Why Comparing EQ Plugins Matters | Joe Carrell | Waves, SSL, Brainworx, Softube, Plugin Alliance

[@Producelikeapro]

What are some of your favourite EQ Plugins?

[@queenpurple8433]

Pulsars 8200 and pulsar Modular’s sweet spot EQ are my two favorites right now. If I’m boosting tho, I tend to go with a saturation plugin like Spectre. I love the high and low passes and shelves of p42 climax as well

[@CrushingAxes]

Can't live without fabfilter, maag eq4 is quite nice too, API for guitars and HLS for bass, SSL is always great too!

[@AndiPicker]

Very happy with Cubase Frequency when I want to see a curve, often a channel strip or anything with knobs when I want to encourage ears over eyes.

[@HitTheRoadMusicStudio]

REQ to get "work done", BX SSL 4000 and Metric Halo channel strip :)

[@DanielGlenTimms]

Digging the Kirchoff and still using the UAD Pultec after all these years.

[@GloveBunniesVideos]

This is why having a professional mixing engineer, like Joe Carrell, is critical to getting your song to it's full potential; they not only have the correct tools but know how to use them to their full potential.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you friend!!

[@willjr9133]

After watching Joe and his videos with Warm Audio I was hoping he would create more. Being a PLAP member it’s fantastic to know he is continuing to share his knowledge and helping the audio community. Thank you Joe.

[@ProbablyTooLoud]

I’ve learned more from the PLAP Channel then from all the others. The guest host’s are always helpful and very professional, but down to earth. Refreshing!

[@Producelikeapro]

More to come!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Will! Warren and I do plan for much more to come 🎉

[@wesleybrehm9386]

This is a bit of constructive criticism. It may have been helpful to use editing to switch from EQ to EQ without a stop in between. That way the sound would be smoother and it would be easier to hear the difference between each EQ. Getting the short break in between different EQs made it a little difficult to hear the differences as starkly than if there were smooth transitions.

[@zenluiz]

This

[@dodgingrain3695]

Agreed, this video is largely useless without back to back comparisons.

[@filblinksifeanyi]

I heard them differences

[@kenntakac5034]

I actually like to stop when comparing eq or whatever and I could hear difference with no problem and had a tim to name it and think about it.

[@cuulcars]

Lol Joe "let me play back to back without talking" talks anyway. Couldn't help himself! Maybe this helps: 6:07 SSL 9K 6:20 SSL 4KB 6:41 API 7:02 Neve '73 7:45 SSL 4KG

[@ShiningHourPop]

I always like seeing Joe explaining his methods. It’s the next best thing to sitting at the console with him. Cool dude!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you friend!!

[@grep4]

100%! Thanks Joe for the demo. I grabbed the Bettermaker plugin to help clean up the bottom end of my mix. Good stuff!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

@@grep4 that’s one of my faves. I even bought the hardware. Best wishes!!

[@mallorga1965]

In all these years of watching audio tips videos, this one has to be in the top five to me. Great advice!

[@Producelikeapro]

Wow, thanks!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Awesome to hear. Thank you 🙏

[@Producelikeapro]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell You Rock!

[@milescamilleri]

Honestly I agree

[@TheGarageRecordingSC]

I really enjoy and identify with Joe’s psychology towards mixing. It just makes total sense to me.

[@Producelikeapro]

Very well said!!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you! Have a great week.

[@RONNYMORRISMUSIC]

Another great video from a great team. I truly enjoy these episodes. Thank you for sharing.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@bwall615]

I love the Maag EQ4. That Air Band is in credible. The API 550’s on guitars. NEVE on vocals. And normally running all through the various SSL strips from Brainworx, Waves EV2, and even SSL. Sometimes the wish I didn’t have so many options. Slows me down a bit sometimes. Great video Joe!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you man. Keep rockin!

