Thank you for this video. I'm just getting into compressors, hoping to mix professionally one day. This helps me understand more of how they can be used to "glue" a track together. Also, great song!
Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you found the video useful. Best of luck on your mixing journey! Do let me know if I can be of any help at all along the way.
The hardware Red 3 has the most air and space. The snare is way more consistent with the hardware. The top end is more open and the low mids are lovely. I love my Red 3 and it’s staying.
this was really interesting and well done. I keep going back and forth a lot in between my different stereo buss compressors, and the slate RED have been my latest favorite (dethroning the Shadowhills)
Thanks, I really appreciate it! The Shadow Hills(plug in) has been one of my favorites as well. I'd love to get my hands on the hardware one of these days. The Red(hardware) just fits how I want things to sound though so it's hard to imagine anything being a better fit at this point.
definitely proves the argument for the hardware, but I did like the slate as well...didn't quite come alive as much though, especially in the width of the stereo image...nice job on the song too...I loved the exotic but clear lows all the way down to 24.6hz.
I agree, the hardware is definitely staying 😊. The stereo width is the first thing that jumped out to me about the hardware when I first patched it in. There was an instant gratification in a width that I was used to hearing on my favorite mixes. I appreciate your kind words about the song!
Man, often times I have a hard time hearing too much of a noticeable difference, but I can definitely hear the hardware adding a bit more excitement, BUT the CLA mixdown is SO close, close enough I'd lose a blind test perhaps.
Thanks for checking out the video and for sharing your thoughts! I think the CLA mix down definitely did a great job and was my favorite of the plug ins.
I'm glad you did this shootout man! Hardware is 100% the widest and is adding the most vibe. If I had to rate these I'd say 1.Hardware 2. Waves 3.Slate 4.Focusrite software Really cool seeing these compressors side by side! Great review!
Agreed, it does sounds like the famous audio veil on the plugins where the Waves has the thinnest. That being said, I'm happily using the Slate plugins on a daily basis. It would be interesting to try this test at higher sample rates as I'm not sure the plugins are using internal oversampling.
You can use the above time stamps if you only want to hear the chorus of each example. However, a big part of the Red 3 sound is passing audio through it without compression(just for the I/O transformer goodness), hence the intros of each example where it is the quieter part of the song with little to no gain reduction. I wouldn't advise skipping those(or else I wouldn't have included them to start with 🤣).
I believe another way of determining whether the unit has input transformers is whether the unit has a +14db button between the meters. Apparently, the early units that had input transformers did not have that button, and the later units without input transformers will have it. I'm not 100% sure, but some forum posts from a while back made those claims. I've looked at pictures and it seems to confirm this.
I think you're correct about that, thanks Tony! I'm still curious to try one of the later models at some point just to see if there really is a difference. I'll get around to it one of these days 😁
Awesome video. Wish there were more like this. I have an old focusrite 3, like yours. Can you explain about driving the output? On this video it looked like your make up gain (output?) was turned down pretty low. Hope you do the SSL comparison too!
Thanks! I appreciate you checking out the video. I did 3.1db of make up gain to match what is in the CLA preset of the Slate FG-Red setting. That seems to be a good spot to drive the output a bit without getting to hot going back into my converter/daw to print the mix. I may see if I can get away with a bit more though on some upcoming projects. I definitely am planning on the SSL comparison, I have a Stam Audio SA-4000 MKII and a Smart Research C1LA I can use for that.
don't know why but the 3 vsts sound horrible to me after hearing the hardware, they almost sound muffled and not leaving enough Air, i suppose if you was to use the vst's more tweaking would have to be done before it goes through the compressor to get similar results
Some plug ins get really close to their hardware counterparts but unfortunately the Red 3 is a piece where there really isn't a plug in that does it justice yet. Same thing with the Retro 176(another review I did). I wish it weren't the case so we could all same some money but it still seems like we have quite a ways to go in the plug in dev world.
