£3000 Compressor!!! - Is it WORTH IT??? | Noize London

[@NoizeLondon]

Remember peeps there are a lot of great in the box mixes with digital gear and a lot of terrible analog mixes... its not the gear, its what you do with it!

[@austrianmountaingoat]

Hey Dude I think you forgot to link Alex.

[@dannycaliforni4780]

"It's not the gear; it's the ear." This man knows what he speaks of.

[@NoizeLondon]

Love that quote ;)

[@audiokemestry]

I got 2/3 on the A/B comparison. One thing that I've learned with using analog gear---which you also demonstrated in your video--is that the magic doesn't usually happen when you get a single piece of gear used in isolation (especially a compressor). Assuming you already have good converters, the magic really starts to happen when you have a signal chain of 3 or 4 different types of analog gear, and you experiment with the right order for those units---until you find the sweet spot where they all work together and add their own specific harmonics and tone to the overall sound. That's when you REALLY start to hear things that BLOW your mind (and plugins) out of the water...and make you want to remix all of your previous music that you did in the box. That said, Dangerous gear is overpriced IMO. I picked up an IGS Tubecore 3U (gently used) for just under $2k and its incredible.

[@NoizeLondon]

I'm with you on all of the above - also tubecore looks awesome!

[@turfoid7899]

Its waaaaaay better. People invest in hardware, cos hardware not only offers better sound 99% the time, bjt mixing out the box makes u way more inspired than mixing just in the box.

[@dmccoyny]

I got the first two right. The last one I liked the Kalatnikov (sp?) better. So maybe that's just my brain liking the first compressed track I heard each time (A). Hmm

[@NoizeLondon]

Tricky isn’t it?

[@Adarkjet]

I certainly did not hear 3 thousand worth of difference. I’m definitely pick up the TDR. Thanks.

[@Adarkjet]

I totally agree

[@NoizeLondon]

These compressors are designed to be subtle, there isn't a magic button that makes things sound £3000 better, they just help you get to a polished sound faster. So if your time is worth £3000 then it can be worth it :)

[@skymanbeatz6601]

@@NoizeLondon Do yo thing the dangerous compressor work better than the Tegeler creme compresser and do you think the Dangerous Compressor it's the perfect match with the SSL Fusion ? Actually I hesitate with the Tegeler creme , or the Dangerous Compressor + SSL Fusion (After your really nice test on the fusion)

[@kiboards1830]

r e m e m b e r (youtube isnt l o s s l e s s)

[@benjamin_hill]

@@skymanbeatz6601 I’ve tried both. If you have a fusion, I’m would get a Tegeler VTC before either. Low end separation and placement that I haven’t heard elsewhere. (And I’ve tried a lot of gear)

[@LeSonduGrec]

I was completely WRONG ! But i actually prefer the way the katalthing (unsayable) sounded on the example. Just personnal taste ! Thanks for the video

[@NoizeLondon]

Hard to tell them apart isn't it!! Thanks for watching bud - I see you're here a lot so appreciate your support

[@joshmallit2203]

Im ready to sell my dangerous after watching this and get the free plugin. Ill do some tests first, but i agree, it didnt even seem close. In the first example the snare seemed super choked on the dangerous

[@NoizeLondon]

I’ll buy it dude !

[@whogotdubs]

I preferred the Kotelnikov comp on all 3 examples. It sounded way more open and transparent than the hardware.

[@NoizeLondon]

Yep its more transparent but lacks some vibe IMHO

[@whogotdubs]

Noize London I guess it’s a question of taste really. Sure, the hardware was nice but not all that versatile to my ears. It has some nice character on the top end but nothing you couldn’t approximate with some clever use of saturation in the box. Not to mention the impracticality of it all! It’s just an unnecessarily specialised and over-expensive piece of equipment IMHO. Fun though if you can afford it!

[@NoizeLondon]

Hahaha yes very fun indeed

[@whogotdubs]

@@NoizeLondon Listening on my monitors at home and I'm actually enjoying the hardware on example 3 (as a master comp). It hypes up the mid-tops in a nice way and adds a sort of subtle stereo movement that brings the track to life. Love the videos mate!

[@bluematrix5001]

The K sounds cleaner and boring

[@yohami]

I picked the hardware each time - for people saying the subtle difference is not worth the price, remember each fx stacks! process each track with multiple plugins vs hardware and you end up in very different places

[@NoizeLondon]

It’s simple but sounds great

[@donkeyfacekilla1]

Video starts at 5:58

[@MrWhosYourDad]

If you own a hardware comp, u should always record stuff through it specially vocals. Which plugins won't do unless u have thunderbolt interfaces with minimal latency.

[@NoizeLondon]

Agreed!

[@vatsalismusic]

Reaper easily handles this issue

[@paulmolive1821]

I got all 3 correct. The difference, I think, is in the midrange. It pops more on the hardware. The hardware also seemed to tame the sibilances in the voice. The s-sounds on the plugin were a bit more harsh. On the third track, it was mainly the stereo imaging that gave it away, but the mix bus was there it was actually less obvious with the 2:1 ratio. Maybe more even compression on the “sides” with the hardware. Maybe the attack being on medium is a bit too fast (still) for mix-bus duties? I’d be willing to bet that the Dangerous imparts more of a character to the sound with higher ratios, maybe sorta like a 2500.