[@LakshayKukreja11]

The least talked about band on the Maag EQ4 is the 650 Hz. I use it all the time to send things to the back or bring things to the front without having to rely on high frequencies. One click up or down does the trick. It's magical!

[@smujohnson]

Thoughts on the same emulation (4k SSL) on Waves vs. bx_?

[@ProbablyTooLoud]

I have an instance of the Lindell 50 Series on every track, but I can see the value of another strip for flavor. The BX KNIF Soma EQ is my fav. Auto Listen is amazing!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching!

[@MPHORROCKS]

Great to get some insight and critical objectivity on what can be a 'muddy' topic.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

I see what you did there 😂 thank you for watching ✌🏼✌🏼

[@mcpribs]

I love the BX 4000E on about everything. Varying the THD knob makes a huge difference. If I still need something different, Kiive Warmy is cool, and the Amek EQ200 is invaluable. Other than that, I’ll often use some saturation, or insert a compressor , that has a color, to change it up, sonically. Excellent topic and execution by Joe! Thanks!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Love all those choices. Thank you man ✌🏼

[@Wileylikethehawk]

I’m such a sucker for the SSL. I’ve been using those plugins for years and years.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

You and me both. Hardware or software I can’t get aways from that midrange punch. Thank you for watching.

[@smujohnson]

Which one? Waves?

[@marceloribeirosimoes8959]

WOW!!! That's one of the best videos about these characters, EVER. So easy to get it... Thank you, guys!!!!!!!! Obs.: The BetterMaker and the last SSL in the end of the video seem to be almost 1.5dB lower... ...of course, that's me.

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

I think i had no added output gain or trim on any of them but I’m full of ability to make mistakes! 😂😂 Thanks for watching!

[@marceloribeirosimoes8959]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell Hahahaha.... Thank you guys for replying... ...and for great times, like this.

[@allpdmusic]

Great video! Joe is a wonderful teacher. This video just proves that everything is program dependent. Your "tried and true" EQ or Compressor is not really the best on every mix.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching! Best wishes

[@myhomerecordingexperience]

Hello Warren & Joe. Enjoyed the Masterclass at Warm Studios. Hope to see you soon again!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Great to have you there!!

[@guitboxgeek]

Good stuff! Love Joe's approach to sharing his experience and approach to mixing.

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell You Rock!

[@JimijaymesProductions]

One thing is important is all these analog modelled plugins have different centre frequencies than they say, maybe dependant on the actual analog hardware they modelled or not. Some are exact to the numbers, some differ. I haven't compared these two ssl 4000 plugins but the slate eq, waves and other older ones are all different. Sounded to me like the q and centre frequency was very different between the 4000b and g, might be by design of the hardware or just design of the software. Either way some great advice in this video.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

It wasn’t, I entered the numbers or checked the number “clicking” style if that makes sense. They’re just that massively different sounding circuits and filter shapes. Super fun stuff!!

[@dodgingrain3695]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell But the point is just because the knob says 4k doesn't mean its really 4k.

[@daniel.bouley]

Awesome, wish recording school went into this level of subtlety

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching Daniel ✌🏼✌🏼

[@WheelieMix]

Actually, I am not a Plugin Doctor advocate. But I once had time to compare EQ plugins, and when matching curves with great digital EQ offering analog phase (Crave DSP, FF Natural mode), I realized that they all actually sound the same or sometimes the analog emu is worse because it has a that "analog emu" on top that is not that great. And when I say sound the same, a lot of them actually nulled (!). Although, to contrast what I am saying : It's not true for ALL digital analog emu EQ, please don't get me wrong. Some of them have a sound because they boost/cut INTO the emulated saturation stage. Like, for example, a properly emulated Neve 1073 or SSL channelstrip (Kit BBN105, UAD SSL strip). But the issue is, some plugins are SUPPOSED to offer that but actually don't (PA SSL Bx_E for example). So all that "salt and pepper" thingy is a good thing to keep our brain stimulated and make us happy to use a lot of different tools to keep things interesting, but it's also a little bit of a marketing fairy-tale. So if you are on a budget, don't spend the little amount of money you have on different EQs plugins that are offering you the same sound but with different curves. Or if you really want them, take the time to match them and create a presets template in your favorite analog phase EQ (or grab something like Kirchhoff maybe as they did it for you already). I know what I am saying is not fun, and it's not stimulating, but it has been my conclusion after a few objective tests + blind tests (applied with scientific methods, as much as I could at least). You are obviously free to ignore this. As, in the end of the day, what really matters the most is what will make you the happiest. And if that is collecting analog emu, then that's great :D. Love