Just came from the video about driving the output, +3 all the way. I actually just got out of the studio, finished a mix for a client and used the Focusrite Red in place of the usual SSL I mix into. I really enjoyed it. I think the focusrite is definitely a great emulation (we've come a long way from the D2/D3 plugs) but I'm really surprised at how the top end extension seems to be there in the CLA mix down, like the hardware. Ultimately they're all usable, but I'd go hardware, then CLA/Red, the slate didn't really grab me.
Can you please do a Red 3 2 Buss demo, but switch it in and out, and also maybe a couple different pass throughs, one where you average 4 db on a mix, and even 5-8 on peaks. And also a higher Ratio, like 3 or 4:1. No pressure, Id just like to see it! Thanks man, dope studio!
Thanks for your kind words! I'll consider it but trust me when I say the sweet spot on this compressor for 2 buss is 1.5:1 with a max of 3db gain reduction. Boost the output gain around 3db and that's THE SOUND 🤘🏼!
@@SeawellStudios Haha no worries man, Im just getting exited making dumb requests. I def believe you thats the sweet spot. The CLA setting lol. Thanks dude! Love your vids! Amazing Gear/Ear!
Great review. I thought CLA Mixdown mode 1 was an SSL Comp bus and the Focusrite was number 2, because you can see the autorelease in it. Do you think it's the opposite?
Based off of how he usually works, I’d say mode 1 is the Red 3 and mode 2 is the shadow hills mastering compressor. The red 3 in auto release is still pretty fast.
I noticed you had the "glue" on the mixdown pushed up a bit. cla has said that the mix down is actually designed to push into, so an aux feeds it and you leave the settings where they are (of course you can add more glue, etc) but the settings are where "he would have them" and you push gain into it until you have the gain reduction where you want it. I've used it both ways, and there is a difference in the sound, so it would make a difference on the comparison. nice video all the same..
Thanks for the comment! You're right, the glue was pushed up a bit to reach the same gain reduction to calibrate it in line with the other options. MixDown was the most difficult to calibrate because when you pull the glue fader all the way down and then slowly start to increase it, there is an increase in volume of about 1db before it starts doing any gain reduction. So the glue knob isn't working exactly like the threshold on the other plug ins. I was hesitant to drive the input too hard because then the make up gain would then have to be reduced and that is where an important part of the sound is on the Red 3. So, it was a bit of a compromise but it was a calculated one. For what it's worth the CLA MixDown was my second favorite right behind the hardware!
@@SeawellStudios I right there with ya... use it on every mix. I’ve tried the ssl buss compressors (waves and ssl) and everything else I “have” to buy, and I still like the mixdown the best...
@@awillia5 very cool man. Do you find yourself using the EQ and Drive sections as well? If so, what do you think of those vs some of the pultec plug ins and console plug ins(VCC, etc.).
@@SeawellStudios I don't mess with the drive very much at all. if I go to master something and it's just a tad bright, I'll try to tame it there first, or brighten it up there first, and if that doesn't work, then I'll go in after whatever it is. I tend to have to watch myself on brightness. I've used the waves puigtec on some things here and there. maybe do a sheps pultec/2a/pultec chain on a vocal here or there, but I mainly have been using the ssl strip (from ssl) on almost everything here lately. it sounds so good and especially on a snare, ssl strip with the compression there, then into a 2a makes incredible punch...almost too punchy (if there is such a thing) if you push it.....I've tried the brainwrx ssl and the waves, but I mostly abandoned those for ssl's "version". I worked with CLA's mix hub quite a bit. I couldn't use it the way it was supposed to be (on every channel) so I could take advantage of the workflow because the MacBook I was using just said "no". even the lite, if I had too many in the session would absolutely eat a processor, but I use it on kick all the time. the "mic" in the input section really adds to a sound. pushes the drive. I used to use it for vocals quite a bit because I liked the 1176 on it better than the standalone cla 1176. lately I've been using a pro q 3 into the cla-76 into a 2a and like that quite a bit.
@@awillia5 you're speaking my language man...I love the SSL Strip! I've tried them all at some point and that one has become my favorite. It is super punchy.
