Getting some outboard in your life

Trevoire520

Trevoire520

Member
Mar 24, 2007
5,053
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48
Fife, Scotland
So I got a few DBX compressors fairly recently, and finally got chance to properly use them in a mix I'm working on.
Can I just say. WOW!

I've always kinda figured that everyone says plugins are getting good these days and that the gap between them and outboard must be pretty miniscule. But I was really very impressed with how much better these (very cheap) outboard compressors sounded. My drums instantly sounded bigger, fatter and better than I'd normally get from plugs. I also got a nice bit of dirt from the outboard that I've never really had with any of the plugin comps I've tried.

I have read on gearslutz that some feel compression is something that plug ins haven't quite managed to emulate properly yet, and while it's perfectly possible I'm looking through rose tinted goggles at the moment I feel I can see the validity in that statement now. These are my first pieces of outboard but I can tell they certainly wont be my last!

I know alot of guys on here are working entirely in the box. But how many of you have some outboard in your setups? How do you feel they compare to plugins?
Does anyone have some outboard eq's? Or is this something that's better itb compared to compression?

Share your experiences with outboard! I'm feeling some major GAS coming on!
 
Definitely made a big difference in my mixing I feel, just running through a nice piece of outboard without even adjusting anything adds depth and weight to the tone. Not that I'm anti plugin, still use a ton and they can sound great too.
 
I've got a few outboard comps that I've started using while mixing alot more. Got a DBX 160xt, FMR RNC, LA audio 4x4 and a Joe Meek VC3.

I definately feel they sound better than any of the plug ins I use. Just seems to be more character and depth than the plug ins. I can't wait to get a better interface at the end of the summer to get the most out them since my conversion isn't that good.
 
Aye sent some bass track through them too. Don't quite have the same wow factor as on drums I think but still works well.

You tried them on vocals at all? Or drum room mic's? Trying to figure out what other applications they might be good for.
 
Trevoire520 said:
Aye sent some bass track through them too. Don't quite have the same wow factor as on drums I think but still works well.

You tried them on vocals at all? Or drum room mic's? Trying to figure out what other applications they might be good for.
Click to expand...

Nah, mostly bass and snare drum. If I use an outboard compressor on vocals I usually patch in my FMR RNC. Not a lot of vibe in the RNC, but it does its job well. I think I did try the 163x's on rooms at one point, but wasnt blown away. In a different room and in a different context they may work well though.
 
I´m using my distressor in mono pararel bus where I send my snare and bass, a neve 8802 St on guitar bus and a mini tube desk where I insert a SSL bus comp...hardware adds a nice bite to my mixes too, for what I knoe Ermz uses a bunch of of hardware on his mixes.
 
For give my ignorance but all I've ever known is to record to a DAW and have it stay there except for shitty reamping, how exactly do you rig a daw with outboard, an fx send>return kinda deal? Then real time mixdown or pre-mixdown bumping?
 
JamesNorman said:
I have a DBX 226xl I got off a mate for £25. Anyone had good results with them?
Click to expand...
I've used them live alot. They're good enough for that but I've never used them in a studio context. For £25 you can't really complain to be honest. The overeasy mode should get you in the same ballpark as the 163's I expect. Give it a shot and see how you get on.

Cryo114 said:
For give my ignorance but all I've ever known is to record to a DAW and have it stay there except for shitty reamping, how exactly do you rig a daw with outboard, an fx send>return kinda deal? Then real time mixdown or pre-mixdown bumping?
Click to expand...

The way I've been doing it is to send the track out of pro tools and then bring it back on the line ins and record it to another track. Though I saw a video showing hardware inserts on PT9 where if you send out of output 5 to the outboard and return it on input 5 aswell you can just use it as a normal insert like you would with a plugin. Not sure how latency and buffer sizes would work into this though (I'm assuming ADC will sort it out?)
 
Thanks Travis, btw, your old tiny terror died a spectacular death. When it went (with no warning at all) it took out the HT fuse, the power tubes and the output tranny all at the same time.

Got a seriously old school tech to look at it and he said that the soldering was dire, it was actually pretty loose from the board. Anyway he's re soldered the whole thing, replaced the OT with a Vox AC30 tranny and thrown in an FX loop, all for £150. Oddly without me asking him too. :S (he's an old boy at 76 years old who learned his shit in the army, so I forgave him)

Thought you might get a kick out an update, before he said he'd ordered the parts I was just gonna buy a cheap toaster and shove it inside the terror, so I'd at least have the coolest toaster ever.
 
I'd REALLY like to get some outboard gear, because it just seems like it would be so much easier for me to adjust, but I honestly just don't understand how to incorporate it into a digital setup. I've gotten good at using the plugins, but I find I get pretty lazy and just use presets I've made before most of the time, because moving shit on a computer screen is a lot more tedious than it needs to be. Physically having a unit in front of me to move the dials and to be able to hear the results in real time (instead of changing a setting and then clicking play every time - Or only being able to change one setting at a time, very slowly, with your mouse while it's playing), would be SO much more gratifying!
 
I am using an hardware ssl comp clone on my masters.

I also have the waves software.

The hardware is way more 3D and it reacts totaly different.
If I am hitting the hardware hard I have to mix totaly different.
Its like this. If you push something in volume which is in the center too much, everything else in the center falls apart.
In parts where the guitars play alone the volume rises sound way more natural.

I once made a short shootout between a friends hardware api 2500 and the my software.

The api was DAMN close
 
Cryo114 said:
Thanks Travis, btw, your old tiny terror died a spectacular death. When it went (with no warning at all) it took out the HT fuse, the power tubes and the output tranny all at the same time.

Got a seriously old school tech to look at it and he said that the soldering was dire, it was actually pretty loose from the board. Anyway he's re soldered the whole thing, replaced the OT with a Vox AC30 tranny and thrown in an FX loop, all for £150. Oddly without me asking him too. :S (he's an old boy at 76 years old who learned his shit in the army, so I forgave him)

Thought you might get a kick out an update, before he said he'd ordered the parts I was just gonna buy a cheap toaster and shove it inside the terror, so I'd at least have the coolest toaster ever.
Click to expand...

Holy shit! Sorry to hear that man!
Admittedly it would have made an awesome toaster, but it's much better off still being able to make noise though.
How you getting on with the Viper dude?

Soundlurker said:
Drum clips? :)
Click to expand...

I might fire up some clips if I get a chance guys. Watch this space.
 
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