[@jeramym9506]

Best comment here.

[@zenluiz]

Totally agree

[@Todzuum]

How do you measure the saturation ssl bx_e to a real console , it absolutely has saturation and harmonics so I’m confused what you mean I think it sounds great and a lot of big name engineers use it , Jen’s bogren, Tom lord algae , most of the engineers that do live mixing sessions on nail the mix for that matter which are all professionals in the business, I just don’t see them being tricked for they all are amazing at their job with great ears. I think this is more opinion than factual.

[@WheelieMix]

@@Todzuum You can measure it roughly with PD, then listen, compare, measure again etc... I also work in a studio with a 4000 desk, so that helps. Although I am not saying to avoid Bx_E like the plague. I use it too when i need it. It's a tool that does what I want it to do. I was just saying that sometimes some tools pretend to do things they actually don't do. And that differences we think we may perceive aren't... actually there. Being a professional actually doesn't always protect you from this (countless examples can prove this if needed). I am a professional myself (make a living out of this), and I was fooled many times too I admit. Moreover, all marketing climax around these things don't help (a lot of infomercial, buzz words etc...). I am not saying that anybody that uses Bx_E is a bad engineer (not at all haha). I am just saying that, sometimes, tools don't do what they say they do on the tin :). Compare (properly, with objective measurement) for yourself once and see/hear if you want ;).

[@Joey-rp5vg]

Thanks very much Joe, some great flavors there, each with their own thing going on. Why is it that you can put something through a Pultec plugin ( without adjusting anything ) and it sounds cool. Just the default, amazing. Great stuff and big thanks to the PLAP team

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Joey!

[@studiovinden]

I'll go out on a limb here and say that the single EQ users can get virtually the same results that the multi EQ users will. The tube EQ will of course have a pretty pronounced character but in the other cases I'd say it's to a very great degree only a difference in the EQ curves (which can be replicated with any parametric EQ). BUT I like your take, I use multiple EQ's all the time because it's fast and fun and forces my hand a little, it makes me really explore what the sound needs. E.g. pull up a Neve, nope, an API, nope, SSL, maybe, Siemens, bingo! But I'm certain a Pro-Q lover can do the same and probably faster. 😅 I also don't like starting with an EQ with a graphical curve because I shy away from drastic moves which may be needed. Now, if I hear a problem that I want to fix, the curve EQ is invaluable, it's so fast to pinpoint the issue. ☮️ Workflow, speed and fun!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching!! When this method really gets useful is when you are working with high track counts, and need multiple instruments to all pop in the same octave. Just changing to a different flavor of EQ can make it pop out from the stuff that is all using the other eq. Best wishes man

[@studiovinden]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell Exactly! How do you feel about the Kirchoff et al that claim to have switchable characters in a single UI? Sounds good in theory at least.

[@tonez2732]

Another great video! Thank you so much for running through all of this

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!!

[@addickkelders2265]

Thanx for this compare, very useful! Two new plugins on my list; The Kit (didn't know this company) Neve (for the Brown sound) and the SSL Violet. Beautiful balance! My favs in my tiny studio; Maag eq4 (snare) , Softube Tape, Softube Focusing EQ (Electric guitar, overhead) Stock Pro Compressor (vocals) , Sans Amp (Bass), and PSP vintage warmer.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Agreed that “air band” in Maag eqs are VERY special. Best wishes and thank you for watching.