So glad we are seeing more of these hardware vs software videos, because i really feel the developers need to be pushed in the right direction. Just one thing i would like to see as a standard for comparison videos, a short loop being used and repeated for the different examples, perhaps a bar long. What can happen, is if a song has changes, and a different unit is demonstrated on a different part than the others, our perception can be skewed. Loops really make the differences ovious :) Thank you so much for the video !!
@@eranddroory9987, @Bon Tempo: Did you guys happen to watch the whole video or just certain sections? I used the exact same section of the song for each example. I used the length that I did to show how each example handled a quieter section, then a louder section. The bridge section then switches between compressors quicker so by the end of the video you have a good feel for each one. Videos that do the same, short 1 bar loop are a little too repetitive for me, but I appreciate you guys stopping by and checking out the video 👍🏼
HELLO1 Thank you for a great video! I have hardware red3 too! I ask for your advice! Do you always have the same attack on your bus mix as in the video? And which is better, automatic release or manual selection? and in your opinion dual mono or link mode is better! Thank you in advance
Occasionally when using it in my mastering chain, I'll set the attack to slowest and release to fastest but the settings you see in this video are always the same when on the mix buss. Congrats on owning the hardware, it truly is something special!
@@SeawellStudios Thanks! I wanted to ask you more! Is your attack too fast (about 3 mls) not eaten by transients? And you set the input level to 0, on the input scale mode? Thanks again!
I watched the session mix by Chris Lord Alge, but he mixes through the console and through the hardware, the dynamics are crazy, maybe that's why he puts such a fast attack on red3? Having mastered the mixing in the box, I process the individual tires through hardware devices, maybe I need to set the attack slower! I only do mastering on hardware devices!
Hi, thanks for checking out the video! The Red 3(hardware) does not have a mix /blend knob so any time you insert it you'll be getting 100% wet. If your Daw has a mix blend feature on inserts, I'd recommend doing 100% wet. I hope that answers your question!
@@SeawellStudios so how, does the wet stay at 100% for the insert method and what are the wet and dry functions in the insert method, the problem is only the focusrite compressor plugin has dry and wet, please enlighten me
When a piece of hardware like the Red 3 does not have a wet/dry blend knob then when you're using it, it's either 100% wet or 100% dry(in bypass mode). When inserting a piece of hardware into pro tools there is no wet/dry blend option on that insert so you're dependent on the capabilities of the hardware at that point. I personally don't ever do parallel compression on the 2 buss so it is never an issue for me with the Red 3.
![Gucci Mane & Sexyy Red - You Don't Love Me [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j7IBqyFKT4c/mqdefault.jpg)
I feel like the hardware gives transients more impact and also manages to keep the mix more open and less muddy. Great comparison! Subbed
I really appreciate the sub! Thanks for checking out the video and for taking the time to comment, it's much appreciated.
Thank you for this video. I'm just getting into compressors, hoping to mix professionally one day. This helps me understand more of how they can be used to "glue" a track together. Also, great song!
Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you found the video useful. Best of luck on your mixing journey! Do let me know if I can be of any help at all along the way.
The hardware is awesome, I have the newer unit. But the Slate is also great!
The hardware Red 3 has the most air and space. The snare is way more consistent with the hardware. The top end is more open and the low mids are lovely. I love my Red 3 and it’s staying.
Thanks for checking out the video! I agree, my Red 3 isn't going anywhere :)
@@SeawellStudios It’s a great compressor, a classic! I love what it does to the snare drum in a mix, and vocals really stand out nicely.
@@theredfaceofficial agreed, it is something special!
Exactly, just listen to the snare and the difference is more than obvious. Well worth it.
this was really interesting and well done. I keep going back and forth a lot in between my different stereo buss compressors, and the slate RED have been my latest favorite (dethroning the Shadowhills)
Thanks, I really appreciate it! The Shadow Hills(plug in) has been one of my favorites as well. I'd love to get my hands on the hardware one of these days. The Red(hardware) just fits how I want things to sound though so it's hard to imagine anything being a better fit at this point.
definitely proves the argument for the hardware, but I did like the slate as well...didn't quite come alive as much though, especially in the width of the stereo image...nice job on the song too...I loved the exotic but clear lows all the way down to 24.6hz.