[@sunnyboner676]

I just recently purchased the Dangerous Compressor. In may ways, I feel that gear inspires people to use it more often, record more, be more creative, etc. I would have a tendency to play guitar a lot more if I were playing through a proper guitar / tube amp vs a crappy Squire Strat and junky transistor amp. Same with recording equipment... I feel people would record more if they were say to use a really great studio condenser mic through a proper mic pre, decent compressor than the alternative of using an SM57 through a cassette based 4 track multi-tracker. If the gear appeals to you, you’ll use it more often and it will inspire you to be more creative.

[@torocruz1192]

Sometimes things don’t sound but feel, gel better etc this also applies to plugs

[@effyiew7318]

I went for B, A, B. The first one, I thought the percussion lost bottom but it had a nicer stereo field so I went for that. Example A I thought hit harder but sounded mono to me. Was kind of surprised to find out it was the hardware since the loop had such a narrow stereo field in A, but that's how it is. On vocals, I chose A. You could hear instantly why the Dangerous is worth the money - the vocal on the TDL sounded "cheap" to me. It's most evident in how with the TDL compressor, it sounds like the vocalist gets shoved up in your face and boxy, while on the Dangerous it sounded like velvet. It had a way of killing the harshness and opening it up. On the last example, the mix, I chose B which was the dangerous. I thought it lost a little bottom end compared to A but I thought the stereo field was much wider and also it killed the harshness and made the top end sound like silk. It was most evident to me in the hats. In the A example, the hats are almost unlistenable - they feel like icepicks in my ears. On B, the hats sound like silk and the harshness is removed (even though they switch sides!). So I was willing to trade off the loss of low end in exchange for not having hats that rip my head off. So for me, I went TDL, Dangerous, Dangerous. I can hear where the money goes though - the dangerous has a way of killing harshness and making the top end sound like pure velvet.

[@NoizeLondon]

Hard to hear also on KZbin. Thanks for watching though bro! :)

[@effyiew7318]

​ Noize London Yeah, it's true that the compression on youtube isn't always the best. It's never really about what something costs but whether something fits your aesthetic and if it's worth the money to give you that result or save time. As it is, in most of my responses you'll see that there isn't so much a clear bad or good but rather everything is a trade-off - there is no free lunch - and I chose which trade off fit my aesthetic. For example, in the last one, One mix had better bottom, but the other one had a silkier top and a more open sound field. For me the trade off I'm willing to make was for the one that had the silkier top. I tend to be very sensitive to high freqs and while the hats to me are almost unlistenable because they're so spiky, it's also possible that someone that isn't as sensitive to high freqs would rather have the hard hitting bottom instead because the hats won't bother them. For the vocal, what I consider boxy and claustrophobic, someone else might consider presence. For the most part I actually do like what the dangerous does, feel that an EQ in the sidechain can help the bottom, and can understand the price - I have no problem spending on hardware if it does something I like - there are still questionable choices made in its design. The anemic 60 hz / 6db sidechain is one. Another is not linking the att / rel in stereo mode. That's a head scratcher. I hear how dangerous explains it but honestly, I've mixed a lot of records and never one have I ever thought to myself, "Man, I wish I could have a different attack on the left". They try to play it off like it's stereo and dual mono but it's not really dual mono because there's no independant in/bypass for each side, no choosing hard or soft knee for either side, no choosing if you want the sidechain in or out independently for each side, etc. so it's not really a dual mono. They push it as good for mastering but recall is fiddly at best - I mean it should be switched at the very least, but the att / release isn't even ganged. Talk about a recall nightmare. The problem is that when you hit the USD $2800 mark, there's a lot of really good competition. There's the Bettermaker mastering compressor which has ton more features than this (including peak and RMS compression), a built in parametric EQ in the sidechain, and is instantly recallable over USB. There's also the Buzz Audio SOC-M which is a mastering optical compressor. Granted it's optical over VCA, but still at roughly $2800, it's got built in M/S ability, it's very fast for an opto and great for masterbus, and EVERYTHING is switched and accurately recallable. It comes with Lundahl transformers but if you want ultimate transparency they have it available with an electronically balanced output. Anyway, I've gone off on a big enough tangent as it is. Thanks for the test!

[@Boguszmusic]

Woah I'm surprised but I really liked Kotelnikov better - especially on vocals. Cool vid !

[@NoizeLondon]

Thanks bud :)

[@PlugInGuruVideo]

Very easy to tell the difference. Listen closely to the transients and they POP thru the speakers. HUGE difference worth far more than the asking price if you're making big records.

[@NoizeLondon]

We only make BIG records here at Noize ;)

[@rainerpandolfi1767]

by the way the plugins from TDL are extremely good. And they are not that "modelt after ...trash" as 85% of the plugins, they are build and concepted by there target they want to hit and not as a No 1000 emulation of a piece of hardware.

[@NoizeLondon]

Yeah they’re great - been using them for a while :)

[@Gamervidsman2000]

Guessed everything wrong, but then again - I had no idea what that plug-in sounds like. I just assumed the compressor would add more body/boomyness to the low end. But no, it was the other way around. The hardware is incredibly transparent - it even makes the plug-in sound less transparent. But really close regardless. But if my assumption was the other way around, then I would've been correct 100% lol (but I had no idea what the software sounded like).