[@danepaulstewart8464]

WOW! That Curvebender. 😳 Excellent comparisons. Very informative. 👍😎👍

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching Dane!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@cleedev]

Absolutely fantastic video! And how can you not be inspired by Joe? Outstanding presentation of concepts, it's like listening "above" what you hear touching on emotional hearing...

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you sir! More to come ✌🏼✌🏼

[@ocean457]

I don't see much love towards the SSL 4000 G. Is it cuz its more mid-rangy than any other consoles?

[@mcsweet1966]

Hello Joe, If you already tracked using a Neve would you keep going with Neve or go for a SLL or someting else ?

[@stanc2288]

This is good timing for me. I was about to redo my mixes and planned on using the same few EQ for everything. Great video!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching! Best wishes.

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad it was helpful!

[@masonvankraayenburg]

Note to self, use bettermaker more! Top end was so clear compared to the others. The ssl sounded plasticy on top to me

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching Mason ✌🏼

[@0rican]

Wow . Thank you .Never Thought or Knew about it

[@DavidDavis-FA-photog]

Thanks Joe I needed this. We need to see you more, you have the gift of explaining things very well. Here lately I've been using the Plugin Alliance AMEX EQ 200 on some tracks and the mix bus.

[@Producelikeapro]

More to come from Joe! Thanks so much for watching

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you David. I have that Amek plug and it’s 🔥 there are so many great choices nowadays

[@officialmoondancer]

I really wish guys would play the different variations truly back to back, as in without stopping the music and without any talking. It's so easy to set things up on 3 or 4 different channels and just let them cycle so we can actually hear the difference versus trying to remember the difference of what we just heard. Dope to see how he approached each one though.

[@antcall6779]

Yes!!!! Joe's back 🤘

[@Producelikeapro]

He is! More to come. Thanks for watching

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

🎉🎉🎉 thank you for watching!

[@TransistorLSD]

Joe Rocks!!! We need more Joe!

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes! We love Joe!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

More is on the way!!!🎉

[@lahattec]

What are your thoughts about using on, let's say on the master buss, more than one EQ, one for the low, and a different for the highs, for example?

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

If it sounds good it is good is my philosophy. I use as few as zero plugs per channel. Other will have just a channel strip with a few moves. And I may have several tracks with almost all 10 slots that are available inside of ProTools full! Haha. Whatever it takes. Thanks for watching.

[@theoversouls]

Two of my faves are the (unfortunately named) PSP McQ -killer for low end - and UA's Harrison EQ - love the high pass on that one.

[@Firetracks]

Great tutorial on understanding eq textures across various tools! 🎯🤘🏾💪🏾

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad it was helpful!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks man!!

[@studiohermited7052]

Awesome advice from an expert...Thank You!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!

[@HitTheRoadMusicStudio]

Genius, these comparisons are so helpful!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Ady. You rock!

[@patkelly8309]

Hi Ady how is life on the road treating you?

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you sir!!

[@HitTheRoadMusicStudio]

​@@patkelly8309 After 4 years on the road I moved to Poland into an apartment with my life partner to reflect gratefully on the adventures, generosity, and kindness we encountered on the road. I'm using this time to prepare for my next travels to West Africa and finishing to write my book as well as create more songs and gain a better understand of the music world wide!

[@HitTheRoadMusicStudio]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell Joe, you're the best man! I'm always laughing just thinking back at NAMM 2023 with you :D good times!

[@sjs8908]

Gotta love Joe! Excellent video! 🤘🏽

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks for watching!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you buddy!

[@murraywebster1228]

I miss my Midas XL4, that was the sound of live R‘n‘R, or even my Soundcraft 800b, I believe these desks sound as good if not better, I presently have an Allen & Heath Mod 2 (wonderful transformer preamps) and a Soundcraft K3 ( apparently a theatre desk,whatever that meant) that I’m trying to integrate into my mixdown room, need to save lots of Euro‘s & cents to make that work though…..

