Im just waiting on the plugin politics comments to rear their head.. But for those actually interested in the sound.. What's your thoughts overall on the whole 'amek sound'? 🤓
all I''m gonna say is "If you like this video, please like this video". If you like this video, please like this video. Just kidding, not my kind of plugin, but I appreciated the video nonetheless. On the full mix I prefer the BX AMEK... it sounds "lighter" and I think this lightness and transparency fits this song better. That's crazy, because in the single cases throughout the video I tended to prefer the Amethyst. There you go. If you liked this comment, please like this comment. Keep on doing you!
I got a 'little' bit annoyed and passionate about this very topic on one of PA's video comments section. Very, very glad that you have done this video - makes me look less of a crazy man 😂
That's why it's all subjective. This genuinely may be meant to be a full transparent channel strip as it may suit certain engineers tastes, just like yourself. That's why I'm not really knocking it as if the sound of the amek is fully intended to be this then fair enough. However If I start getting shit about it from bx and PA then I'll know its not haha
Acustica Audio plugins in general just sound better to my ears than almost every other plugin developer in the game. The plugins sound "rich", "colorful", adding "depth" and "weight" to the signal it's processing. I'm finding myself "fixing" less on individual tracks when using AA plugins on busses. Everything just sits right where I like it. Again, to my ears AA gets you as close to analog as you can get in the 0's and 1's domain.
I had a guy give me lots of hate after the pink vs Lindell video. Cpu, acustica myths, I work for acustica etc etc all that crap. DM'd me on Instagram last week (6 months later) apologising and he now owns magenta and water 😂😂
I really don't like to think how much commission I potentially could have made if I had a discount code or a referral link. I make commission from anybody that buys sonimus stuff from my discount link and that's done not too bad. I've had way too many people that have told me they have bought acustica because of my videos Id be f*cking minted man 😂😂
@@PaulThird it’s funny that people get so angry about their “favorite” plug-in company. I LOVE Plug-in Alliance, best subscription plan in the industry IMO. I also love the sound of Acustica now. To me they can really sound phenomenal. But I don’t use them for everything because their tech has drawbacks in addition to their incredible sound quality. I just feel lucky to have an assortment of tools that can give me both: incredible sound quality when I want the extra and can spare the CPU, and simple fast efficient workflow when I want that. We’re all lucky to have all of them! 😂🙏
Great vid BUT there is one thing that everybody missies and which is crucial to me. Amek uses 3 CPU and Amethyst uses 14. SO I can use Amek on every channel and it will take as little power as stock compressor or eq while Amethyst uses 14 and I can use it only on the buss. That is huge difference between two.
I get what you are saying but it's not a qualitative difference. It's a workflow thing which has its own merit but you can fall into a rabbit hole where somebody could argue a stock channel strip uses 1% so why use the amek. That's why i just deal with the sound as if I want a certain sound but it's high cpu then I can just freeze or commit. There's workarounds for it and depends on your processing power. Depends on how they spread over the cores as well with multiple instances. For example my i9 can take like 47 fully working pink instances before cpu errors Where as the sound is the sound. You are given what you are given. There's no workarounds for it
you just bi@tch slapped the kid in the face with saucy juice from a fat black welfare mama after breaking a sweat from jogging around Hyde park an hour.
Thank you. I think that the level match rant deserves its own episode. It's like those ads that show the traditional or competitor's product being used awkwardly, in black and white, and everybody with appalling expressions on their face, and then the star product appears, and the scene is now in color, everybody happily smiling and everything else tight. It also saturates me. With great aliasing.
I agree. Did you see that console plugin demo for KIT Plugins - BB N105 by another RUclipsr? It was like 5db louder! I complained in the comments and got slammed. FFS.
Wait till you see the gearslutz thread 😅 it's a MESS! it's got personal talking mcbrides lawsuit and how the plugin was rushed too quick and not betatested and how it was broken on release and been no support from the dev for bug fixes. I seen some plugin doctor graphs and it's rippling and truncating by the looks of it. Dunno if it's all fixed now but it's an absolute mess for a first release. If it's not fixed by tomorrow then it'll all be in my comparison. Sound is all that matters in the end but we'll see how we get on with it
@@PaulThird They have released a 1.1 already. Btw I pulled up the latest version of Snow Masterbus after your last message and got some great sounds out of it. They fixed a load of major bugs that made my give up, and it sounds pretty great. But CPU usage is insane when using all the functions. The most of any Aqua to date that I've used or equal to Erin. This is going to be for mastering sessions only!
Long time BX user here. I must say the differences are subtle, yet dramatic. The quality of both plugins is obvious, but I am in love with how open and "airy" the amethyst is. I am amazed, actually. Now I have to get it. I like your approach to reviewing / comparing plugins, Paul. Keep up the good work. And please don't change how you say "mux"... its an ear worm for those of us from the fringes of the commonwealth :)
Thank you for putting so much time and energy into producing these shootouts! Great to watch and listen to! Since I have a PA subscription, I already briefly tried the PA Amek, and I think I also tried the Acustica a while ago, but to be honest: I wouldn't use either plugin. I prefer my Fabfilter workhorse EQ and compressor and then add colour with other tools. But in the end it's all a matter of personal taste ;-)
That's indeed the best strategy: EQing with modern tools that have a advanced gui (Fabfilter, Sonible Smart EQ3, Melda tools etc.) and getting the dirt from dedicated boxes.
@@PaulThird btw, in your Neve 31102 video please include the 1102 by Tim P. I have the channel strip fully set up and working across multiple tracks in Logic Pro X, and the thing is excellent. I've also mapped everything to the smart controls to control it through one GUI. It sounds awesome, definitely a must imo
I have both of them and I agree with ya in all points.I do love them both though and I tend to use the AMEK one at final stages to tune maybe things a bit better due it's transparent behavior.Nice video and work. \m/
I've started to see it get slightly better since I've came on the scene with guys that I know watch my videos but its still pretty bad and widespread still 🙈
The AA version sounded better to my ears. More 3d for sure. EDIT: Something interesting I noticed at the end, even tho I prefer the AA on individual parts, listening to the summed mix at the end I actually prefered the BX version.
