The TRUTH about Hardware Vs Plugins

[@holtight]

A very thoughtful and comprehensive review of the issue - really resonated with me. Thank you.👍

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Thanks glad I could shed some light on the online ongoing debate.

[@jessegimbel]

I'm in pretty much the same boat with analog vs. hardware. I love building and using hardware, and use it as much as I can, but it's not always right for the job. Like you I use hardware a ton during tracking, and in mixing when it won't be a problem for time, speed, or recall. I'm working on putting together a new setup with a larger number of channels, and in an effort to make hardware more ready to go during mixing, I'm planning on building a switcher so I can have all my channels available during tracking, or flip a switch and have all the hardware automatically set up for mixing with hardware inserts (with the ability to patch in whatever hardware for recording too of course). Going to document the whole thing on my channel!

[@EmperorKamikaze]

Some processing is only possible in the digital realm, like dynamic eq, or variable multiband compression. So there's plenty of reason to plugin these tools too. Hybrid processing is really the best!

[@1loveMusic2003]

Compression, saturation and high end boosts sound better to me in analog but some things just have to be done with plugins because they can do more than analog. I hear a width and density from analog that I have a hard time replicating in the box but some people can apparently do it. It seems so easy with hardware once you know how to use it.

[@rhemaman]

Very pleased to hear you say tracking as the number one hardware reach. I've been arguing this myself because of something that you didn't mention which I find to be far more important than any other consideration. I know that academies teach specific values for mic and line levels, but let's be real, we don't look at that when tracking. We look for the sweet spot between the microphone and the preamp. The importance of a goop pre creating a magnificent amount of headroom to a signal is something that can't be done in the box, and it I'd the main reason we use capsules and quiet rooms. We want detail!

[@rhemaman]

Obviously ADC is extremely vital as well, but I would opt for a soft clipper in hardware and actually owned an ISA 430 MKii for a while and even coughed up the extra dough for that feature to be added into the unit by way of its optional digital conversion that included summing with clipper. Again, for the same reason. Working outside the limited headroom of digital one to one audio processing that happens in the box.

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Yeah absolutely. Just having it sound polished in tracking for the artist and performance is so vital. Zero latency playback is nice too.

[@tytansoundlab]

I just got the Darthlimter. Man it’s killer. You are correct when you track with hardware you can mix with plugins. I have a hardware mixbuss and plugins work well inside the mix.

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Oh woah, what an amazing piece of gear! Very lucky you are! Yeah it's that thing no one talks about, we can all mix in plugins, but the best recordings are often tracked through some type of high end outboard hardware equipment.

[@dubflex100]

I have always used hardware goin in i still use dbx 1066 comp/lim with avalon 737 on all my vocals😀 gr8 vid

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Excellent chain there. Thanks man!

[@DaniTorresOfficial]

Oh the 160x-s... 🥰

[@chrishastings]

Hey Mitch I just got the same console as you but with the ADAT would love your thoughts on how i should connect it to my apollo rig

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Oh very cool! What apollo units do you have? it should have some ADAT ins and outs on it. You just conect those to the adat ins and outs on the console. The tricky part is having enough adat ins and outs. for this console, when using adat most people opt for the RME Digiface to get all the channels running through ADAT link below; www.soundseasy.com.au/products/rme-digiface-usb-audio-interface-4-x-adat-spdif-i-o-headphones You should check out the allen and heath group for this console too, great resources and info there facebook.com/groups/456145291940356 If you need any other help Chris, email me at [e-mail]

[@chrishastings]

@@diyrecordingstudio I have an apollo 8 and a twin so only 16channel adat in an 8 out. I just got a firewire card to maybe track with firewire and mix with apollo? or maybe ill buy another 2x rack units but that would be costly.

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Yeah that’s unfortunately a limitation with those Apollo units. The Rme disgiface is the best solution or just use the FireWire from the console.

[@chrishastings]

@@diyrecordingstudio so I just ordered the Digiface :) now I just have to try and get my MIDI working so I can use with my DAW. All the tutorials seem to be in relation to midi via firewire card but I can t use that due to incompatibilities and need do use the midi ports, how did you go about it?

[@gaboonschoolofmusic9848]

I am bored with plugins most of them are the same especially eq and plugins can nver be faster than hardware keep. Pair of gardwarw eq and compressor and you can get a sound way faster and sound much better .....without shifting the audio with too much plugins

[@mirkomarkovic3438]

Truth!

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Very much agree.

[@TimesOfTheSines.official]

I've always believed that electronic music benefits from being tracked thru some out of the box processing in production of it... & real instruments that especially have been mic'd up & recorded... Can always stay in the box better there after for production... The air between the mic while recording can keep the real vibe of things recorded in there at the source recordings... But electronic music can feel more 3D when u run things out of the box into something worthy for processing thru imo.