[@SonoraOndaLatinaOficial]

Regards warren, at your discretion which is the best ...

[@JohnFraserFindlay]

I might have missed it but did you tweak the EQ settings on eachplug, or just engage them as is (default)?

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Hey John thanks for watching. The goal was to have ALL of the examples set to be the same to prove/show just how different things can sound when passing through different analog circuits. Even when set the same, the circuit itself imparts a flavor that, once we identify it, we can use to our advantage.

[@chadfayrobinson7537]

I need to start doing this!!! Thanks 🙏

[@heyitsDevriss]

Sounds great. Love the SSL Chandler and API. Would you guys ever do an API eq shootout?

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for watching. I’m not sure simply because I love my friends at plug-in alliance, universal audio, and waves.😂. Sounds like a great way to make somebody mad.😂

[@Tryggvasson]

i do that in everything i do, and i love to see joe carrell do it, though a little different: i choose a "preamp" for every track that i've recorded d.i. - aka "transparent". and i use the channel strips, if i can't find a standalone preamp that i like, for the preamp, not necessarily for the eq. and i am so anal that i don't choose the best "preamp" for the song, even if it's got channel variations among tracks, but a best sounding preamp for each track - then apply channel variations among the same models. i've restricted the list of preamps i use, to not drive myself insane. among favorites - waves helios, lindell api, noiseash need 81 - i like the 81 more than the 73 - and arturia v76. sometimes waves nls for the emi emulation. sometimes i would put a pultec in, just for the coloration. and it's a son of a b**** when you readjust the in on a plugin without gain compensation - cause everything gets messed up down the chain - but all lindell and noiseash have it, so i'm happy about that. i'm glad to see joe carrell showcase it. i remember another joe, west, saying in a video "when i was starting out, i would reach for an eq to shape my tone. as i got more experienced, i would reach for a compressor for the same job. and as i started to really understand what i was doing, i was just thinking what piece of gear to run the signal through". hearing him saying, and understanding what he meant, showed me that i'd made real progress. this is in that same train of thought. still need to find a way to not drive myself insane, though.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

YES preamps make a massive difference! Best wishes on your own mixing journey.

[@Tryggvasson]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell thanks, man! all the best to you, too! i enjoy your videos.

[@andreirlmeier]

Great Joe , very important video for me . Thank you

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!

[@ward63]

Hi Warren, I have a question. Is it a good idea to invest in hardware EQs that mainly sound very musical and have rather wide filters to emphasize and/or bring out the good things, and then remove the rather annoying frequency with plugins (to notch out or to do a more Pultec-like "cut")?

[@cameronmckenzie7049]

You gotta attenuate the top end as well as boost on those pultec clones before they dance. The better maker is unbelievable

[@billyhughes9776]

Awesome vid -- thanks Joe. You rock brotha!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Billy

[@TheGoatBeats]

Another informative video mr Carell. Thank you.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!

[@davidchurch8828]

This video I'd terrific. Really great advice

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching David!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks so much! Great advice indeed. Joe Rocks!

[@thomasbroker69]

You need to do a shoot out of Pultechs, I did this with every version I could find, the Waves JJP is the worst emulation of a real pultech! So much so that I think it’s broken..it’s a shame you didn’t try the Softube Pultech, it came out top in my blind tests

[@CreativeMindsAudio]

Cool stuff, exactly how i thought of them already. from the title i was hoping it was going to compare similar styles of EQ from different manufacturers vs the differences between consoles and brands.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Honestly, I hate to dive into that good better best between the brands. One can only make enemies doing that 😅 thanks for watching man!

[@CreativeMindsAudio]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell for sure! Not even about who is best, it’s about what the differences are imo. I have UAD and PA’s clones. Each works for different situations I find.