Amethyst was the first plugin I bought from Acustica. It's simple and it does it's job very, very well. Even better, it brings dull tracks to life. I used to insert a Maag EQ4 on every track, it was my default general EQ, now I use the Amethyst instead. The only downside is that in Studio One I cannot run as many instances as in Samplitude, but ok, I ended producing in Studio One and mixing in Samplitude. Thank you Paul for the review! Spot on, as always.
Nice work on this Paul! I really like the new visual with the plugins side by side. As I have both of these I have yet to do any sort of shootout on an actual mix... Thanks again!
This shootout is a great example of how there IS something different happening in the sound with Acustica’s convolution tech. These two are very clean processors, extremely transparent. But I could easily pick out Amethyst nearly every time. It *seems* like it has more top end even when it doesn’t (confirmed via the graphs) because there is simply a clarity of transients and front to back depth that the Bx doesn’t have. To my ears at least. It’s very subtle, but even a clean AA plug-in still sounds like AA
Ah, I just got to you talking about the harmonics in the comp section. And that may be what I’m hearing. Even order harmonics tend to read as more hidden and “sweet” sounding, and I bet the Amethyst comp favors them over odd harmonics. Possibly why it still sounds clean but just a little sweeter.
I'm not sure if you just omitted this from the video Paul, but the THD works hand-in-hand with the red input knob, which does the most to affect harmonics in the first place. If you didn't try, you should go back and use the input knob first and see how you like it then.
Harmonics are still very clean. Input at 7. THD 3/4. More THD but still pretty marginal. Still only an audible 3rd Harmonic really. its still extremely clean. Problem is that the more you hit the input then compress it actually brings down the THD. Even at very low compression it doesn't add any more harmonics. Even by 'abusing' the plugin it's very clean and can't get anywhere near the amount of harmonic content of the amethyst compressor. The range of harmonics made is purposely limited. Dunno if it's to reduce aliasing as it's something the bx consoles are stellar with but possibly cause they limit the overall harmonic distortion the plugin makes 🤷♂️
Nice review Paul. I agree both are quite transparent. I felt the BWX Amek did a bit better on the horns and piano, but liked the Acustica better on the other instruments, especially the vocals. You can't lose with either plugin. They both sound super.
I liked the bx_console AMEK 9099 (and didn't like ACUSTICA AUDIO at all) / everyone individually likes OWN sound / this is not a dispute and not a war! I wish you all the best in writing great music!
Amethyst sounded more analog as far as a sense of space. Really liked the low mid emphasis on the PA on the full mix though. I know, why not buy both and combine them together on the mix bus?
I refuse to put any eq's on my mixbus unless it my bettermaker/AA titanium combo haha In all honesty though either would work well on mixbus due to the transparency of the eq's 🤓
I don't have a preference over Acustica or BX at all , just on listening the Acustica mix felt more thick and rich but i will also say that the Acustica after a bit almost felt borderline muddy in the low mids. Both mixes i felt had something to offer. I can totally see how the acustica gets a bit more the musical nod where the BX is more on the transparent side. Great work here.
agreed. i used amethyst to get a more 3d pluck that sounds like/better thn the old school EDX/Chris Reece pluck and use amek on master with cla-2a to clean up the sound. i dont even use the amek 200 anymore. i thought about buying pulsar massive but amethyst and amek 9099 together does the job. add warmth and dimensionality with amethyst, cut back surgically with 9099.
Great job Paul ! I prefer Amethyst, it sounds a bit more open and deeper, like I can distinguish the instruments more easy in the mix. Or my ears simply prefer the soundstage the Amethyst gives.
The original intention of being a console plugin should be to use it in every channel. However, ACUSTICA AUDIO's CPU usage is a bit high, which is not conducive to multi-channel use. For multi-channel use, I prefer the BX plug-in, which has almost zero delay and is very friendly to the CPU. It would be more perfect if the BX plug-in can add oversampling.
Hello Paul, I really enjoyed the shootout ! I'm a big Bx owner and I use them somewhere on every mix , yet the Acustica plugin's, to my ears sound full and real. Thanks for explaining about the compressors, that cleared up some things I don't like about Bx compression. Keep doing what you do !
Great video. I love the plugin alliance version, didn't know Acustica modeled one. Very balanced vid. I guess it comes down to what your CPU can handle.
Absolutely phantastic analysis. That's how plugin tests should be. Every opinion is backed by a technical analysis. But there is still room for phantasie or brand symphathy. At the end all we users shouldn't care if the brandname is acoustica or brainworx. Both EQs are very close. I hardly can hear a difference between the EQs on my big Genelec monitors with a subwoofer that goes down to 19 Hz. Most obvious it was on the piano and the bass. I personally share your conclusion with the compressor to 100 %. Why should anyone want such a uncolored digital EQ? I have my DAW EQ (Cubase) for that, or fabfilter etc. The Amek was produced at a time where digital EQs (and digital processing in general) was much worse than great analog gear. Thank you very much for your passion and time you invest in such a review. I know it's a lot of work.
doesn't prove the fact, that it doesn't generate any harmonics and plugin alliance did the same for AMEK EQ, bx_2098 EQ, bx_console AMEK 9099 & bx_console N
I tried the Amek on a mix as the main console.... felt great, client loved it....... But I noticed the high end difference in your comparison. So to me Acustica won this one...... Thanks bro, you make the decision process so much easier.
It’s funny… I liked bx every time except piano and background vocals.. but the bx piano made all the difference in the final mix.. the airy and open top end on the bx beat out all that extra “color” and “vibe” on this track for me.
