Studio Hardware vs Software | Are The Klark Teknik 76-KT, EQP-KT And KT-2A Really Any Good?

[@robertoj.fernandez2189]

The audience will never guess what gear was used to make music, but they will identify in an instant if they like it or not.

[@PresentDayProduction]

Exactly, thanks Roberto!

[@StenOlleMoldau]

Please please, do not stop! You're doing audio reviews the way it should be done and I really hope you guys have the energy to continue, love it!

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks for the kind words, we’re glad you love our videos! We’ll keep them coming!

[@SuperAroaro]

I'd recently decided to scrap my 2A-KT, 76-KT, pair of EQP-KTs, Neutrik patchbay and SKB road rack - and (of course) got the panic poos: "Is this perhaps a really stupid self-destructive thing I'm doing? Will I regret it?" Your video helped to strengthen my resolve. I'm hocking off the lot. What I'll keep: two colourful preamp strips, one split channel/stereo compressor, my Dangerous Music D-Box. The rest of the hardware units can go.

[@kitmendoza8059]

Thank you for the generosity, skill, craftsmanship, humor, and honesty in your videos. What comes across is two guys who love to output good art by any means necessary.

[@okay1904]

Within such a short time, this has become my most trusted audio engineering channel. Honest advice, from people who are not aiming to sell you something, with decades of real experience. Love this channel

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks for watching our channel! :)

[@ronaldirawan3643]

ITB in 2020 is far different from 2010. I leave Production stuff for 6 years and in 2020 i come back. I hear lots different. Even free stuff sound great. The thing is how much do we understand the material and the tools its self. Thanks to the channel for convincing me too.

[@PresentDayProduction]

You got it. It’s about how you use the tools, and the music you’re working on.

[@ArguZ72]

Probably the most valuable video in the interwebs... Go buy speakers guys...and rock wool :)

[@credman10]

Excellent video my dudes, deserves a lot more views

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thank you!

[@unclemick-synths]

6:50 you'll love it - especially with those speakers.

[@spike3505]

I didn't know you guys existed until you popped up in my suggested box, and I'm glad I took the time to watch. Brevity, knowledge and humour are great for making interesting and watchable videos and you guys appear to tick all the boxes. We're living in strange times and not just regarding recording and production, the Wuhu Flu has decimated live work and studios seem to be closing at quite a rate which is great for the musician looking to either set up or add to a recording studio at home. I think quality as opposed to quantity is the way to go, both for hardware and plugins. SUBSCRIBED.. Looks like I have a back catalogue to go through..

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks for subscribing and watching our videos, we hope you enjoy the wormhole of PDP’s content! Always more in the pipeline!

[@freakkyt]

Great review, detailed, unbiased and wise with the advice of not being obsessed with the tools and not being radical in the hardware vs software battle. I would like to drop 3 notes, just for accuracy: 1) The comparison with the silverface 1176: the 76-KT actually aims at cloning the blackface 1176LN (or maybe the G-1176 clone) 2) "the Pulltec EQs feature passive inductors" VS "the KT unit features surface-mount components" The KT also uses passive inductors. They have been tested to be not 100% accurate to the original on the high freq Qs, but otherwise they still follow the same passive inductors approach 3) "and the circuitry is very different" True, although not because of SMT vs PTP components, mostly because of the removal of the interstage transformer. Again a solution that can be traced back to the G-Pultec clone by Gyraf audio, which all these clones (WA, KT, ...) appear to be basing their products on. I ordered an EQP-KT mostly to see how it colors guitar preamps when tracking but mostly, as you put it, to have fun with it!!! Thx again for the great tests!

[@PresentDayProduction]

Many thanks for your comment, please let us know what you think of the EQP-KT when you get it!

[@naimabid]

I'm really amazed! You really are a great channel! I adore what you do. Thanks.

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks so much, it’s so encouraging to hear this!

[@unclemick-synths]

I've been trying to get back to the speed and fun I had recording with my Tascam 244 and part of that was processing on the way in. Experience, taking care, and test recordings are the best precautions against over-processing.

[@intersweat]

You guys are on fire. I see this channel taking off in the second half of 2020. In fact it’s already the best thing that’s happened in 2020 :) Not that that would be hard to do :)

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks so much for the comments, we’re glad you enjoy it! We’ll keep making great content :)

[@trapboihustle5009]

This channel is on of the best on KZbin...Thanks

[@tobysuniverse]

Great video... This was a question i had for years

[@gfromshankside]

BRILLIANT!!!

[@jo_ey]

I'm hooked to this channel! Great content.