[@giuseppesalvadori9507]

Nice guitar comparison, but if I’m not wrong the Lindell 50 is the only one with an active -6dB bell cut at 50Hz that probably influence the whole eq curve…

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

I probably had a hi-pass on each one if I’m guessing. I typically always do. Nothing down there that we want in our mix. That is so low it shouldn’t affect anything you are hearing concerning this test…just cleans up the mix bus as tracks pile up. Thank you for watching!

[@who_is_dis]

FYI - Curve Bender is mostly for the mid-range, which you left flat.

[@dopesnare]

This is so insightful. I ran a poll on my small channel about using one channel strip across all elements or "frankenstiening it" with various ones .. I didn't get a lot of feedback. I was always mixing it up until that poll. Then I thought I should use the same across all channels like a real desk would be. Now someone with much more experience is saying mix it up lol I also thought I was done buying plugins and moving on (still could) but I don't have some goodies I would love to have. sigh. This is a journey after all..

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

😂😂 Thank you for watching and commenting. Best wishes ✌🏼✌🏼

[@TransistorLSD]

Well keep in mind Joe's test was not scientific. EQ points & gain amount in analog models are often inaccurate. To do a proper comparison, you need to match curves in Plugin Doctor or Q-Clone. And then the difference would be SOOO much more subtle...

[@dopesnare]

@@TransistorLSD the flavour is the flavour or “sonic imprint” regardless of science. They all have a sound that sets them apart from each other. I think it’s the curves that actually set them apart.

[@TransistorLSD]

@@dopesnare Yes they do, but it's much more subtle than Joe presented here if you actually match the curves.

[@dopesnare]

@@TransistorLSD kinda like a bunch of mic shootouts that are super subtle. I see what you’re saying.

[@TheStudeo74]

@4:20 considering the design of the knobs I would say it’s a CAPI ! 🤓

[@sgfdancecompany]

Joe is a Master, and on top a super nice guy!!!!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you friend ✌🏼

[@patkelly8309]

I've been under the impression that using the same digital, clean EQ across my tracks is a good idea as it literally won't colour my mix. Then for certain sounds and flavour I'd go in with emulation of a classic. Probably all wrong lol.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Not at all. If you are using different “flavor” eqs on a few spots where you need something different to make it cut, then you are absolutely on the right track. Best wishes Pat.

[@patkelly8309]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell And you

[@rocktonmusikschule]

X8 works great. X6 was good but X7 did not work smooth so I was going back to X6. X8 is great. Good job Magix. Look for more videos from your channel. Keep on bringing us more SAM wisdom. 🤘😊

[@MadACeTeeMack]

Can you showcase the hardware more versus plugins? Analog is back baby!!!

[@Producelikeapro]

That would be great! yes!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Absolutely. I will be working hardware into more videos in the future.

[@ArloTarr]

Awesome video Joe! Some killer music should be coming. Just gotta write the tunes🤘

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

🎉🎉🎉 thanks for watching!

[@Tony-yp7ok]

I like the Abbey Road Brilliance Pack for high end without harshness

[@nunoandradebluesdrive]

this is a very cool video! thanks a bunch.😊

[@Shawneverette]

I saw his controllers and thought about a conversation I had about mixing this way using modern controllers. This is a seperate topic but this kind of mixing with different companys plugins is why Controllers like Softube and others that dont access third party plugings are not practical. I was tring to explain this kind of mixing and merging with plugins and why we need a great controller that is set up like the Softube C1 but with a 16 lcd / encoder assignable section for miscellaneous controls, 8 aux send encoder section and works with all plug ins.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Hey Shawn thanks for watching. I hear you…What I did is demo the SSL channel strip plugs and made certain I loved them (which I do) so I could start leaning heavily on those as my “base”. Then when I bring in some additional flavor API, Helios, Neve etc on a handful of tracks I will just dial those in with a mouse. But overwhelmingly having the UC1 combined with the SSL strips has given me much more of a hands-on workflow and I’m loving it.