[@dasdeck]

The difference is very obvious, if it isn't for you, check your ears or monitoring. not saying that it is neccesarily an important difference, but it is clear as day. I personally love the gooey sound of these kind of analog units, but if you don't, good for you, saves a lot of money and headache. also, to be fair, the kotelnikov is not known (nor meant) to sound exciting.

[@THEdavidschockett]

I got it! It's so hard to quantify the difference, but I would describe it as "breathing" a lot more. The plugin sounds pretty dull to me comparatively, and there seemed to be a kind of airiness (in a pleasant way) to the hardware compressor. I'd love to see more A'B comparison videos like this! Thank you for all the work that goes into these :)

[@NoizeLondon]

The dangerous has this nice natural feel to it, an open transparency that isn’t boring - loved it!

[@ReformedWhiteKnight]

I preferred B,B,A ... just my cheap taste then I suppose ;-)

[@ernieg]

Shit, Me TOO!!

[@ReformedWhiteKnight]

@@ernieg Hahaha, I was listening for that elusive expensive sound, even closing my eyes to fully immerse in the sound and try to not be distracted by any visuals ... and ended up choosing the cheap ass free plug-in!! ;-)

[@ernieg]

@@ReformedWhiteKnight me too! I just dl it. I will say , maybe the compression by KZbin has a bit to do with it. But the reg Joe blow fan does not care.

[@NoizeLondon]

So subtle isn't it ;)

[@ernieg]

@@NoizeLondon yes I wish the price was also.

[@cidicorp]

Got them all right! I feel you could really the dangerous in the more “grainy” sounds(snares, vocal die-off). It added push and a certain color while the plugin didn’t. Definitely felt that it sounded more alive with the dangerous!

[@NoizeLondon]

The Dangerous is an absolute gem... also looks great - thinking about building a GSSL from GOLY instead of buying this though to be honest!

[@alessandromicale]

The vocal was the trickiest (probably because it was mono) but the difference in space is huge... Those 3k opened up the sound especially on hats and snares 😅 GG Fabio.

[@NoizeLondon]

Amen brother - I agree!

[@sjkdhgalgci]

One possible explanation to the increased width in stereo tracks might be that the hardware processes sides independently. You probably didn’t use the plugin in dual mono mode?

[@NoizeLondon]

Exactly that bud, the compressor is dealing with each signal independently!

[@NoizeLondon]

I didn't use it in dual mono mode nope

[@DavidRobertsOfficial]

I've owned one of these for a few years now. I can say if you're looking for it to change your sound then forget it. It's best used for dynamic control before running into a digital limiter. Let's me push my mixes to the next level without sounding like ass. Also I like using it for parallel compression on my drum bus.

[@leonard.c]

damn, i‘m proud of myself except in the vocal part where I couldn’t hear any difference at all, I guess right although I‘ve been listening on my i phone speakers. I guess this speaks for the compressor!!

[@nundale7273]

HUGE difference! It barely compares. Transparency, punch, stacking, layering, everything is fundamentally different in the way it "feels"

[@chillydill4703]

Fun video! I got 3/3. The last one was only because you said the hw added some stereo spread to it :) But it was most noticeable on the vocals, they felt a bit more "open" in the low-mids with the hw compared to the plugin, who felt just a tiny bit muddy there.

[@sixthfloormemories1566]

Is it worth it? My bank account says no! My inner gear nerd says yes!

[@NoizeLondon]

hahaha its quite beautiful isn't it!!

[@molem348]

Hey Fabio, I may be mistaken but on the last test the high hat panning moves from slightly right on the dry and A then to left on B examples and the white noise gated effect finishes on one side then the opposite on next.... did you have the left and right inputs or outputs reversed on the Dangerous? I thought it was the hardware adding stereo width to begin with? Love the channel mate! :-)

[@NoizeLondon]

Hi Craig, You know what I might've done that by accident but thank you for picking up on it! The hardware adds stereo width due to its independent L/R processing. Thanks so much glad you like the channel hoping to bring you much more very soon! Best, Fabio

[@dronbana]

I thought it was just me, lol.

[@MrPhilipmcclenaghan]

If you have to concentrate 'that' hard to hear a difference, then it's definitely not worth 3grand 😂

[@NoizeLondon]

Haha not a bad point but subtleties cost $$$ unfortunately

[@obsidiantrumpet8418]

First example A had more attack, but liked sound of B more. Second example A had unpleasant coloring in hi end, B a little bit cleaner. Third example I liked A more because it lifts the background up in kind of the right way idk it sounds way fatter and that's what a good compressor should do, lift RMS level. Heard the test on handy speakers, will come back tomorrow with studio headphones maybe. Thanks for the work very interesting

[@NoizeLondon]

No problem man thanks for watching!!

[@Funkojazzist]

Great) I've preffered A,A,B. Listened on RME FF 802 + Neumann KH120. On drum and mix loops difference is really obvious. On vocal not so obvious, but Dangerous comp. sounded just right and polished.

[@NoizeLondon]

It’s pretty isn’t it

[@riktascale4]

Dangerous: 1 A, 2B, 3 B . I liked the plug on the vocals more that's why I thought it was the Dangerous on no. 2 but the plug was B on no. 2😃

[@NoizeLondon]

Tricky isn't it!