@@PaulThird 😂😂 I can understand. My wife prefers that I pronounce my words with the Queen's English. Your accent is dope. South African accents are not as cool
I've watched a few of your Acustica reviews now and I feel like there's a certain stridency in the upper harmonics for all of them. Sometimes it comes across as 'clarity' but mostly hearing it as something artificial. Maybe it's the SHMOD... Thanks for your ongoing research.
Great video! I have a lot of the BX channel strips and I enjoy them quite a bit. I do have a couple AA plugins (Sand 4, Dove, Fire the Gold) and I think they sound great but man they are power hungry. I hope to make the leap to Apple silicon later this year but I can run 20 tracks with the AMEK 9099 without significant CPU usage as compared to the Sand 4 Channel strip. Forget about turning up the oversampling on Sand...lol. I just found your channel and I love your analysis. Always nice to see what's happening under the hood on these plugins.
Great video Paul! Listening to the full mix Amethyst sounds fuller, a little more 3D. Last album I mixed I used amethyst all over, great sound! The thing is right now my computer is like 7yo so I'm avoiding AA plugins. been using them for for a long time and have bought almost all their catalog. So I think it's time to change my computer or use plugins that are faster to load and make my workflow a little better.
I wouldn't be wasting the money I've already spent. A new computer will be inevitable anyway when you think about it. Either that or utiluse freezing like I used to do in the i5. I could do a mix without acustica but I just don't wanna 😂 the tools that I've chosen give me the pallet of sounds I desire to quickly paint a picture. I use way less plugins when I use acustica.. Pain the arse at times but worth it for me 🤓
@@PaulThird Right on, new computer is inevitable. I've got an i7 with 32gb of ram but I still need to freeze a lot! a pain like you said. Well, thanks for your time and advice. cheers
I have run my tests on both. I like both for different reasons. Their bells both have different Bandwidths which can make audio sound different. Both are great tools for mixing. I’d use Amethyst for my pre mixing duties and Amek9099 for real time mixing. I like the Amethyst compressor more though. I really like the TMT on the PA and it really rocks when you have cranked up values on EQ and compressor. Love the notch on the PA, plus the limiter option. Price too high , will have to wait a year or so till it drops. Would love a buss plug-in like the Lindel 80 series. I love the amethyst collection of pre pre amps.
Yeah it was a pain in the arse to match the curves of the PA. Could be done but was using different settings in the amethyst. Having eq A and B helps a lot as it gives you more options. I know I would Intuitively use amethyst different from PA due to the curves and options 🤓
I agree with your observations, the Acustica plug in this case wins (and Amethyst is one of the FEW acustica comps I actually like). If you can't handle the CPU load, the Amek isn't too bad a choice. Cheers
I used to own an old Tac Blue console, which had that Amek Angela type eq and sound (but noisier!)...I have also some experience with the new Amek/Neve which is more relevant here. I have to say when I first tried this plugin it just felt like using the hardware...I can't say that for all of AA's stuff (I don't like Sand and actually prefer Analoge Obsessions SSL)...but usually they have that 3D depth that gives the feel. With that sound and authentic interfaces, it gives you a wonderful user experience IMO.
Sooo to be fair you have to take into account the 'distortions' that Utube is adding to sound but as reviews go, that was the most honest and meaningful review I have seen for a long time, my vote is still Brainworx though as the main problem with Acoustica is that the CPU drain is just to high to be fully used on a multitrack session. On a side note to 'Hello' try saying 'No' with an Australian accent..... Impossible.
I personally used an Amek desk for quite some months and man, Amethyst is so SO close. Once they updated it, had to buy it straight away. I know it's a bit late but anyway, thanks for this Paul, amazing stuff as usual!
I think Alliance can be used for more up front in your face type of sound vs AA is more of like oyu said, 3d with a boost in saturation which I found boomy in the drums portion. But I feel Amethyste is better when it comes to parallel compression etc.
Help me out folks. I have an i7 8700K and 32 gigs of RAM. I'm used to using UAD which of course doesn't attack your processor but I do use some IK, PA, Noise Ash, etc. I can hear what you guys are saying about the harmonic content on the AA and would love to get it. I'm not a techy guy but would my Windows machine be able to handle 16 to 24 instances of the AA? I don't know much about convulsion or other types either. I just use the stuff. 😁 OK...confession time. I own the PA BX9099 and have found uses for it. It's very clean and transparent . That's not a slam. It's just what it is. Even though I think Rupert would pick the AA🙂. I want the AA too because yes, I'm a plugin junkie and it sounds so good! And it WILL get used And some people will say that you shouldn't have too many plugins because you should just choose one and use them. The fact is I look at the different brand plugins of the same types just like the BX9099 and the AA like a wall of outboard behind you. I like to mix it up. It all depends what works. Thats why all the classic studios have all that outboard. You might have 10 original 1081 from different 4 sales and worked on by how many different techs? And in the track one might sound better on a particular channel than another one that's depending on whats going on the mix. This work flow is required most of the time in my humle opinion. This is where its' only the gear because of the ear! My 2cents. Im loving the sound of the AA...but as far as the BX AMEK 9099 and a powerful laptop? The Beatles would had killed for that 😁
this vid straight GOLD to me...one of the BEST vids ever seen on YT. THANKS a lot for this gem. just suscribed..!! Have you got any video talking about those analisys plugins, i mean Plugin Doctor & Blind test??? Would be good and very welcome a vid for those ones...
I wish the Acustica had multiple channels. A tip with acustica gear is that it is meant to be used like a analog channel. Meaning 2 instances on a stereo channel. I see lots of people using 1 channel for the stereo track, while that will work you not getting the slight differences in each channel to make it sound more analog. But with this plugin it only has the 1 channel.
