Manley/UA Vari-Mu drum bus comparison. Hardware or Software?

A quick A/B of a Manley Vari-Mu and it's UA counterpart on a drum bus. Other than the small difference in the Threshold knob the settings were pretty spot-on.
It's cell-phone video quality but there was no time for an actual camera set up...

[@theredfaceofficial]

Suprisingly close compression, hardware has a little more low mid weight, tad more air. But overall the UAD version is decent, and if followed by a stereo hardware EQ unit with some transformers, probably get you even closer.

[@DDPAV]

Absolutely agree with you, without the YT compression it's even more obvious but still pretty impressive in general. Thanks for watching!

[@TheDonzizi]

The plugin wins hands down by two metrics (hear me out lol): 1. It is VERY close to the hardware and if it is tweaked right (not matching setting for setting), you can get the same sound of the hardware 2. It is 5% of the price of the hardware! No brainer. The listener on airpods on Spotify could never tell the difference haha!

[@DDPAV]

If we mixed for what Spotify listeners using AirPods could hear we'd save thousands of dollars and just use stock plugins..... I agree they do sound close and if I hadn't picked up my Vari-Mu 25 years ago I might not be inclined to put out that kind of cash today since deliverables are mostly just streaming anyways......👍

[@Astr-w6y]

Very close, HW has slightly better transient response and weight, though I would be quite happy with the plugin.

[@DDPAV]

Bang for the buck it's hard to beat the plug in, and throwing it on multiple channels is affordable and does a great job. For me, the hardware lives on the master bus for mixes though, that's where it's worth the extra $$. Thanks for watching!

[@PatchDog]

You should always try and match the units by ear and never just settings. That being said the transient response of the Hardware is much more pleasing and natural than the plugin. This generally is the case for all Hardware vs VST comps

[@jaketanner109]

You can't go exact setting between hardware and plugin...too many variables. Try and match the "sound" to the hardware instead of with settings.

[@paulmolive1821]

The hardware kills the plugin!

[@DDPAV]

It's definitely worth the extra expense if you can afford it- in my studio it's the single most used piece of gear I own. Thanks for watching!

[@SXTWLVE]

​@@DDPAV still using the vari mu alot?

[@DDPAV]

@@SXTWLVE Absolutely. Every single mix gets it. Probably 30 cuts since the video was released.

[@SXTWLVE]

@@DDPAV wow dope. Yea. I demoed a few years back but didn't know what i was doing. It sound great here

[@nascarfan9538]

The name is cool 😎

[@riktascale4]

The elements sounds fatter to me running through the hardware.

[@DDPAV]

I'd agree. To me there's a "weight" to the hardware you don't hear in the software. The software has its conveniences but for me hardware is worth the cost. Thanks for watching!