[@matthodges]

Got 1 and 3 right, 2 seemed trickier. I just get a hint of analogue warmth, even if it is mostly transparent. I could watch those needles bouncing all day. Something compelling about them! Thanks, Fabio.

[@NoizeLondon]

Something here for you.... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colavita_visual_dominance_effect Video on it coming soon! Enjoy ;) haha

[@matthodges]

Hence mix with your ears, turn off that spectrum when EQing, etc.? Should be an interesting vid. Looking forward to it. 🙏🙏🙏

[@JoeCandidoGuitar]

Interesting on drums the B sounds so wide that highs look out of phase...

[@Astr-w6y]

Very close, had all three right, though I heard a slightly bigger low end with the hardware.

[@fergusfindlay1007]

Interesting !! I found the first two quite easy but I got the 3rd one wrong even though the dangerous is meant to be a mastering compressor. I guess the other one is too but I was expecting more of a difference. On the first two the DC sounded slightly more weighty and more in your face. It just added that little something.

[@NoizeLondon]

It's got quite a magical vibe - very unique - thanks for watching :)

[@saardean4481]

In the first comparisson on Drums i find the Dangerous comp completely took out the belly of the snare resulting in a more crispy but no impact on the snare. I must say that the Kotelnikov sounds better there

[@NoizeLondon]

It was difficult to get them sounding the same but I tried haha - thanks for taking part.

[@musicproductionbrauns2594]

I got 1/3. So yeah I like the free plugin more. It sounds warmer and have smoother transients

[@NoizeLondon]

It’s definitely more transparent!

[@musicproductionbrauns2594]

@@NoizeLondon yeah if I would buy a analog compressor it would be one that have a lot of color. Digital is probably the best at transparent processing especially in this days with oversampling

[@NoizeLondon]

@@musicproductionbrauns2594 I'm currently in this situation where I can't decide whether I want something nice and transparent or tubey and coloured. I have a feeling I will use the transparent one on every master but maybe not the coloured one... tricky choice!

[@cameronspears3032]

Before seeing the rest, I prefer A on the first test, assuming there will be more tests. A sounds bright and punchy. B is very similar, but sounds more dull, less lively.

[@NoizeLondon]

There will be more tests but with different compressors :)

[@lauriecooper5824]

Very nice, could hear the difference straight away. In the drums, the snare was very fluttery in the free plugin and the percussion elements were less present. In the vocal, the plosives were a lot more defined on the plugin which made the vocal feel a bit cheap and also a lot less character. Interestingly, on the master it was most evident, but the hardware was worse in my opinion. Just took all presence away from the mids and the whole mix felt hella more muddy which is funny cause it seemed this was why it was bought. I would deffo have this for vocals though, the character is lush but, as you said many times, still transparent unlike a 1176 or some other traditional vocal compressors. Whether 3 grand is worth it, depends how much stuff you already have, how much money you make from music and how much use you would realistically get out of it really.

[@NoizeLondon]

Also the settings could be rather subjective - perhaps with more time I could’ve made each individual part sound better!

[@morphoice]

The vocals were hard, but the other two samples had a clear winner. Nice spatial quality to the compression of the Dangerous

[@NoizeLondon]

Dangerous is so subtle but in a v musical way

[@Daminatovideo]

The first two I couldn’t really tell much of a difference. There was something dramatic in the last example that changed in the stereo image and bass. I would bet that there isn’t anything in the world besides audio gear or something free (let’s say $1) comparable to something 3000 times more expensive where huge differences are obvious. Maybe wine and art... Art can be found for free but never can wine be. The only other thing I can think about is if you happen to have that kind of money to throw around, it’s possible that the piece can attract business/audiophiles and may hold it’s value or even go up in value.

[@NoizeLondon]

Beautifully put buddy - thanks for chiming in - and couldn't agree more!

[@MarkSturman]

The Dangerous seemed to add the need for a de-esser on the vocal example. However, in the first and last example, it did a smoother job ducking in the attack, whereas the plugin seemed to breathe noticeably.

[@NoizeLondon]

Its rather unique don't you think?

[@chriszanf]

In the first drums clip, the Dangerous compressor did something to the snare that flattened it more in the mix. Almost like it snuffed it a bit. On the vocals, couldnt tell which was which but then the last clip, the hardware was flipping the hihat over to the opposite channel and dampening some of the higher frequencies. TBH, it didnt seem that transparent and had too much of an impact on the characteristic of the audio that I found negative. I have a little FMR Audio RNC1773 that is much preferable and 10% of the price.

[@nym053]

In the first 2 I liked A the best, because it sounded more dynamic and moving. B made it sound stale. In the last one I also prefered A, but that was because B made the stereo wider and I didn't like that in this example. My guess was that the first 2 was yes the hardware on A and the last one hardware on B. You mentioned that the Hardware does something to the stereo field, so by my logic it was the clear answer. I actually expected/hoped to hear almost no difference if any at all, but wasn't so sadly. Damn it, makes me want to buy hardware compressors, but Whatever :)

[@NoizeLondon]

Its got a particular vibe, the stereo width is due to each L/R signal being compressed independently. Will test another one very soon thanks for watching :)

[@nym053]

@@NoizeLondon - Aarh okay like that :)

[@keithforrester82]

I went for the Dangerous being A, B, A. Seemed to my ears like it added space to the first loop, almost like a reverb!? Where are your mate's details by the way??