[@rars0n]

The Cranborne 500R8 seems like the best combination of hardware and software for someone who really wants to integrate hardware in a nice package on a reasonably small budget. The 500-series market offers a large variety of modules that are easy to swap out if you want to try to create a different sound, and with 8 slots available, there's theoretically enough room for a two channel setup including preamp, EQ, compressor, and something else on both channels. But since it's also a full-blown USB interface, you can even use it without any modules at all, but still use the inserts to plug in external gear like guitar effects or running audio through a synth filter. There are a bunch of cheaper 500 chassis out there, and while some of them seem really nice, when I looked into the capabilities and flexibility of the 500R8, I was a little bit blown away. For everything that it does, you're probably not going to find all of that functionality in a single 4U rack setup, let alone for that price. Yeah, it's $1700 but when you factor in the cost of a USB interface with as many inputs, you're easily looking at $700+ alone, just for that, so all of the extra functionality seems worth it IMO. Rack units are nice but to have a bunch of rack boxes sitting on the desk is not that ideal, nor is routing everything and plugging everything in! IMO 500-series gear is the way to go for minimal fuss and budget options for anyone wanting to get in on the hardware game. The 500R8 is but one option, although having everything in one box makes it the ideal option IMO.

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks for your comment Adam! I personally find 500 series units generally too cramped for my appallingly fat sausage fingers, but appreciate I’m probably in the minority there!

[@matthill263]

I'd love it if you did a video about analogue summing. I've found that summing through a nice desk sounds better than summing in the box and don't really know why, could be the introduction of harmonics, could be that the way it puts the soundwaves together is more analogous to the way soundwaves combine in real life. My friend who is an audiophile and an IT guy was skeptical but at first but when we A/B'd the mix with two different methods of summing he agreed that the analogue one sounded better. I'd love to hear your take on it.

[@SuperAroaro]

Hi Matt. I've recently gone through a similar phase of questioning.. all analogue desks will impart a degree of character during summing - even a home-made passive line mixer will, depending on its componentry - though I don't think rushing off in search of a schematic (or buying an old Tascam line mixer with failing capacitors, noisy pots and RCA connectors) is wise. My compromise: a second-hand Dangerous Music D-Box which is now totally integrated with my Presonus Quantum 2626 interface. What the D-Box does, as I have it mated with the Quantum: analogue monitoring, recording, mixing and summing in real time *with no latency*. None. There's an excellent tutorial video that describes how to route the D-Box with a rack-mounted UA Apollo. That method of connection is nearly identical with my Quantum interface. So my software component rests on a grunty PC hosting both Harrison Mixbus 32c, Cubase 10.5/11, and scads of native pluggos; Softube Console Mk2 and Softube Fader (to satisfy my inner dinosaur's need for knobs and faders) - while the D-Box's DA converter is easily the equal of Presonus's (which is already very good), offers monitor switching, and the analogue summing options I wanted.

[@moa2252]

Actually really liking your channel. Just keep on being seriously funny !

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thank you for watching!

[@VoxJ]

Another great one. Thanks!

[@RaunoPaananenAudio]

I agree totally! Nice job!

[@Robert_Babicz]

great channel

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks Robert!

[@Robert_Babicz]

@@PresentDayProduction thank you for the great work you put into the videos, its really fun watching them at the studio for relax

[@DC-ti3ci]

Great production values topped off with 'dry' British humour! Keep up the great work, you're easily one of the better channels on YT!

[@PresentDayProduction]

It’s great to hear you enjoy our videos, you certainly can’t beat a bit of dry British humour! Thanks for the compliments, we’ll keep the great videos coming!

[@DC-ti3ci]

Bloody top quality!

[@11dzoni11]

great video , cheers!!

[@ArmanArmondo]

Amazing stuff mate

[@herrfu]

You guys are so great! Love the philosophy of your studio :)

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks Philipp! It’s comments like that that make all the effort worthwhile, so a massive “thank you”!

[@riktascale4]

Your studios are beautiful

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thank you, Miguel! We will be doing a studio tour video in the coming months

[@arcelonofficial]

Awesome video! Love you're content. This Is litterly my favourite channel right now! I have a question: when using a digital mixer as an audio interface how do you send audio to external hardware? Does it work like a normal audio interface where you just send a channel thru one of the outputs and it comes back to an input.

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks for your question! Yeah it works the same as with a regular interface. So send your channel out of some kind of send, then route it back into a spare channel. With our hardware units we connect them via a Focusrite Claret 8preX as the converters on that are insane, and you really don’t lose anything even on multiple trips in and out of the DAW. We use the utility/IO plugin on Logic Pro and have that set up to send and receive on the same channel - a la an insert point on an analogue desk. That means we can easily patch hardware in and out just by changing the IO plugin. Hope that makes sense!

[@arcelonofficial]

@@PresentDayProduction Thanks for you're answer! On the omputer side: do you use the Studiolive as inputs and the Clarett as outputs or do you have som kind of aggregrat device between the two?

[@PresentDayProduction]

Arcelon Yeah, for recording where we need plenty of inputs, live band sessions etc, we use the studio live with a rack version in the live room acting as a stage box - that gives us 32 inputs remotely over cat5. The downside of the studio live is that it’s output converters as a USB interface aren’t the best. And latency over USB is atrocious (over AVB it’s much better). So we generally use the Claret for overdubs, and always for mixing. We actually filmed a whole video on this yesterday and are editing tomorrow, so watch out for a video on it in the next couple of days!

