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Old 05-02-2012, 08:49 AM   #5
plush2
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Saskatoon, Canada
Posts: 2,110
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Fascinating. I used the ABCX js plugin to do a truly blind test. I think it's the only valid test for answering questions like this. I also thought I could hear a warmer low end and a little more mids in what I assumed was the analog summed mix and this was confirmed by my score jumping up to 66.6666 % and then 100% but after 10 tries I was back down closer to 0% chance of me accurately telling the difference.

I then matched the gains as closely as I could to see what kind of cancellation I could get. The bass does jump out at the delivered file volume level but not so much if one plays with the volume (getting better cancellation). It also seems the vocal drifts to one side (possibly the entire summed center) in, again what I assume is the analog summed mix.

As an aside, someone on gearslutz posted ABX test files of a whole range of analog summed mixes through various boutique and budget boxes for comparison. My conclusion at the end of that test was that if the summing box was doing a good job (not making things noticeably worse) I could not reliably tell the difference. To me it's a net-zero proposition. If I can't tell the difference reliably then what am I benefiting. If I can tell the difference then I'm using the summing as an effect. As a workflow it seems like a random and unpredictable way to achieve an often undefinable result.

just my 2 nickels I guess. (Canada is getting rid of pennies)

Last edited by plush2; 05-02-2012 at 09:46 AM.
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