That's what the PRE is for. In most channel strips it'll sample every channel in the console so you can have a slightly different response. Camel for example sampled every channel of the calrec console. Most of the modern AA channel strips give you the option of all the different sampled channels. Sand, gold, pink etc does it as well.
@@PaulThird Pink don't. My only problem with Pink is that it don't have multiple channel sampling. Or is it on the EQ and not the Pre? I forget Pinks an odd one. You would assume its on the pre. Have you seen Dan Worrall new video testing it? It's a great video as always. Deffo puts it into perspective. I'm not buying one any time soon. Saving my money for Kelvin and VSM4 to feed my saturation addiction. Im a god dam harmonic junkie.
@@PaulThird be interesting to see you do some measuring of the width control on the bx amek. seems to add a tonne of top end too the sides but it gets so much louder so fast so it instantly sounds amazing would be interesting to see it level matched and see what kind of phase mess its creating etc..
Yeah I was thinking that cause I only used stereo width on the piano and it's definitely brighter but the curves remain the same so its possibly the phase
@@PaulThird i tried it on overheads and it seemed to get a lot brighter but the hi hat intro if the track i was mixing seemed to start doing some weird phasy type things.. i need to take a closer look there was a fair bit going on in the mix, i added the amek towards the end so perhaps it was just accentuating a problem that was coming from somewhere else etc
Does the Amethyst4 sound better because it is 96kHz? Is there more aliasing in the BX_CONSOLE AMEK 9099? I saw the PLUGIN ALLIANCE LINDELL 50 SERIES VS ACUSTICA AUDIO PINK 4 you did, and I was wondering if the Lindell 50 is as good as the Pink4 if you turn the oversampling to max on the Lindell? What would its max setting translate to, 96kHz? And if you could choose only one channel strip from ACUSTICA, which one would it be? The experts say we cannot hear a difference between 44kHz and say 96kHz. I say yes we can if the 44 has a shit ton of aliasing. Remove the aliasing and things sound more high definition. And folk on the internet say that UAD is not better than PA because it is PA or Brainworx that provides the codes for UAD. I am not an expert, so I might be talking bullshit, lol. Personally, I prefer PLUGIN ALLIANCE because you can get 349$ for like 30$ on sale and, you escape the horrible upgrade plan from Waves. I uninstalled all my Waves plugs because I got so angry. I will never buy a plugin from them ever again, well, until they remove the upgrade plan. I can see you can get the Pink for 149$, which means you must pay like 119$ extra when you can just turn the oversampling up in the Lindell. Or am I wrong? The way I see it, PLUGIN ALLIANCE is the best bang for the buck deal on the planet. However, today you get like the Behringer Model D for like 300$, the Moog alternative is like, I dunno, 3000$? And nothing can beat real analog yet, zero aliasing and heavy, thick, warm, 3D, and alive. 😈 So, how would say the Behringer SX3242FX compare to the Amethyst4? 😎
1. Bx amek is so clean and internally oversampled that aliasing isn't an issue. 96khz just means that niquist exceeds further and really in this case is very unnecessary. These plugs would arguably sound the same at 44.1 & 48k. Lindell at x16 is comparible to pink but still differences but id definitely say it sounds it's best when at x16 when I tested it in both videos 2. Magenta would be my AA channel strip of choice 3. The UAD plugins that were coded by bx are identical to the bx ones. However there is a difference between UAD's own coding and BX's coding. As to which is better.. Subjective. 4. Pink gives you way more bang for your buck and cpu wise Lindell x16 OS is equivalent to pink with the additional compressor mode on. 5. I've tested analog gear worth thousands and many times it's that close nobody can tell the difference in blind tests. Sometimes plugins even sound subjectively better. Id probably imagine that a well coded plugin emulation would beat cheaper made hardware most of the time. A lot of cheap hardware can sound super nasty to the point where you'd be better off with a clean digital plugin haha just look at a lot of klark teknic stuff. I know guys that wouldn't use some of that stuff for free 🤣 In the end use your ears at all times. Level match correctly and triple blind test yourself. Then you'll know whats what 🤓
The actual AMEK 9098 console’s dynamics section is digital. Meaning that the dynamics section on the console itself is just controller knobs acting on a digital dynamics processor, which is rack mounted in another room. Very complex. The channel goes from analog, to digital, back to analog. My question is: which of these two channel strip’s dynamics section most closely matches the real console? As much as the colored sound of the AA sounds appealing, I suspect that the transparency of the PA matches the real console more accurately. 🤷♂️
I've ran a few things through an 80's amek console and it was pretty coloured but it wasnt a 9098 If it is really as transparent as the PA then just use a stock daw compressor or another free clean compressor 🤷♂️ there's tons out there
Great video Paul!! I prefer the added mojo (musicality) of the Acustica plugin myself. Even so, I'm sure the Plugin Alliance version has its applications as well.
Great video Paul. Really love your channel. No hype just honesty and that's all I want. I do have two issues with Acustica I hope you address in future videos... Price and CPU drain. Starving musician here on an old Mac and not much money. It's keeping me away from them for now. I mentioned the $500 admission price to the Nebula system.to you recently. That's crazy! Not saying it isn't worth it just that it keeps me from enjoying it.. Maybe make a video with your thoughts on those issues? Anyway...thanks again for the great content.