[@NoizeLondon]

Message me thru my website link in description ;)

[@Rocket1026]

Oh wow I got them all right! I have the TDR compressor and I knew it would do well on these examples, but man the hardware on the last test really made me want something like it. Cheers mate!

[@NoizeLondon]

It's incredibly subtle but what it does add is so unique!

[@louiseisobelevans]

My choices of what I preferred are A, B, B

[@JEAG]

No transparent hardware for me sir. COLOR or NOTHING!

[@NoizeLondon]

haha nice to finish with sometimes tho!

[@rileyjordan8114]

Exactly, I could only see picking up expensive hardware if it has a colored sound that plugins cant replicate (yet). A transparent compressor isn’t worth $3,000

[@JEAG]

@@rileyjordan8114 I don't know man. I always leave some room to doubt my own taste and ear xD

[@woodzzy1]

I got 1st one right, 2nd wrong and 3rd right....so there goes my answer. Same as you I have a pretty nice collection of hardware synths and I was thinking to get some hardware pieces of gear. I own almost all UAD plugins, almost all Brainworx plugins. Myself I tested UAD Manley VoxBox and Massive Passive against the real hardware, on a blind test I couldn't tell the difference. Yes I was guessing sometimes, but most of the time I couldn't tell which is what. In short, if you have the money and want it.....BUY IT, but I'll tell you one thing, the differences are so, so, so, so minuscule that it really doesn't make a difference. And in a whole mix I bet anyone you won't be able to say what compressor you've used on drums, or vocals, or anything else. Is just a fact. Do analog hardware makes stuff sound better?!?!?...yes, maybe. Can you achieve same results only with plugins?!?!?....yes, 100%. Is all about financial choices, marketing and marketing again. For years I got stuck not doing anything because I was researching what compressor sounds better, what eq is best....when I had the chance to put Manley against UAD Manley and couldn't say the difference, I realized it is all "dust in the wind". Will I ever buy studio hardware ?!? Of course, it is a virus inside my bloodstream, I can't get rid of it. Does it make sense?!? Of course not, but I want it and I can afford it. That's all folks!!!

[@NoizeLondon]

Thanks for your in depth experience with digital vs analog bud. I think what it’s always come down to do for me is “what inspires you” - if that’s a £3000 comp that’s going to give you a mutual work ethos then it’s worth it!

[@sitathomeproductions4136]

Couldn’t tell the first 2, but I liked B for both. For the third, I said A was the plugin because of the snare.

[@NoizeLondon]

got crunchy didn't it?

[@djGreenALERT]

A manual..? I think I might have heard of it, but never actually seen one before!

[@NoizeLondon]

Mysterious isn’t it...

[@RaunoPaananenAudio]

Well well well... if you bounce every track thru hardware, you will hear BIG diffrence between plugins. The sonic character pops up and you will hear the real clarity of good hardware. If using just in master chain the difference is not so big. Example SPL Iron hardware sound really good and the plugin sound all so really really good but still little bit different, but something fits something.

[@NoizeLondon]

I'm with you on that one Rauno :)

[@JeanmarkRodriguez]

My favorite were: 1. A 2. B (vocals with the plugin sounded nice) 3. B I felt the Dangerous Compressor worked better on beats and it might sound great on percussive instruments. Thanks for the video, loved it! I hope we can get more videos like that in the near future.

[@NoizeLondon]

Thanks buddy there will be more coming very soon! Hope you're well. Best, Fabio

[@TribalHead]

Really Amazing vocal with room reflection 🤭

[@psychowsky]

To tell you the truth I thought it was the other way around on the exmaples. At least to my ears the Kotelnikov seems to colorize less the lows, than the Dangerous colorizes the high-mids

[@NoizeLondon]

Its got a vibe that's for sure!

[@tonisruestes5208]

On the third example, the right and left channels seems to be changed when you use the Dangerous. Is that right?

[@NoizeLondon]

Yes sorry that was my bad, I must’ve plugged it in the wrong way although I was sure I checked !

[@NuNonsenseMusic]

On the last, drum sample, the image stereo was swaped on B vs A. That trough me off

[@NoizeLondon]

apologies thats my bad !

[@NuNonsenseMusic]

@@NoizeLondon No worries!! keep up the good work :)

[@rist98]

Aaah, thats what happened. Threw me off too.

[@tyranic1]

The Dangerous definitely sounded a little better. Ever so slightly more in your face with the ambience slightly more pronounced. I wouldn't pay three grand unless i'm making a good living from my studio. There's really good software comps out there and you can have them all over your track. You can only have your three grand hardware in one place. I have hardware pieces that i mix through and plugins too. i love the immediacy and the hands on that hardware provides, same for synths. In the box or hybrid in my case will get you where your happy, imho hardware gets you there quicker.

[@NoizeLondon]

I hear the Acustica stuff is pretty epic :) Hardware def gets you there quicker

[@FortheSoulFtS]

I prefered the plugin on the master bus lol. But the point to this hardware is you can get fckin loud with the appropriate converters. I am not sure you can get the same result with the plugin...