[@CrushingAxes]

Great video! nice comparison!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you!

[@Taffafilms]

That was truly helpful! Thanks!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Great to hear. Thank you for watching

[@patkelly8309]

When using analog emu's should we drive them harder? Is that the way??

[@Producelikeapro]

Some definitely do sound better when hit harder!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Honestly, that can vary. Some of the manufacturers painstakingly model the analog gain process and what it does to the signal and others haven’t. So definitely, I would experiment with that.

[@patkelly8309]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell Thanks. In an ideal world we'd all know the exact dB to hit each given plug at hey. But then it wouldn't be so fun.

[@rickdeaguiar-musicreflecti7692]

Thank you so much, Joe Carrell. Been following your tutorials. Love your style and expertise. I use SSL 4000G, SSL 9000J, AMEK 200, FAB Filter Pro Q3, BetterMaker. I'm going to be looking into the other eq's you talked about in this presentation. So helpful :)

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching Rick!!

[@roberteismann1929]

Surely the API sounds leaner because you also got rid of some 50Hz, a move you did not do on the the SSLs.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

I think I actually had no pass on everything that was normal to do so on. But even if I had forgotten, a high pass filter at 50 cycles would never affect the tone at 300hz for example. They are just that radically different. Thanks for watching.

[@artysanmobile]

Your time and efforts are very much appreciated but no talk with a carefully edited loop is called for. This tells me I like the guitar, nothing more.

[@troeteimarsch]

I'd probably go with the Pultec for bottom end, but maybe with the Softube Tube-Tech, and the Curve Bender for the top.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching man!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks! Great idea

[@troeteimarsch]

@@Producelikeapro Have you tried the Pulsar Massive? It does both reaaaally well.

[@troeteimarsch]

@@Producelikeapro I wish there was a drive knob for every band, though

[@klavierhaltern]

Thank you, I never thought about it that way.👍

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!

[@Producelikeapro]

Marvellous! Thanks ever so much!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrellyou rock my friend!

[@stevemorgan9626]

Great video!

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@inyourworldofmusic8545]

So my Questions is this should use all these Eq on the mix ? just a Question

[@adampeters9684]

There is no “should”, he’s just illustrating the importance of familiarizing yourself with the sonic characteristics of various analog modeled EQs and how we can use that to our advantage while we’re mixing

[@Producelikeapro]

Exactly :) Joe did mention which he chose for the final mix. It comes down to understanding the need for that track or instrument and genre at your discretion.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Both responses before mine were spot on. I kind of have my “go to” tools that I know and love and start there very often. One place this technique can have a huge result for you may be when track counts start to build up and several instruments all need boosted in the same octave to pop in the mix a bit. Sometimes just by changing to a different eq circuit on a few of those that are fighting for attention, you can give them just enough of a unique tone to still be heard. Thank you for watching!

[@guetunes]

Good stuff, thanks for sharing. A couple of my favorites beyond a couple you shared are Fabfilter Pro Q, MAAG4

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks for sharing!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!

[@cbrooks0905]

Now I don’t feel so obsessive about trying every eq and every compressor and every preamp on every source while I’m mixing.

[@Joelfrancis]

Another great video 👏👏👏👏

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Joel!

[@miguelpessanha]

Most of the time, the biggest thing you'll hear is the difference in the deviations of the cutoff frequencies. Anyone that has ran SSL plugins through analysers know that those frequencies are far from correct, especially the low mid blue knob that can deviate has much as 400hz.