[@Francisco12G]

Makes sense because we don't have any acoustic cues (timbre and space) of a sound of electronic origin. They become "real" through a playback system. Also the analog non linearities may sound good due to electronic signals being more easily repetitive and static. That being said those cues can be added digitally but the non linearites of analog would mean we need to modulate some parameters to get closer, which at the same time, also opens a whole world of possibilities often underestimated (to create different cues rather than the analog ones).

[@djfortunomusic]

Plugins: Plugins suck. If I eq a resonant frequency another problems pops up. I load another plugin to remove new problem, yet another pops up. By the time I'm done there are a gizilion plugins everywhere and the mix sounds thin, lifeless, muffled and fake. 18 hours later i have an unsatisfying fake sounding fatiguiged mix. Baby sit the entire process and it sounds unreal, unnatural. If i have S on vocals popping out i grab an EQ, deesser, then more eq to remove the problem at a high cost of quality. Analog I have a resonant frequency, a slight cutting move fixes the problem. The mix sounds huge, clean, open, smooth and very vibrant! Done in less than an hour. Sounds present, wide, thick, real. If i have S popping out a simple narrow band cut around 7k does the trick with no impact on quality.

[@diyrecordingstudio]

100 percent agree with you. Analog is just better in so many ways. So many people using plugins like soothe and gullies to remove harshness. Analog chains do that for you. Plugins have their place but the more more analog I get, the less plugins I’m using or need to use.

[@Francisco12G]

Hardware maybe more forgiving. But you need to take the time to learn about the tools you use and their domains. Digital plugins have generally also more visual cues than analog counterparts. Analog being more non linear also means it doesn't do exactly what it says not just "mojo". Digital makes you learn to work more precisely. Analog is more forgiving in that aspect.

[@mrmorpheus9707]

Hardare is like a picture..plugins are like a painting." OF THAT PICTURE

[@Skibosski]

Kinda more of hardware is Being at the pkace of the picture.. in person.. i.e you can tell much better how far the mountain is or depth... plugin is a picture.. you see the place but depth meh..

[@OmarkoulisOfficialRap]

Just say that : with hardware you produce the fruquencys you need . with plug-ins just hide and boost tha frequ you already produced . So . no way with plug ins !!

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Yeah sometimes plugins are a necessary evil though 😉

[@OmarkoulisOfficialRap]

@@diyrecordingstudio yes but for the finalizing mix . You just treat the final mix .

[@saren6538]

Hardware has more weight and depth it’s that simple … hardware is necessary

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Yeah it definitely does, especially with compression and just the preamps as well. I agree with you. Necessary, especially in a professional tracking situation.

[@moverofobjects]

Did I get censored!? 😅

[@diyrecordingstudio]

How do you mean?

[@TheDragonDeacon]

Aliasing.

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Definitely a downside of plugins for sure.

[@choosers5177]

No aliasing when oversampling. They are plugins that load other plugins and oversample them if they dont have it as an option. Aliasing usually its a problem on drive, saturation and in extreme settings.

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Yeah excellent point, but then you have to check which plugins have that issue and or.l which ones can be over sampled to rectify aliasing. Rather reach for hardware to do the heavy lifting then use plugins where necessary

[@choosers5177]

@diyrecordingstudio its allways easier than using baypatch for hardware.

[@mirkomarkovic3438]

Oversampling does not mean the plugin will sound better. I prefer to patch in one piece of hardware instead of putting 10 plugins on a channel and still bneeing dissatisfied

[@Wizardofvoz2]

In almost every case I have seen, hardware is a little better, fuller, polished, open, etc. than plugins. BUT, that difference is never worth the difference in $$. A good engineer/producer can almost match the sound with a little work. It's just not a goo return on your cost.

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Yeah totally agree, the hardware can be very pricey, but over years so can subscriptions! You can definitely get close with plugins, I feel, as long as it was tracked with good gear in the firstplace.

[@marcusgarveyson]

Its ok to say hardware is better nobody is going judge you . Hardware has that extra 5% plugins can't emulate yet ..in few years I'm sure that gap will be closed

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Hahaha, thanks! Yeah I totally agree, it will be interesting to see how close software can get. I think I will always love having the hardware though.

[@NSBRec]

There is just a difference not a better or less good. The extra 5% are already here. You should start learning how Digital Music is really processed and how goo dit really is. Til jet no one has figured out in an A/B blind test if something is Digital or Hardware based mixed. And it makes no difference. The ones who can hear it, are the ones who believe in a flat earth

[@mirkomarkovic3438]

Oh it's more than 5% when it summes up in a mix.

[@PerryCodes]

There's a rather serious error in this video. It's making a blanket statement that only hardware can be used for processing during tracking. Not true.

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Hi Perry, Of course there are ways to use plugins when tracking. Nowhere in this video did I say you can’t take this approach. All I said is how I personally approach a hybrid workflow. All the best mate.