I agree, the hardware is definitely staying 😊. The stereo width is the first thing that jumped out to me about the hardware when I first patched it in. There was an instant gratification in a width that I was used to hearing on my favorite mixes. I appreciate your kind words about the song!
Man, often times I have a hard time hearing too much of a noticeable difference, but I can definitely hear the hardware adding a bit more excitement, BUT the CLA mixdown is SO close, close enough I'd lose a blind test perhaps.
Thanks for checking out the video and for sharing your thoughts! I think the CLA mix down definitely did a great job and was my favorite of the plug ins.
I love my red 3. It was a game changer for me whe I got it. Definitely my favorite stereo bus.
I completely agree! Thanks for checking out the video and for sharing your experience with the Red 3.
I'm glad you did this shootout man! Hardware is 100% the widest and is adding the most vibe. If I had to rate these I'd say 1.Hardware 2. Waves 3.Slate 4.Focusrite software Really cool seeing these compressors side by side! Great review!
Thanks dude! That's the exact same order I've settled on after listening through several times 👍🏼
Same here!
Agreed, it does sounds like the famous audio veil on the plugins where the Waves has the thinnest. That being said, I'm happily using the Slate plugins on a daily basis. It would be interesting to try this test at higher sample rates as I'm not sure the plugins are using internal oversampling.
Love this kind of hardware videos and really informative Thanks for making like these. I subbed
I’m so glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you for the sub!
6:10 hardware
7:15 slate plugin
8:20 waves CLA plugin
9:25 focus rite plugin
You can use the above time stamps if you only want to hear the chorus of each example. However, a big part of the Red 3 sound is passing audio through it without compression(just for the I/O transformer goodness), hence the intros of each example where it is the quieter part of the song with little to no gain reduction. I wouldn't advise skipping those(or else I wouldn't have included them to start with 🤣).
I believe another way of determining whether the unit has input transformers is whether the unit has a +14db button between the meters. Apparently, the early units that had input transformers did not have that button, and the later units without input transformers will have it. I'm not 100% sure, but some forum posts from a while back made those claims. I've looked at pictures and it seems to confirm this.
I think you're correct about that, thanks Tony! I'm still curious to try one of the later models at some point just to see if there really is a difference. I'll get around to it one of these days 😁
Awesome video. Wish there were more like this. I have an old focusrite 3, like yours. Can you explain about driving the output? On this video it looked like your make up gain (output?) was turned down pretty low. Hope you do the SSL comparison too!
Thanks! I appreciate you checking out the video. I did 3.1db of make up gain to match what is in the CLA preset of the Slate FG-Red setting. That seems to be a good spot to drive the output a bit without getting to hot going back into my converter/daw to print the mix. I may see if I can get away with a bit more though on some upcoming projects. I definitely am planning on the SSL comparison, I have a Stam Audio SA-4000 MKII and a Smart Research C1LA I can use for that.
don't know why but the 3 vsts sound horrible to me after hearing the hardware, they almost sound muffled and not leaving enough Air, i suppose if you was to use the vst's more tweaking would have to be done before it goes through the compressor to get similar results
Some plug ins get really close to their hardware counterparts but unfortunately the Red 3 is a piece where there really isn't a plug in that does it justice yet. Same thing with the Retro 176(another review I did). I wish it weren't the case so we could all same some money but it still seems like we have quite a ways to go in the plug in dev world.
Just came from the video about driving the output, +3 all the way.
I actually just got out of the studio, finished a mix for a client and used the Focusrite Red in place of the usual SSL I mix into. I really enjoyed it. I think the focusrite is definitely a great emulation (we've come a long way from the D2/D3 plugs) but I'm really surprised at how the top end extension seems to be there in the CLA mix down, like the hardware. Ultimately they're all usable, but I'd go hardware, then CLA/Red, the slate didn't really grab me.