[@shogunai]

Lol, gottem all! Seemed especially obvious on the whole mix for me, and the drums were the ones I found the trickiest, I was only 60/40 on the side of the first one. Vocals were just fuller in the lowend too. Cool test, cheers!

[@NoizeLondon]

No problem thanks for watching !! :)

[@pintademan]

Thanks, on the drums I think that how you use both compressors is so different that I think it's not ideal for a comparison. The last example is much better to compare. I prefer the vibe of the Dangerous. But I prefer much more colored hardware for clients. Hope you got one :)

[@nathanhatter]

I like these A/B tests 👍🏼

[@NoizeLondon]

More coming then ;)

[@toumbas]

on drum loop: hardware sounded more wide and open, but lost some low end. mix: definitely liked the software more, it preserved most of the details. seems that the specific hardware loses the low end information of the original material in general, unless is because of the settings.

[@NoizeLondon]

It was really hard to get the two to 'match' if you see what I mean. I think with more time the DC would become pretty in-disposable... but its whatever your budget and need for inspiration allow!

[@stevesalazar9658]

Would have been nice to hear it against a more popular compressor plugin. Like a waves, uad or even the klanghelm.

[@NoizeLondon]

The Kotelnikov is really popular! Also free... which means that subscribers can grab it without thought. Also its super transparent just like the Dangerous so a fair test.

[@weaselwardance1380]

Was hard to put a finger on the difference, but the hardware version was always preferred

[@NoizeLondon]

Agreed ;)

[@barret1n]

I heard the difference in the drums sample a lot... thru the dangerous compressor it sounded a lot wider and fuller.... the vocals got wider with the dangerous compressor as well. but in the last example, for me, it was the same thing for the plugin and the bax... nice video!

[@NoizeLondon]

I agree - thanks for watching Barretin

[@robertnatiello3814]

I heard a nice difference (different maybe better depending) but I struggle with the 3k vs the plugin and there are many different plugins out there with different flavors.

[@NoizeLondon]

I hear Acustica are making some very tasty plugins that emulate analog gear!

[@kiboards1830]

The individual tracks it really did nothing extra for them, but there was NO QUESTION on the whole track

[@NoizeLondon]

Interesting you say that!

[@compoundaudio]

If you listen to this in a good pair of headphones or decent monitors you will hear the difference, it's not life-changing but you notice, clarity, warmth, tonal difference. I've been a Hybrid user for the best part of 15 years, and seem to have less and less analogue gear now days, I've only kept some real gems like the Avalon VT - 747 SP, Manley Massive Passive, Bax EQ and a custom Vari-Mu Comp. with that said, I do feel that the Bax Comp is overpriced when comparing to what's out there for less, IGS Tube Core 3U, Tegeler Audio Vari Tube, Manley NuMu. Even the Stam SSL Buss Comps are cheaper Anyways, that's my 2 pence :)

[@NoizeLondon]

How's the Avalon - what do you use it for?

[@compoundaudio]

@@NoizeLondon I manly use it mastering as a colour box. Just running through it with the Tube signal path in adds a lush lower mids / lows. But it's also rack dependent. The eq is also nice as the low shelf is 15hz and the high shelf is 36khz so you can add super low weight and very open air

[@jmac2050]

Hope ur friend kept his receipt

[@NoizeLondon]

lol deep

[@rainerpandolfi1767]

1+3 i hit but at the second i was wrong. at the third there was a different at the left side in Panorama in B that a plugin never would do and bei the drums the snare lost some reverb in B ....very interesting thank you

[@NoizeLondon]

Thanks for watching Rainer, glad you enjoyed :)

[@louisjans9450]

"never heard that before from a plug-in" => check out Acustica Audio

[@NoizeLondon]

Will do bud thanks for the recommendation

[@DystopianOwl]

Got them all right. This is a fantastic piece of gear!

[@NoizeLondon]

I love it!

[@DodoMuse]

Is it just me or did you swap the left and the right channels of the last example? The analogue compressor has different stereo information compared to that of the original and software compressor.

[@NoizeLondon]

Yes sorry that was my bad, I must’ve plugged it in the wrong way although I was sure I checked !

[@ctcdvch5539]

in the last example B is clearly flat!!!!!!!

[@Rhuggins]

Who is this beautiful man sitting next to you? Also, more of this content please! I think it would do very, very well. Everyone likes a good analog vs digital shootout

[@SiggiSchuessler]

I do get the point with the free plugins for comparison (although only a few will have that thing) but the main question is about using external gear vs. Plugins, so I think that it is more important to see what a 3K rack Monster can do compared to a high quality plugin for 300$.