[@juancarlosguagnoni4062]

The truth That I found is that ...People aren't thinking " oh ! A neve preamp! Oh ! A Fairchild compression on the overheads ! " While listening music . They are dancing and singing loud ! 🥳🥳🥳

[@diyrecordingstudio]

You're totally right, but all these tools definitely make tracking and mixing much easier. I can turn a clients work around much faster when incorporating hardware because it's easier to get the sound right in the first place.

[@juancarlosguagnoni4062]

@@diyrecordingstudio Completely agree with you , it is true that it is a lot faster .

[@dingbatjack1234]

If hardware isn’t better than why do people spend infinitely more to obtain it? If hardware isn’t better than why are most plugins emulating it. If you can’t tell the difference between a real massive passive and a plugin you are in the wrong line of work 🥴

[@dazeja]

I have plenty of both and the people you are doing music for…the general public….. not only can’t tell the difference, they don’t care. Only the users are debating this useless topic. Just make music with ever you can.

[@Studio22mix]

It’s definitely a different sound and a different approach. Sometimes I mix itb and sometimes on the desk, it depends on the song and genre if I choose to go for digital or analog. Some plugins are so close to the hardware that I won’t even consider the hardware, some hardware is way better than the plugins so it depends. I love the endless routing possibilities of digital but nothing beats mixing on the board without watching the screen and without using a mouse 😊

[@Allious131]

Then why are hit songs being done with plugins and why don't people really care at all besides the people who invested money?? why come the the regular listener will tell you if a song is bad or good no matter what you made it on, who are you gears heads tryna convince the people or yourselves. Sorry you paid 6000$ for that compressor and no one cares.

[@NSBRec]

The people like you are spending a lot of money for there hardware stuff so the can think they do better mixes now. Others are just lerning how to mix and make better results in the box than you. If you really think that a in the box mix can not shine like your hardware based mix, then YOU are on the wrong line of work 😊

[@raphexe]

Lol at salty guys bashing hardware. Are you mad because you don't have those sweet buttons to push or turn ? "Many hit songs are actually mixed in the box ! right guys ? :'( " Hardware is so nice and I wish I was rich so I could get more.

[@techiq7389]

Software today is much better than hardware mate, you're full of shit. I can push sound way further with plugins than with hardware, i have a lot of analogue gear, but i don't even use them anymore. Plugins today has become better for many reasons, not only their sound they produce, how hard we can push them, but also money saving. If your hardware decides to break, you will not send your device to get fixed on the house, a plugin is bought once, and never breaks. If you look at majority of Mix engineers etc, 90% of them use ? ...yes, they in fact use plugins. The worlds best Dj and producer of rave music? David guetta? Morten, his friend? producing, mix, master? yes, you guessed it......plugins

[@diyrecordingstudio]

For starters, coming to my channel and saying I'm full of shit is maybe not the best way to start a conversation, but if you want to have a real discussion, I'm always keen to talk about this stuff. I start this video with my motto for working in music, that "plugins and hardware are different tools for different jobs". I live by that motto. You dont have to love it, but hardware is better sometimes. Sometimes plugins are the right choice. It all depends on the job, what the client wants and what will make my job easier. Those producers and artists youre refering to, when they or their vocalists go into the studio, they are recording usually through the best analog hardware chains money can buy. Mixing with plugins yes, but the hardware usually is used on the front end somewhere.

[@techiq7389]

@@diyrecordingstudio Those artists i am talking about dont go to studios, they are not singers. Yes, if they get a vocal, it will probably be processed via their plugins, but your personal experience cannot stand as a general rule for everyone, there are great producer schools out there, hang around with the right people and you will see why hardware is on the way out. I can guarantee that there are few to no one that will push hardware as far as software functions go. Cheap software will obviously not work, you have to pay for good software. I have been in the music industry since i was 15, i am 40 now, and i have learnt from the best. If i can give you a takeaway message, it will be to never choose hardware. The software today and the algo's are getting way more advanced. Thats the reason i told you that youre full of shit, from one producer/record label to another

[@diyrecordingstudio]

Hardware will always have a place. There’s still things it can do that software can not. That is a simple fact, based on science. But there are things a plugin can do that hardware can not. It goes both ways. I assure you, the artists david guetta works with like rhianna, kid cudi, usher and other artists of that calibre are not tracking through plugins. They are rocking up to high end studios tracking their vocals through the best mic and hardware chains available. We are the same age working in this industry for the same amount of time. I am trying to show you respect mate, I’d appreciate if you did the same. I will always have hardware because when an artist tracks through a real preamp into a compressor into real eq on my studio I get a better result every time with absolute zero latency. You can never have zero latency on a computer. Ever. All the best.

[@techiq7389]

@@diyrecordingstudio Name 1 thing software can not do, just one

[@jsid]

@@techiq7389relax mate, it’s not that deep :)