You summed up my feelings on it perfectly! Thanks for checking out the video and for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Thanks for the video. Not much exemples out here of this HW comp.
I know, I find that surprising. It’s such a great compressor! I’m glad you enjoyed the video.
Can you please do a Red 3 2 Buss demo, but switch it in and out, and also maybe a couple different pass throughs, one where you average 4 db on a mix, and even 5-8 on peaks. And also a higher Ratio, like 3 or 4:1. No pressure, Id just like to see it! Thanks man, dope studio!
Thanks for your kind words! I'll consider it but trust me when I say the sweet spot on this compressor for 2 buss is 1.5:1 with a max of 3db gain reduction. Boost the output gain around 3db and that's THE SOUND 🤘🏼!
@@SeawellStudios Haha no worries man, Im just getting exited making dumb requests. I def believe you thats the sweet spot. The CLA setting lol. Thanks dude! Love your vids! Amazing Gear/Ear!
Thanks dude! I really appreciate the kind words 👊🏼
Hey bud! Did you end up keeping the focusrite?
For sure! It’s worked on the 2 buss to this day.
Nice mix man. Beautiful song
Thank you, I really appreciate that!
Great review. I thought CLA Mixdown mode 1 was an SSL Comp bus and the Focusrite was number 2, because you can see the autorelease in it. Do you think it's the opposite?
Based off of how he usually works, I’d say mode 1 is the Red 3 and mode 2 is the shadow hills mastering compressor. The red 3 in auto release is still pretty fast.
@@SeawellStudios interesting! Thanks for sharing it, I have never seen a real one working so I couldn't know :)
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I really appreciate you taking the time to check it out!
Great comparison, thanks a lot
My pleasure! Thank you for checking it out.
I noticed you had the "glue" on the mixdown pushed up a bit. cla has said that the mix down is actually designed to push into, so an aux feeds it and you leave the settings where they are (of course you can add more glue, etc) but the settings are where "he would have them" and you push gain into it until you have the gain reduction where you want it. I've used it both ways, and there is a difference in the sound, so it would make a difference on the comparison. nice video all the same..
Thanks for the comment! You're right, the glue was pushed up a bit to reach the same gain reduction to calibrate it in line with the other options. MixDown was the most difficult to calibrate because when you pull the glue fader all the way down and then slowly start to increase it, there is an increase in volume of about 1db before it starts doing any gain reduction. So the glue knob isn't working exactly like the threshold on the other plug ins. I was hesitant to drive the input too hard because then the make up gain would then have to be reduced and that is where an important part of the sound is on the Red 3. So, it was a bit of a compromise but it was a calculated one. For what it's worth the CLA MixDown was my second favorite right behind the hardware!
@@SeawellStudios I right there with ya... use it on every mix. I’ve tried the ssl buss compressors (waves and ssl) and everything else I “have” to buy, and I still like the mixdown the best...
@@awillia5 very cool man. Do you find yourself using the EQ and Drive sections as well? If so, what do you think of those vs some of the pultec plug ins and console plug ins(VCC, etc.).
@@SeawellStudios I don't mess with the drive very much at all. if I go to master something and it's just a tad bright, I'll try to tame it there first, or brighten it up there first, and if that doesn't work, then I'll go in after whatever it is. I tend to have to watch myself on brightness. I've used the waves puigtec on some things here and there. maybe do a sheps pultec/2a/pultec chain on a vocal here or there, but I mainly have been using the ssl strip (from ssl) on almost everything here lately. it sounds so good and especially on a snare, ssl strip with the compression there, then into a 2a makes incredible punch...almost too punchy (if there is such a thing) if you push it.....I've tried the brainwrx ssl and the waves, but I mostly abandoned those for ssl's "version". I worked with CLA's mix hub quite a bit. I couldn't use it the way it was supposed to be (on every channel) so I could take advantage of the workflow because the MacBook I was using just said "no". even the lite, if I had too many in the session would absolutely eat a processor, but I use it on kick all the time. the "mic" in the input section really adds to a sound. pushes the drive. I used to use it for vocals quite a bit because I liked the 1176 on it better than the standalone cla 1176. lately I've been using a pro q 3 into the cla-76 into a 2a and like that quite a bit.