[@NoizeLondon]

Sure thing - I just wanted to choose something that was obtainable for the viewer :)

[@KristijanJankovic]

I was really only seeing it making the first example better on the second I could't really tell and on the third the software compressor sounded more clear and open, so for $3000 def not worth it. You can get so much more gear that is way more important that one single compressor for that money. JMHO Great video :)

[@NoizeLondon]

It’s so subtle isn’t it! I enjoyed using the compressor more when pushing it really hard rather than small moves - thanks for watching bud :)

[@okay1904]

Excellent comparison. Educative - that Dangerous compressor on the vocal was dope... definitely something there, something to aspire to when one's mixing talents and clients reach the level where small differences mean big bucks. However good to know that digital plugins and free ones, can be good enough, for those starting out, not to have to spend too much money initially on plugins. It would be great to know what colored compressor plugins - free or paid Noize London would use, if he wanted something colored

[@NoizeLondon]

Will definitely do a video on coloured comps paid and free soon :) Best Fabio

[@okay1904]

​@@NoizeLondon Your product review still has value so keep doing them and posting on Utube. I unconsciously spent the last hour or two pondering on this comparison, while I was doing other things. That's just me, like another CPU or core working in the background, and hours or days or years later it comes up with answers which I was not actively deliberating on. 1. Some types of comparisons, as fair as we try to make them are almost impossible to be equivalent, cos you cannot in this case duplicate the controls in such a way that the operator does not know which "plugin" they are using. 2. In my experience - try as we may, as long as we can tell which plugin, even comparisons of plugins in the box become slightly subjective - simple things like plugin interfaces can change how we hear, and also change our mixing decisions. So in this case we can never remove the emotional and other factors of the operator, their mood, from the comparison. Humans are not robots. So the evaluation could end up being one that is simply a comparison of how the operator reacted to the plugins, rather than a 100% pure comparison of the tools. Here I regard the Dangerous Compressor as an external plugin. 3. Now we are talking external compressors in the analog domain, we have to consider the D/A and A/D chain, which as much as everyone tries to say it does not matter, who knows exactly how the changes it introduces are audible or not audible. At the very least it converts to 24 bits on the way out and we really no longer can compare this to the 64 bit audio chain in the DAW. Some infinitesimal audio quality loss has occurred. 4. And the analog components on the external compressor have their own effect, probably a slight shaving off the high end, slight emphasis of the mid bass, or hysteresis, which is a kind of saturation based on a delay in electrons, where audio at one point in time, leaves a residue on audio that is processed later, kind of like a very very short reverb, or a very very short flange/chorus, making the sound somewhat extended, because analog gear does not respond instantaneously to audio, introducing a pleasant time based smearing. And who knows if this time based smearing is also frequency dependent???!!!! A lot of what we admire about anaog tape is the hysteresis, from a delay in magnetism from one bit of audio to the next, cos magnetism is not instant. I'll conclude by saying, ultimately what is probably more important is which device gives us the inspiration to do our best work? While the basis for this may not be any scientifically proven difference, what's more important is how it makes us feel, for some reason which we may not put our finger on, and we have some faith in the product/process/person/venue, that gives us the result we want. e.g for some that would be recording at Abbey Road. While I acknowledge that it is possible to differentiate may aspects of audio by critical analysis, good products may not necessarily translate to benefits in our workflow. I guess each person needs to take some time to understand their own internal belief system, to appreciate what makes them tick, and what brings out the best in them. And I acknowledge these belief systems do not have to be objective.. My only caveat about free plugins, is the possibility that the download website or license management process is no longer available at some point in time, so not just for free plugins, but for all plugins one needs to develop an Asset Management system, especially for the free plugins, if they become a major part of one's arsenal.

[@mwasie]

I had AAB and chose all the Dangerous compressors. It's so obvious to me on this old laptop speakers. The thing I noticed most was that the plugin sounded essentially 'lifeless' and while it compressed it really didn't improve the sound while the dangerous compressor made things either punchy, or 3D.

[@NoizeLondon]

The Dangerous compressor has some zing doesnt it!!

[@mwasie]

@@NoizeLondon there's definitely a sense of movement and air with the Dangerous comp that i would guess is a,hardware attribution. That plugin comp seems popular but man does it sound lifeless or dead against the hardware.

[@fishbonegaga]

I can't believe it myself , but i found out which one was the hardware on each test. I don't really hear a difference , it's more like a feeling , some vibes in my ears and body , i can't explain... maybe just like you said , a bit more clarity , depth and width . I don't know if it's worth 3000 bucks , but , it makes a difference on the result for sure.

[@NoizeLondon]

Its a feeling thats for sure dude!

[@shevyjohn9308]

I was mixing ITB for years but 2 years ago Ii invested in hardware plugins are good but different it can never give you that polish sound hardware can it cannot replicate what voltage and circuitry does plugin compressors cannot give you that glue hardware does

[@kendallhoulder5139]

i did....the color....that sweet transient...clear top end....and rounded bottom end...hit record like finish.....i heard it....even at the end of the last example...thanks...i gotta save up...need it

[@NoizeLondon]

Save up indeed!! :)

[@amdenis]

I have only recently downloaded the Tokyo compressor for use on a laptop, so I am only lightly familiar with it, but it sounds as if the attack on the Tokyo may be increasing transient hf attenuation a bit more, relatively speaking. A check for this which can quasi simulate the inverse in situations where you want some of the benefits of a fast attack, but need to bring back the openness is to bump 1 dB at about 12K-15K and -1 dB somewhere in the low mids. Just a thought.

[@NoizeLondon]

Use a punchy EQ like an API 550 to bring that punch back in the high end

[@donpoulos]

Aloha folks, what's cracking? For those who thinks hardware is useless, you must try in a proper way in order to understand better the Plug Ins and be able to know better where you wanna go. If you have hardware sounds sources, consider a nice mixer and few hardware like 1 reverb, 1 delay and 1 comp....you will love it . Jah Love PS: invest all you have first in the best convertors and best speakers you can get ;-)

[@NoizeLondon]

Amen thanks for the top tip buddy and Jah Love to you also. That's exactly what I did, good speakers and converters :)

[@momoflows1923]

Am i the only one who hear the difference in stereo width in the third test which gave away that it was the hardware?