[@TigroGumi]

On the two bus I’m finding the curve bender fits this track best… but, in this comparison I can hear what each is doing and would have a track type that’ll fit each. It’s a very punchy track and so all the fullness is makings it a little too bloated for clear translatable sound… that being said, this fullness could be what another track needs and maybe not all of it so a solid state pultec might be better… the SSL seems to be best for this type of track if you didn’t need to add as much punch to it. Even though all of these are the digital recreations I can see why you’ll need a palette of them to make a good mix analog or digital versions. It’s crazy how even in digital, in comparison the sound of neve eq’s. In that one I could see how I would prefer a others to bring other part together and the neve for anything central stage. Everyone hears things their own way and for me the way I describe the way a neve sounds is like a movie sound. It sits centre stage but not because it’s cutting through, it’s centre stage because it’s rich and refined. It’s not coming out at you, it’s just calling your main focus emotionally. What makes creating a studio so expensive is you can’t just have a set palette to any song. You can’t just simply put the same things through the same things as you did before, maybe you get something commonly happening but it’s never that simple and it’s what make music creation such diverse area of expertise. I need to do more tests like this myself, what I get from it is understanding the tools I have a lot better. Speeding up the process in any fir of creation is knowing exactly what you source and tool is doing… and sound is a detailed journey of layering

[@1loveMusic2003]

Great advice

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you!

[@samuelgonzalez2147]

Marvelous!

[@bumsibar6163]

great video

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@petresde]

I came here skeptical, but i was surprised by the difrence between plugins and their sonic characteristics

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching !

[@scottfaircloff9530]

love it!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Scott!

[@dodgingrain3695]

Without flipping directly between the eq's any value in this video is lost. Also are these even the same eq settings between the different eq's?

[@Ryan_Messenger]

This is good stuff. 👍🏻

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Ryan!

[@CharLessMajor7Music]

Ivory and kirchoff for me

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks for sharing!

[@playamaqui]

Thank you!

[@Producelikeapro]

You're welcome!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

And thank you sir!

Haaa I love that man

[@Producelikeapro]

He is rather good isn't he!

@@Producelikeapro he is indeed! Quite the crew you got there :)

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you!! Best wishes

[@officialWWM]

Some of those changes are pretty negligible!

[@2grandbaby854]

6:07 7:46

[@safeasmilk1]

I mean no disrespect but I don't understand this method to be honest. All these plugins are doing is adding distortion, saturation, compression etc under the hood to emulate the imperfections of these devices. Why not just use a clean eq and then use seperate plugins to add the color you want? I would think you'd have more control over your sound that way. Don't get me wrong the plugins sound good i just don't think buying more eq plugins is a very good solution to one's mixing problems.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

All these analog circuits have different sonic characteristics. The tubes, transformers, opamps, capacitor material, etc (and the varying combinations of those components) create different types of high-end, different types of high-end, smooths things or creates even more attack, makes the entire signal Fuller and Richer, can make the entire signal more lean sounding, and on and on. You can, and I absolutely do, use different types of saturation as well on group masters, stereo buss etc to create different tones and feels. But I would never remove this element from my mixing personally. It just has too large of an impact beyond other methods alone. It’s not about needing to acquire all plug-ins. It’s about finding a handful that have a unique tone and using that to our advantage. Most of us already own enough tools to use this method effectively. Best wishes.

[@aymra3550]

💣🙌🙏👍

[@Kkidzz]

Reduce Like A Moe FTW

[@johannesahun1703]

unfortunatelt it is really hard to follow comparsion if there is so much talk and/or pauses between the versions. Super simple to print track without eqs and then have a 4-5 tracks with plugins and just solo the difference. Not trying to be an asshole but this comparsion video is not good at all expect the info that eq -s are different. Sry for the comment. Better luck next time!

[@zenluiz]

Right?

[@jjjtttggg]

Yeah I call BS. Maybe…. MAYBE, using different EQs with same setting on doubled guitars that sound too much alike could be meaningful, and certainly one EQ might simply sound better on a particular track than another, but the idea that you’re creating “separation” of wildly different sounding signals by using different plugins is just silly. Also question whether the unique “sonic character” of an EQ plugin is audible on distorted guitar.

[@ronallen2458]

Videos like this make me feel like an idiot. I can’t hear the difference,