@@awillia5 you're speaking my language man...I love the SSL Strip! I've tried them all at some point and that one has become my favorite. It is super punchy.
Cool! Thanks!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, thanks for taking the time to watch!
@@SeawellStudios Without a doubt. The quality of the content is enormous! Thank you very much!
Slate muffled the whole mix compared to the others in my opinion.
That hardware is the god the plugins are good but the hardware is king next slate
I know! I wish they still made them so they weren’t so hard to find.
The plugs weren't even close on this one! All the ambience around the drums just completely disappeared!
The early Red 3 like this one truly is something special! Thanks for checking out the video!
So glad we are seeing more of these hardware vs software videos, because i really feel the developers need to be pushed in the right direction.
Just one thing i would like to see as a standard for comparison videos, a short loop being used and repeated for the different examples, perhaps a bar long. What can happen, is if a song has changes, and a different unit is demonstrated on a different part than the others, our perception can be skewed. Loops really make the differences ovious :)
Thank you so much for the video !!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the video! I appreciate your feedback 👍🏻
Yeah was hoping for the same comparison watching this video..
But I guess not.
@@eranddroory9987, @Bon Tempo: Did you guys happen to watch the whole video or just certain sections? I used the exact same section of the song for each example. I used the length that I did to show how each example handled a quieter section, then a louder section. The bridge section then switches between compressors quicker so by the end of the video you have a good feel for each one. Videos that do the same, short 1 bar loop are a little too repetitive for me, but I appreciate you guys stopping by and checking out the video 👍🏼
The Hardware hands down
HELLO1 Thank you for a great video! I have hardware red3 too! I ask for your advice! Do you always have the same attack on your bus mix as in the video? And which is better, automatic release or manual selection? and in your opinion dual mono or link mode is better! Thank you in advance
Occasionally when using it in my mastering chain, I'll set the attack to slowest and release to fastest but the settings you see in this video are always the same when on the mix buss. Congrats on owning the hardware, it truly is something special!
thank you so much ! hit songs!
@@ВиталийБорисюк-л1к thank you! I forgot to mention, always dual mono here, it has a special extra width to my ears in that mode.
@@SeawellStudios Thanks! I wanted to ask you more! Is your attack too fast (about 3 mls) not eaten by transients? And you set the input level to 0, on the input scale mode? Thanks again!
I watched the session mix by Chris Lord Alge, but he mixes through the console and through the hardware, the dynamics are crazy, maybe that's why he puts such a fast attack on red3? Having mastered the mixing in the box, I process the individual tires through hardware devices, maybe I need to set the attack slower! I only do mastering on hardware devices!
Which one do you guys like better, the hardware or one of the plug ins?
if we use the insert method, do we give wet and dry 0%

Hi, thanks for checking out the video! The Red 3(hardware) does not have a mix /blend knob so any time you insert it you'll be getting 100% wet. If your Daw has a mix blend feature on inserts, I'd recommend doing 100% wet. I hope that answers your question!
@@SeawellStudios Usually, if it's wet and dry, if we include it in the send method, the wet must be 100% like using a reverb plugin
Ok yeah, not using as a send, using it as an insert on the 2 Buss.
@@SeawellStudios so how, does the wet stay at 100% for the insert method and what are the wet and dry functions in the insert method, the problem is only the focusrite compressor plugin has dry and wet, please enlighten me
When a piece of hardware like the Red 3 does not have a wet/dry blend knob then when you're using it, it's either 100% wet or 100% dry(in bypass mode). When inserting a piece of hardware into pro tools there is no wet/dry blend option on that insert so you're dependent on the capabilities of the hardware at that point. I personally don't ever do parallel compression on the 2 buss so it is never an issue for me with the Red 3.
The hardware just sounds so much more '3D'.
The plug-ins sound flat and un-inspiring in comparison.