandable, I have mixed and mastered in the box for 12 years and Like you said, for the past 2 years I dont think I’m improving when it comes to output. I’ll invest into a mastering compressor and EQ to upgrade my mastering. Thanks for such a wonderful video.

[vektacular]

My only analogue device is an Avalon 737 vst pre amp but it is awesome! So Awesome lil Wayne borrowed it when he came to Buffalo….but I enjoy plug ins for the most part…..I don’t think they’ll ever get you the exact sound you want just with plug ins.