I've discussed it in loads of videos. Unfortunately it's the issue with convolution. Due to every move you make loading a new impulse response it takes a lot of cpu. It's just the makeup of convolution. That's why your install files are HUGE. The more options it has the more sampled impulse responses there are. It's a complete different set up to algorithms which are more code based. I'm hoping by the time more powerful computers become affordable Acustica's technology has advanced where they meet in the middle and its just like using an algo. Price is decent with their sales. The summer sale just now is mental. £30-£80 for a lot of their best is amazing value but I've been in the same boat. I actually had to bide my time with magenta before I got it. Even at £80 it was a lot of money for me to justify. The more you buy you get put into set discount tiers even on sale prices but you need that initial investment. That's the pain. I'm pretty sure control room (fb forum) have 50% off acustica all year round. It's like £2 a month or something. Whether they still do it I'm unsure. IF you've got a low performing computer then you can utilise freezing like what I did in the i5 lenovo. Once I got used to that workflow it was a piece of cake. I'm on protools which is a cpu killer anyway. I've been told reaper is way better to host acustica plugs in terms of cpu due to protools AAX threading or some crap like that 😂 Acustica is an investment. That's the issue. Its whether you are more sound or workflow based. I go for sound as I feel I get better results and it's closer to hardware so I get more depth and character. It's all subjective though. You've really got to believe in the Acustica and nebula stuff to change DAW's, computer, workflow, lose more storage space etc if it's something that you find marginally better then I'd just say stick to what you got and make the best out of them. It's a lot of money otherwise 🤓
In solo i liked the AMEK 9099 but with the full mix i like AMETHYST 4 , WHATS that all about lol , Thats a good mix you have done by the way .Great vid as always Paul dude . KEEP ROCKING ;)
Thanks man. Still needs reverb, delay, some saturation, drum bus processing and maybe pultecs on the mixbus but I'm quite happy with how it's sounding so far. Probably within the next hour or 2 the Acustica brown vid will be up. Honestly wait till you hear that thing on the mix!
@@PaulThird Not another Acustica plugin ill be wanting to buy hahaha , saying that paul i did some updates and instored a few last night took hours , and i was having problems , the sort u have when you are maxed out on cpu , but i was only at 9 to 11 % , and today i've turned my pc on to load more plugins and I have a BLUE SCREEN , not sure why, first cubase started saying my licence isn't working , then OZONE was being ODD not sure what it is , I hate this part of my job , always something that dont work , a lead ,a speaker , pc anything .If only i could go 1 month with it all working lol . PC is a year old and graphic card stopped working a few weeks ago , And have to wait 22 days to get a new one , SCAN computers ARAHHhhhh . 2 weeks b4 that a dude recording fucked up the headphones lead , and didn't tell me and when i tried to fix it thinking it was the mixer and leads I ended up blowing a speaker with a big POP , Mute was on as well . Some Time I want to cry PAUL , all i want to do is record and mix hahaha , saying that its been like this on and off for 30 plus years things always fuck up from time to time even if you dont ever upplug a lead , one day it just dont work . Acustica plugins are great but there is something strange going on with PA and Acustica on same master chan . SO my top TOP TIP to you all out there ONLY load 1 plug in at a time and test it b4 you load a 2nd plugin or you may find you have to uninstall all of them and start over . And don't work til 4 am thinking your on a roll ;).
hm i think the Amek sounds a bit nicer on the top end additionally to what you heard. Both seem to be one of those you can only load 1-2 times in the mix because of the noise / harmonics tho, so idk. not the biggest difference, but i like them both
Well, there's "transparent" and then there is lifeless. I think the BX is on the border of lifeless. that's more of a confirmation why I sold it a couple months ago. Amethyst to me sounds exactly what I look for, a bit of musicality and emotion. There were some cool things with the BX but the clipper actually didnt clip. I always had a massive peak transient and the more you clipped the worse it got.
Either one is usable but Acustica is my fav. The probablem with Acustica is they are very CPU heavy (from what I have heard on reviews) My Xeon turbos at 4.0 but I can't see putting the Acustica plugs on 20 plus tracks. Now BX is very CPU friendly, plus their Mega Bundle is only $29.99 a month and their Mix & Master bundle is like $14.99 so you can use them and quit anytime. I wish Acustica would do something like that.
@@PaulThird Like UAD. Give us a "Box" or a card. they really need to do this. Plugs seem to be poorly coded. I have 32 cores and ONE core will max out while the rest are at 7% or something ridicules.
12:21 i have a question, If any hardware emulated plugin is so clean then why would you choose to work with it instead of non emulated digital plugins(i need your prospective because i respect your opinions)much love and thanks❣️
More the fixed options and modelled curves really. The phase can be argued in some ie the pre's of convolution plugins sample the pass through of the unit which in itself shapes the behaviour of the curves but in most cases you don't need as many emulations as you think, nowhere near and it took me over 10 years to figure that out haha
Acustica for me my dude! PA sounds flatter to my ears (more digital.. I sed it!!!) but srsly both still sound good my dude. Surprised by the differences but I would pick the acoustica 😁
digital lol? The AA is muddier, the BX bit more transparent - all within a 5% margin. If you like plugins, go with BX. I stay away from the AA madness.
Hi there. Write through Google translator. Thanks for the video. In my opinion, amek sounds great, but not as lively as aa (although many of you know plugins that sound better than AA? True, the problem of creations from AA in the appetite of the processor). Sometimes you don't know (or maybe I missed something) this amek 9098 is identical to bx 2098, are there any differences in terms of sound?
I think I need to upgrade my monitors - I can't really hear a difference between the two. Maybe when I watch you bypassing, but if I look away I can't hear any changes.
I can't really say much as its from your perspective but from my perspective there is quite an audible difference to my ears. Suppose it may depend on what you are listening out for. As soon as I hone in on the differences I can't unhear them.
@@PaulThird Perhaps thats what I need. I have the same problem when tasting whisky :) It all tastes like petrol until someone points out 'apples' or 'tobacco', then I cant miss it.
Genuinely if brainworx gave the compressors a bit more character it would have the edge as cpu wise the 9099 will always win but in the end I had 9 instances of both and had no crashes with either when playing them back, and I've got nebula and acustica snow on the mix and print bus haha on lower performing peocessers amethyst probably won't be an option
For me, the Amethyst was richer - but I don't know if it's the EQs or your tweaks but I actually found both EQs a little strident... looking forward to the Neve showdown.