[@gmreynoldsjr]

How do you guys feel the EQP-KT would do on the mixbus with electronic music? Added benefit?

[@PresentDayProduction]

Michael Reynolds For the fun factor maybe, but I don’t really think I there’s any sonic benefit

[@MikeBaum]

You guys are so refreshing. I recently unsubscribed from a different recording channel. While the host is very knowledgeable, he yells a lot and berates his viewers and it just kind of killed his show for me. I teach a studio class and students that behave that way usually feel like they have something to prove because they aren’t that confident in their skills. You guys knock it out of park without having to hammer it over our heads how much you know. Thanks!

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thank you Michael! We’re glad you enjoy our videos, and thanks for watching! We just want to share our knowledge to help everyone out.

[@garyshirinian]

Hi , thx for sharing. However there was another video about KT 2A which is a different unit, that one had lost of distortions and you had to do upgrade to it. What makes KT 1176 in that aspect, is it better build then KT 2A ? . Thx and hope you can get back to me with this. I want to buy one hardware, I was thinking of Warm Audio. Then KT Came in the picture so from last video from your studio . Now I'm thinking. Thx again.

[@quiquepuche6393]

I had the same issue and did the Kenetek upgrade but when I opened the unit to do the swap, I realized that the tubes were not sitting properly in their sockets (distortion issue?). I placed the tubes properly in their sockets and now the distortion is gone and the unit sounds great.

[@garyshirinian]

@@lightafluident.9950 thx for the advice. You're right.

[@carloisidoresalcedo6325]

Pls review softube's "classic channel" simulation of 3 techtube equipment. Thank you!

[@PharaohLawLess1]

I like that song 'Thinking 'Bout You'. Where can I get it?

[@gmreynoldsjr]

That singer has got the Curtis Mayfield!

[@PresentDayProduction]

Michael Reynolds Yeah, Andy’s great! Check out Mamas Gun and Young Gun Silver Fox for more of him!

[@BarbaraYoung-n5q]

Walker Jose Martin John Allen Anthony

[@jakobole]

Yup - the end-user doesn't give a rats ass......"Ah, so that overly boring vocal was tracked with such-and-such hardware you say? NOW I like the song MUCH better"

[@aaronsmyth7943]

Give us a tune then.

[@EdmundDwight-i8o]

Miller Gary Wilson Kenneth Thompson Kenneth

[@michaelrice6620]

So your telling me you buy all that expensive hardware just for looks and fun? But you guys think plugins sound better? Sorry but i doubt thats the honest truth.

[@PresentDayProduction]

Some hardware sounds better, as was demonstrated in our Pultec review and 1176 reviews from last year, however with the cheaper hardware, plugins often do sound better. In terms of whether we use the hardware or not, the honest truth is that we never turn the hardware on.

[@michaelrice6620]

@@PresentDayProduction so then how do you get such width and depth because i find just using all in the box seems to sound very flat n often thin. N before people start giving me the “you just need to get better with your tools” speech, what im saying is noticeable to anyone that has used both.

[@PresentDayProduction]

One personal way I (James) have found to get a huge sound from plugins is to pick one style and use it across the project. Pick one compressor and one EQ, and use it everywhere necessary. This emulates how an analogue desk performs and thus gives it a uniform sound as everything is being manipulated with the same characteristics. Obviously there are cases where you'll need specific tools for other areas, but as a general rule I try to stay to one version of each plugin per mix. It really helps me.

[@SuperAroaro]

No, that isn't what you're being told - and it isn't what they did. If you'd payed attention you would know that the Present Day Productions crew hired/sourced a fortune's worth of classic hardware units from FX rentals, borrowed a Hairball, and used a pair of Klark Teknik 76-KTs for their hardware/software shootout.

[@michaelrice6620]

@@SuperAroaro first of all hairball and kt is cheap hardware. Not to say they sound bad but a kt76 is not comparable to a ua76. I have a hybrid studio myself with real ssl gear, neve, api, even some warm audio and more. I didnt buy it cause it looked nice. People dont spend nearly 100k on a mixing board because they like the space it takes. N its not because they just want the faders. Ill tell you even my ssl ultraviolet will blow any ssl eq plugin out of the water, there is no comparison. Dont get me wrong the plugin is great for small stuff and is not a horrible thing to use. But to say it would sound better than a good hardware unit?? Come on man

[@joesalyers]

I gave the video 2 thumbs down followed by 1 thumbs up. Because I was undecided about how I feel about the conclusions! 👉🤪👈

[@PresentDayProduction]

Thanks for the 2 thumbs down, one thumb up!

[@bigmacmillerlite8775]

Boooo Hisssss Analog gear 4 Lyf3

[@PresentDayProduction]

Hisssss indeed! 😎

[@awedee.0]

you can easily hear the differences, but...