[@NoizeLondon]

It adds a little bit of that for sure!

[@hitsounds]

only preferred the hardware compressor on the drum loop!

[@mladenkalinic4274]

Name of background track at 2:42? It sounds awesome.

[@EricNUFO]

Were you not aware around the 7:10 mark that you’re adjusting attack and release but not in manual mode? The green manual light is not lit indicating the knobs you are turning are not actually doing anything...it was still in auto mode.

[@NoizeLondon]

You’re looking at the stereo/mono light there bud not the manual light

[@EricNUFO]

I’m talking about the small green indicator LED just under the Attack and Release knobs, clearly marked Manual, which turns on when you engage the manual attack and release mode. When you are adjusting them around the 7 minute mark on the vocals, the green LED above “manual” beneath attack and release knobs is not illuminated, indicating you were in auto mode, or in other words, those knobs were disabled.

[@EricNUFO]

Page 12 in the manual, if you want to refer to it.

[@NoizeLondon]

Right yes I see now, that’s strange because it seemed as though they were still being affected. If not my bad and apologies !

[@NoizeLondon]

This is not my unit so I can say for sure that the LED is working but again sorry if I got it wrong :/

[@mminjarez]

I heard the dangerous clearly, but no one buys dangerous gear (bax, summing mixers) unless they are ready for micro improvements.

[@NoizeLondon]

Very true dude!

[@alexfont]

mminjarez well, top studios are plentu of bax eq’s and many of their products.

[@Sonicade]

On the drum loop .. the hardware shows the depth, width and reverb much more than the plugin.Very cool

[@NoizeLondon]

Got some good ears on you there Mik! ;)

[@alexikeda1]

the dangerous compressor sounds better in my opinion, but again there is that thing that is a large price difference

[@NoizeLondon]

HUGE! but it’s just one of those things... lots of subtle changes amounts to the bigger picture :)

[@danpeters4182]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you - so much for not talking in between the A/B comparisons. I like the TDR better personally. I'd also like to request a future video - using outboard hardware with Logic / Ableton. Stuff like proper setup to avoid feedback loops and different use cases are what immediately come to mind.

[@NoizeLondon]

No problem Dan - glad you enjoyed it! Got one coming on the SSL Fusion next :) Yeah sure thing I can sort that out

[@danpeters4182]

@@NoizeLondon Thanks man! Looking forward to the fusion demo. I picked up the SiX a few weeks ago and it's top notch. Makes me want to get more SSL gear hah.

[@NoizeLondon]

@@danpeters4182 what are you using the SSL Six for out of interest?

[@danpeters4182]

@@NoizeLondon I use it for a few things (and since the routing is so flexible, I still haven't scratched the surface): -Analog monitor controller. Wanted to bypass using my Clarett interface as my main monitor controller since the volume control isn't analog (volume controlled through bit reduction, blah, blah) -Analog front end for tracking guitar, bass, synth, etc. I typically run my instruments through a Neve RNDI-S > SiX Super Analogue mic inputs. It's made a huge difference in that I have to do a lot less to my tracks in post. -Starting to use it as a summing box for my tracks, but I need to grab a pair of DB25 cables so I can use all the ins and outs properly. It's really nice for this, but since this is my first real piece of outboard gear, I feel like I'm shooting blind sometimes because I'll get some weird feedback loops (hence my request above haha). There's a gearslutz thread for the SiX where people who are far more experienced than me go through their setups / routing. Lots of good info there that i need to unpack. Either way, totally worth it. Might be a while before I splurge on a Fusion, but it's on the docket for sure.

[@Monoed]

Got all 3, the stereo files being easiest as you could hear the width change quite a bit. I have a tegler Creme and it does a similar thing widening and smoothing. The vocal was a bit harder but you could still hear the hardware. The Klark teknik 2a is nice on vox although a little dark(which isn’t a bad thing if you have a bright vocal) and you can get those for the price of a plugin. I like plugins just as much as hardware but there is a difference when you get into the more expensive zone but then it’s a matter of taste and for some styles of music ITB works well. You could also hear the dangerous doing that hardware thing even when you utterly pushed that first vocal. Cool test

[@NoizeLondon]

Thanks man!

[@afterschoolrecords705]

Compressor B sounds much more naturally and would cut much better through the mix than A...thank you for this video💪🏻💣

[@NoizeLondon]

No problem - thanks for watching bud!

[@michaelanderwald4179]

I thought the Kotelnikov sounded sweeter in the first two examples, with a slightly less gritty high end. I really liked the Dangerous on the mix for it's stereo spread in the low end, but since I don't know how the stereo link was set on the Kotelnikov, I think it might sound more three dimensional with different settings and get closer to the dangerous. Both sound really fantastic though. I can't believe what times we live in!

[@NoizeLondon]

Nice to know that there are options regardless of budget :)

[@adamshaw3767]

Hey man. Great channel - can I ask where you got your desk from?

[@NoizeLondon]

The company doesn’t exist anymore but check out Zaor !