If you don't take into consideration that Acustica's version takes up 10 times more processing power from your DAW than the BX one (as always when it comes to channel strips), all other considerations become completely out of context. I would suggest to Paul that he always point this out for each test. This is a BIG BIG deal in the real world.
But I don't have those issues. Everybody knows AA has more CPU, I even did a whole video about it and how to combat it. I don't speak about it cause its the same excuse over and over and over. I ran 9 instances of amethyst and also have acustica snow on the print and TimP vari level on the mixbus. Not one cpu issue on my i9. I can get like 47 instances of pink (eq, comp, pre all working) until it maxes out and I'm on protools. The experience of the whole acustica thing is dependent on your processor and which DAW you use. I choose to use protools so I can only manage under 50 channel strips but that's my choice. If I used reaper I'd maybe get 70-80 instances 🤷♂️ Even when I did have my i5 lenovo laptop I used to just freeze stuff in protools. I made an entire record with like 80% acustica on a 6 year old i5 laptop. So no.. Its not out of context. The context is determined by each user. Like anything in this world, if you believe the output is worth the input then you put in the input. Again, dependent on each person.
@@PaulThird I understand that's where you stand. Don't get me wrong, I use Acustica a lot. I just mentioned it because if you ran a BX Console at 16X oversampling, surely Brainworx could make it sound better (like the Lindell 80, which does sound considerably better oversampled). And even so the hit on the CPU is smaller than that of most Acustica plugins. So it's not just about choice or the CPU you have, it is a real technical/emulation/sound issue that has to go into consideration. BX Consoles are made to allow you to run 120 instances of them and still have plenty of room for your other plugins. Because obviously in most mixes and for most engineers we don't use only a couple of dozens of Acustica plugins, right? In real life we use many more than that. So I don't think a BX Console can be really compared to Acustica's plugins (at least not without mentioning this fact), because the purpose of the design is very different. What I personally do is the obvious solution: I pick a few important tracks or groups to use Acustica on, and for the rest I'll use either the new SSL Channel Strip or a BX Console emu. But each one has it's way of dealing with this. This is mine. BTW, (and I don't think this is the main point of my comment), I mix on Logic on a 2020 Macbook Pro, top of the line, and Acustica's plugins still have a considerable impact on CPU usage, to the point that sometimes more than 5 plugins and 1 Acustica on the same track is not a viable option. Anyway, really love your channel, thanks so much for the carefully recorded reviews, some of the best on YT. Cheers mate!
They sound so close to each other. To an average listener they wouldn't know nor care about the small difference I could hear. The acustica audio plugin sounds a tiny bit darker and richer, but the tones are so close between the two, that one could just use the AMEK strip if they wanted the sound with less CPU hit. I use the AMEK strip in Studio One with the Brit Console MixFX engine set to "superb analog" and it sounds super close the acustica by itself. Plus low CPU hit so I can mix large sessions without freezing instances. But if someone likes the acustica more, then that is fine, they are both so close, and sound amazing regardless of which one someone uses.
I really think there is quite an audible difference due to the lack of harmonics in the amek to the point where id argue that you'd probably get away with any clean channel strip like metric halo in comparison
I have the metric Halo channel strip in it doesn't sound the same as this in my opinion. The AMEK has just enough THD to sound warmer than the metric halo. The metric Halo channel strip has no harmonics whatsoever it is a flat digital channel strip. The acustica plug-in is definitely warmer, but the tone seems so similar in my opinion. The actual AMEK console is really transparent. There's a studio on the west side of town where I live, that has one. The AMEK plug in from Brainworx sounds very similar to their SSL 9000 J plug in but with smoother top end. But then that plug-in has no thd, at least at default. Now you have me wondering if the AMEK plug-in has the THD turned all the way down too. 🤔 Maybe the EQ or the compressor is making me think that the tones on that plug-in sound warm.
@@PaulThird an update. I checked the plug-in with plug-in doctor. And compared it to the SSL 9000j. The THD on the AMEK set at the default position is the same as the SSL 9000 J plug in that has the THD turned completely off. So you were right again. This is why I love watching your videos! The harmonics and depth that I thought I was hearing was because of Studio One and the mixfx engine I was using which has harmonics and channel cross talk. I still like the EQ on it, but I am starting to think with all these scams these plug-in developers are doing, I'll probably just use a Fab filter EQ and call it a day. I'll just use Studio One for the console sound with the Brit console.
When I looked into the THD in PA stuff it's basically just a soft clipper in reality. In the manuals it states that it replicates the units being driven harder. TimP includes this as well in his plugins but guess what he calls it... A clipper haha so you'll have the Compressor, pre (which in reality is a post amp) and an optional clipper which models the units being driven harder all the way into distortion. The THD thing in PA plugs is a very sly marketing ploy when you think about it. In a sense it does mean Total harmonic distiortion as it incorporates the unit being driven harder but really it should just be called a f*cking clipper! 🤣 Theres no need to call it anything else. That's what acustica incorporate in their plugins but you don't have the control over it. That's what the oversampling is for in their newer plugs and updates. It's only for the internal clipper which is a very sly addition from them as I dunno exactly how it works, when it kicks in etc
Question for you... How do you tolerate protools on Windows? I installed the ultimate demo, it doesn't process 64bit FP audio, it couldn't handle the max buffer size of my interface UAD x16, and its got hideous windows in windows with no full screen option, plus it just felt laggy, and no it was not my PC (9920x 64gb ram and NVME ssds with a 1070ti). As a side note great content and rant on level matching... I hardly watch plugin reviews anymore because people simply crank them.
