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Topic: Your favorite analog warmth plugin (Read 3288 times) previous topic - next topic
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Your favorite analog warmth plugin

Hello friends.

What is your favorite analog-warmth plugin that you use on foobar2000?

Re: Your favorite analog warmth plugin

Reply #3 –
For playback nothing at all, I'd rather hear the audio how the artist intended. In mastering client's projects, nothing either. I have actual analogue hardware for actual analogue warmth, so don't need plugins. I'd swap in an instant if the plugins sounded as good, but there's still a way to go, IMO.

Re: Your favorite analog warmth plugin

Reply #6 –
Quote
I have actual analogue hardware for actual analogue warmth, so don't need plugins.

Hello darkflame23. Can you write the names & models of your hardware for analog warmth?

Re: Your favorite analog warmth plugin

Reply #7 –
You can see a list of most of my gear on my website, but my hardware mastering chain consists of a pair of Chandler Germanium Compressors, a Thermionic Culture Pullet passive EQ, and Chandler TG2 dual preamp (make up gain for the passive EQ), and a Dangerous Music Bax EQ. That's all nestled between a Crookwood mastering DAC and ADC loop, with an RME HDSPe to talk with the PC, and ATC monitoring. The chain has ten transformers in total, for stereo, which imparts a lot of the colour I think, and depending on the gain staging you can get a variety of results from extremely transparent to extremely saturated, or anywhere in-between.

The chain's been in place around a decade now and I have mastered literally thousands of tracks/hundreds of albums through it. You can see a list of some of them on my Discogs page (search for Gregg Janman or Hermetech Mastering), or I would be happy to post some links to things I have mastered that are on Bandcamp if it's not too OT. But TBH in mastering, most of the time I am going for transparency or almost subliminal vibe, rather than overt saturation.

[EDIT] See links in my signature.

Re: Your favorite analog warmth plugin

Reply #8 –
Hello darkflame23, as I could understood, you are a music producer, I mean you produce music. I'm not producer, only a listener; so
can you suggest hardwares for listening only, that gives analog warmth?

I mean, when I was a small boy, there were no CD's, no digital audio. My father was listening music from vinyl's from turntable, and analog tapes from a Grundig machine.

I can't forget their warm+natural sound even after 30-35 years, and I can't find this in digital audio. Therefore I interest in analog software+hardware, in order to get some near to vinyl's and analog tapes.

"I would be happy to post some links to things I have mastered..." -> I'll be happy listening your works, if you can upload; thank you.

Re: Your favorite analog warmth plugin

Reply #9 –
Quote from: darkflame23 on
You can see a list of most of my gear on my website, but my hardware mastering chain consists of a pair of Chandler Germanium Compressors, a Thermionic Culture Pullet passive EQ, and Chandler TG2 dual preamp (make up gain for the passive EQ), and a Dangerous Music Bax EQ. That's all nestled between a Crookwood mastering DAC and ADC loop, with an RME HDSPe to talk with the PC, and ATC monitoring. The chain has ten transformers in total, for stereo, which imparts a lot of the colour I think, and depending on the gain staging you can get a variety of results from extremely transparent to extremely saturated, or anywhere in-between.

The chain's been in place around a decade now and I have mastered literally thousands of tracks/hundreds of albums through it. You can see a list of some of them on my Discogs page (search for Gregg Janman or Hermetech Mastering), or I would be happy to post some links to things I have mastered that are on Bandcamp if it's not too OT. But TBH in mastering, most of the time I am going for transparency or almost subliminal vibe, rather than overt saturation.

[EDIT] See links in my signature.
I am also looking for vst plugins if they can add some   depth and warmth to lifeless digital tracks.
Darkflame23 can i ask you some question, its possible to restore dynamic range of digital tracks, if they were raped by loudness war producers witn your equipment?
 

Re: Your favorite analog warmth plugin

Reply #10 –
Quote from: Levent on
can you suggest hardwares for listening only, that gives analog warmth?
I can't forget their warm+natural sound even after 30-35 years, and I can't find this in digital audio.

"I would be happy to post some links to things I have mastered..." -> I'll be happy listening your works, if you can upload; thank you.

As I said, despite offering a couple of freebie VST plugins to try out, I haven't personally found any software that sounds as good to me as the hardware I use. If you want the warm analogue sound you seek then I'd recommend a nice front end for your hi-fi/PC audio system, but they usually don't come very cheap. You'll need to trawl some hi-fi forums and see what kind of hi-fi preamps and power amps people are recommending these days. Look for terms like 'Class A', 'transformer balanced' or 'all discrete', make the choice between tube or solid state etc. No guarantees without listening though.

There are also lots of great kits if you are handy with a soldering iron, for bringing some analogue warmth back to digital recordings. e.g. https://bottlehead.com/

Some stuff I have mastered that may perhaps have a bit more of an 'analogue sound':

Eno style Ambient/Jazz/Piano:
https://anotherfineday.bandcamp.com/album/a-good-place-to-be

Jazz:
https://tuffsoundencoding.bandcamp.com/album/music-from-abbey-in-the-red

Spoken Word/Ambient:
https://boomkat.com/products/loyalty-does-not-end-with-death

Chill Out:
https://boomkat.com/products/loyalty-does-not-end-with-death

Re: Your favorite analog warmth plugin

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Simon_ Thunder on
its possible to restore dynamic range of digital tracks, if they were raped by loudness war producers witn your equipment?

Not really, no. I mean there are tools that might be able to take things sound slightly better (Expansion for example, or Clip Restoration), but they would need to be setup carefully for every individual track. Once the damage is done, it's done. Best to try and seek out music you know hasn't been crushed to death, if you don't like that sound. Lots f good references on the Steve Hoffman forum, for example, for the best sounding pressings or releases of particular albums.

Get a really good analogue front end or vinyl system. Again not cheap but results are worth it, for me.

Re: Your favorite analog warmth plugin

Reply #12 –
Hello @darkflame23. Now I listened to your works, thank you.

I most liked the first one (a good place to be by another fine day); really nice & professional sound.