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07-09-2017, 09:36 AM
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#1
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 135
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sound shaping factors and mystery plugins
In general, as far as I understand, you can shape a sound via frequency (EQ), dynamics (compressor) and saturation (sat. plugins).
If that is true, i should be able to do things like some "mistery" plugins like izotope Neutron, Overloud Dopamine, Tape machine simulators etc do with standard plugins like EQ, compressor and saturation plugs?.
so what for do I need such plugins, except for convenience?
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07-10-2017, 02:20 AM
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#2
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Near Cambridge UK and Near Questembert, France
Posts: 22,754
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Not all EQ/Compressor/Limiter/etc plugins are created equal.
The way the various adds and subtracts are applied, the curves, Q factiors et on EQs, NOW the vasrious comprssion algorythms are applied...
If you never used hardware FX this IS difficult to "get" but there really IS a huge variation in all the various combinations. And then there is exciters, saturation/distortion plugs... they ALL bring something to the party & it is up to you to decidfe if it is soemthing you want or not. Happily most plugs are available as demos these days.
__________________
Ici on parles Franglais
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07-10-2017, 02:34 AM
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#3
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 11,052
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You also have time/pitch/phase - wow & flutter on tape sims, modulation effects, you've got internal crossover filters to affect different frequency ranges in different ways, you have hard clipping, soft clipping, different flavours of saturation, you have different compression envelopes that distort in different ways, different mixes of even and odd harmonics.
Regardless, convenience is worth a lot to me. If I have a sound in my head I want to reach for something that will get me there with the least fuss, I don't want to spend a couple of hours getting there just to find I've lost that creative impulse down a rabbit hole of geeky tweaking.
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07-10-2017, 10:10 AM
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#4
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,293
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OTOH, if the fancy analog-modeled plug is almost what you want, but just needs a little tweak to one of the "hidden" parameters that are hard-coded in, then all you can really do is reach for another that hopefully is closer, but that of course will quite often change about everything else, too, so...
I really tend to stay away from those things. I don't need my compressor to also filter and distort. I can get that elsewhere, add them where I feel they're needed, and have much more control over that character than if I just trust some plugin developer to set it where they think is best. Maybe I'm just a geek. Maybe I'm a control freak. Maybe I just don't like what amounts to surfing presets when I know what I want and how to get it.
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07-10-2017, 10:24 AM
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#5
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 11,052
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ashcat_lt
OTOH, if the fancy analog-modeled plug is almost what you want, but just needs a little tweak to one of the "hidden" parameters that are hard-coded in, then all you can really do is reach for another that hopefully is closer, but that of course will quite often change about everything else, too, so...
I really tend to stay away from those things. I don't need my compressor to also filter and distort. I can get that elsewhere, add them where I feel they're needed, and have much more control over that character than if I just trust some plugin developer to set it where they think is best. Maybe I'm just a geek. Maybe I'm a control freak. Maybe I just don't like what amounts to surfing presets when I know what I want and how to get it.
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I think there's room for different approaches
I rarely use presets, and never for EQ or compression, but I do like "tone boxes" with a minimum of controls. If I can achieve the effect I want with one plugin, I'm happy to pay for the convenience rather than use 5 plugins to get a similar effect.
There are situations where you simply can't replicate what a single plugin is doing too, due to the signal chain. Compressor emulations that distort dynamically in relation to gain reduction being a prime example.
I get why some people dislike that approach, and prefer to be in direct control of every facet of signal processing, but I think it's a good thing that not everyone skins a cat in the same way.
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07-10-2017, 11:53 AM
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#6
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,293
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Judders
I think there's room for different approaches
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Definitely! I'm not trying to say that either way is right or wrong. In the end, all that matters is whether it sounds the way you want it to. Nobody actually cares how you got there except maybe a few other nerds looking for tips and tricks.
I know what works for me, and I happen to agree with the OP's premise.
Quote:
There are situations where you simply can't replicate what a single plugin is doing too, due to the signal chain. Compressor emulations that distort dynamically in relation to gain reduction being a prime example.
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IDK, I think anything is possible as long as you break it down into small enough components. Between the routing capabilities, Parameter Modulation, and the vast number of great utility plugs that Reaper comes with, it really is possible to build some pretty convincing hardware emulations. That's part of what I love about this DAW!
I guess it's kind of the difference between something like a minimoog and like an actual moog modular. You can get the same sounds out of both, but the latter gives you more options and finer control and is capable of subtleties that the former isn't.
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