It's just what I was taught on. It's all I know. Been using PT for over a decade now. It isn't the best of acustica plugs cpu wise but since I got the i9 computer I've had no issues. PT never crashes. I swapped my perpetual license for the avid subscription model as I got it cheaper for the license. £9 a month or something so I've always got access to the latest version. I'm purely mixing and recording on protools. I'm not into producing or that so other DAW's like logic or ableton have no interest to me. Its basic bitch but that's what I like about it. Remeniscent more of a console workflow. I use 1082 buffer, set it to maximum cpu efficiency and that's me good to go. No lag, everything loads quick. Dunno maybe its just cause I've worked with for so long it's just like riding a bike
@@PaulThird Makes sense, I've been on cubase for many years now, moving back over to protools was like stepping back in time! That and I could not belive how poor the UI is in comparison.
The problem for me was Acustica's CPU drain. Snap, crackle and pop on my system (which handles most makers' plugins with ease). BX_'s uses its fair share of CPU, but it is manageable.
@@BasariStudios The distractions from the constant farting and crackling in the AA can really suck your will to live. And having a freeze/commit option is not a solution, it's a band aid. Ergonomics are at least as important if not more important than the tine differences in sound quality.
So is the Acustica supposed to be an emulation of the AMEK 9098i as is the Brainworx? Or is the Acustica based on another board? I dont think the PA BX 9099 sounds bad but I think the Acustica sounds a little richer and warmer in the mids. The PA 9099 sounds a little more strident...not horrible but just a smidge. I liked the PAs clarity. I can get the PA 9099 with a voucher for $174 US. The Amethyst for 149 Euros which is about $177 US I don't dislike the PA 9099 it does have the gate, expander and other options...which I may not use anyway lol. What do you guys think about TMT? I thought they both sounded good on Pauls track. Just different. Is the Amethyst more like the NEVE or AMEK I would DEMO the PA9099 but my Voucher expires tomorrow. I can see that people here are leaning toward the Acustica. Any silly reason i should spend money I don't have and buy both?🙄
Own both and Amethyst is in a completely different league IMO. There is no comparison at all. Amethyst does everything way better. It literally pulls out the events in a busy mix and makes them shining.
To me, the bx sounds more 3d on the piano alone, and on the full mix. Less color, but then the Amythest sounds less toppy. I AM hearing more gluing of the mix in the Amythest. I tend to like gear with lots of clean and balanced high end. I can always take some treble out. So yeah, bx doesn't seem to have any significant added harmonics on the comp; but those on the Amythest don't sound entirely convincing. As I don't have a 9099, I couldn't tell you which comp is a more accurate emulation; so if they are on the real board, and they likely are, bx needs to do some work on them. When doing an emu, I almost always would want the more accurate emu, unless it is more clear or punchy. I'm hearing more bass punch in the bx - but again, less glue. Doing those tests blind and then doing a reveal right afterward I think would prejudice the choices less. I tried using the harmonic distortion of the bx on a heavily-distorted guitar signal (JVM); but I decided what it added was inferior to the amp's distortion, so I just set it to zero. On most other channels, I used some. I think I could get a better mix out of the bx; but admittedly, I'd have to add some harmonics, and do the master bus compression with other plugins. I'm fairly certain the actual board would sound much better; but plugins are well more affordable. As I write this, you can get the bx for about $30, but you have to subscribe to their email and wait a while for prices like this. I'm not a pro, so it's just my two cents. I'm listening on HS8's (which I think are gr8), but with no sub yet, via a Presonus Firepod, on 1080p.
I may revisit this as there is an amek console in the college I work in but it's getting access to it. I've asked the question so you never know but if it's not the exact same console type then probably pointless
@Paul Third I think the main ? is just to find out if the compressor of a real one adds a lot of harmonics like the Amythest. True, differences in consoles can account for differences in plugins, but if the ? is only lots of harmonics or not, the test may be more feasible. Asking to try it for a quick track, say a sine wave, for "academic" reasons might seem reasonable. Of course, it's easy to armchair quarterback; but I would be interested if you try it. I do know analog compressors often have a much bigger bass sound than plugins. The question of do the harmonics added by the plugin hold a candle to the real thing seems like one that could be thrown off by differences in boards. FWIW: I have seen reports of the freqs of the bx being off; but then, you can just turn the knobs to where it sounds good. I WOULD like to see them respond to such reports, as well as yours. These days, I care a lot about accurate xfer of signal (as did Rupert), and if I want rich harmonics, I try to use only the best of the best of digital ones. Currently, I was impressed by a moderate application of the Pulsar Modular P42 Climax Line Amp, but the distortion on the Voxengo LFPunch works miracles on bass, and good Distressor emulations make drums just STOMP.
@@PaulThird I think I found out the deal with the compressor. This video: ruclips.net/video/HnwQuXGjLS8/видео.html says they totally ignored the 9099 dynamics since they didn't like them; and designed their own - so it would indeed be moot to compare the harmonics to the real thing.
Amethyst has a depth and weight that just isn't there in the BX, they're both quite good and I'm sure the BX has a much lighter hit on the CPU but as always with Acustica anything commit and freeze are your friends...
Spent 20 mins with the PA 9099. Total garbage for the price, IMHO. I have the PA 2098 Amek EQ and never use it, except on one track. Harsh, thin and ultimately nothing interesting to offer. Makes total sense the 9099 uses the Amek EQ. Just glad I got Amethyst for $29 when it was in version 3. Then again, Snow has been a big disappointment so far.
@@PaulThird The high end of the EQ module and the standalone compressor - both disappointing. My fault or insta-buying because Gold was so good. I mean, this was supposed to be a virtual Portico! But it was broken when I got it, has needed 5 fixes and I still don't know if it broken features work. The high EQ distorts badly from 14k upwards if you push it. Not exactly the rounded and smooth Neve sound. Gold sounds better! I will try and work on the master bus more, but that wasn't my main reason to get it. I just love the AA Neve plugins (Got three of them). Gold and UAD's 1084 (Which I don't own) both sound fantastic. I just expected Snow to be amazing. It needs work, IMHO.
Yeah it had echo bug and some truncation when I did my video. I use the Masterbus and eq together utilising the best of each to my ears. Really I wish they were just one total plugin. I didn't push either hard though as it was masterbus.
To me AA is a clear winner. As you've said - it's much more natural sounding and it's definitely much more 3d. But that's my general thought about PA vs AA - PA always sound flatter and AA sound more natural. Only think wrong about AA to me is this huge latency their plugins introduce. Even the cpu usage is not that bad for my i9 ;) But I really like see my meters in sync with what I'm hearing... This is much more targeted to Nebula world, where on my system stock compressors introduce ca 6000 samples of latency, but Acquas are quite 'late' too... Anyway, you've done another great video. I can't wait for the next video with BB N105 against Lindell 80 which is my go to now...
Im just waiting on the plugin politics comments to rear their head.. But for those actually interested in the sound.. What's your thoughts overall on the whole 'amek sound'? 🤓
We were never dreaming of the Amek. But the Thyst 4 just sounds great!
all I''m gonna say is "If you like this video, please like this video". If you like this video, please like this video. Just kidding, not my kind of plugin, but I appreciated the video nonetheless. On the full mix I prefer the BX AMEK... it sounds "lighter" and I think this lightness and transparency fits this song better. That's crazy, because in the single cases throughout the video I tended to prefer the Amethyst. There you go. If you liked this comment, please like this comment. Keep on doing you!
I got a 'little' bit annoyed and passionate about this very topic on one of PA's video comments section. Very, very glad that you have done this video - makes me look less of a crazy man 😂
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That's why it's all subjective. This genuinely may be meant to be a full transparent channel strip as it may suit certain engineers tastes, just like yourself. That's why I'm not really knocking it as if the sound of the amek is fully intended to be this then fair enough. However If I start getting shit about it from bx and PA then I'll know its not haha
Acustica Audio plugins in general just sound better to my ears than almost every other plugin developer in the game. The plugins sound "rich", "colorful", adding "depth" and "weight" to the signal it's processing. I'm finding myself "fixing" less on individual tracks when using AA plugins on busses. Everything just sits right where I like it. Again, to my ears AA gets you as close to analog as you can get in the 0's and 1's domain.
acustica eq always has so much more depth to my ears, the compressors are alive too. Paul, its your fault I have so much acustica stuff now...
I had a guy give me lots of hate after the pink vs Lindell video. Cpu, acustica myths, I work for acustica etc etc all that crap.
DM'd me on Instagram last week (6 months later) apologising and he now owns magenta and water 😂😂
I totally agree, and am in the same boat regarding Acustica Audio plugins though I can't lay the blame totally with Mr. Third (just partially) ...
I really don't like to think how much commission I potentially could have made if I had a discount code or a referral link. I make commission from anybody that buys sonimus stuff from my discount link and that's done not too bad.
I've had way too many people that have told me they have bought acustica because of my videos
Id be f*cking minted man 😂😂
😆 No doubt. Let's hope they come to their senses soon and recognise what's up!
@@PaulThird it’s funny that people get so angry about their “favorite” plug-in company. I LOVE Plug-in Alliance, best subscription plan in the industry IMO. I also love the sound of Acustica now. To me they can really sound phenomenal. But I don’t use them for everything because their tech has drawbacks in addition to their incredible sound quality. I just feel lucky to have an assortment of tools that can give me both: incredible sound quality when I want the extra and can spare the CPU, and simple fast efficient workflow when I want that. We’re all lucky to have all of them! 😂🙏
Great vid BUT there is one thing that everybody missies and which is crucial to me. Amek uses 3 CPU and Amethyst uses 14. SO I can use Amek on every channel and it will take as little power as stock compressor or eq while Amethyst uses 14 and I can use it only on the buss. That is huge difference between two.
I get what you are saying but it's not a qualitative difference. It's a workflow thing which has its own merit but you can fall into a rabbit hole where somebody could argue a stock channel strip uses 1% so why use the amek.
That's why i just deal with the sound as if I want a certain sound but it's high cpu then I can just freeze or commit. There's workarounds for it and depends on your processing power. Depends on how they spread over the cores as well with multiple instances. For example my i9 can take like 47 fully working pink instances before cpu errors
Where as the sound is the sound. You are given what you are given. There's no workarounds for it
you just bi@tch slapped the kid in the face with saucy juice from a fat black welfare mama after breaking a sweat from jogging around Hyde park an hour.
Thank you. I think that the level match rant deserves its own episode. It's like those ads that show the traditional or competitor's product being used awkwardly, in black and white, and everybody with appalling expressions on their face, and then the star product appears, and the scene is now in color, everybody happily smiling and everything else tight. It also saturates me. With great aliasing.
It's always going to annoy me haha 😅
@@PaulThird If Fletcher or Munson were alive, they would also feel the bad vibe!!
I agree. Did you see that console plugin demo for KIT Plugins - BB N105 by another RUclipsr? It was like 5db louder! I complained in the comments and got slammed. FFS.
Wait till you see the gearslutz thread 😅 it's a MESS! it's got personal talking mcbrides lawsuit and how the plugin was rushed too quick and not betatested and how it was broken on release and been no support from the dev for bug fixes. I seen some plugin doctor graphs and it's rippling and truncating by the looks of it. Dunno if it's all fixed now but it's an absolute mess for a first release. If it's not fixed by tomorrow then it'll all be in my comparison. Sound is all that matters in the end but we'll see how we get on with it
@@PaulThird They have released a 1.1 already. Btw I pulled up the latest version of Snow Masterbus after your last message and got some great sounds out of it. They fixed a load of major bugs that made my give up, and it sounds pretty great. But CPU usage is insane when using all the functions. The most of any Aqua to date that I've used or equal to Erin. This is going to be for mastering sessions only!
Long time BX user here. I must say the differences are subtle, yet dramatic. The quality of both plugins is obvious, but I am in love with how open and "airy" the amethyst is. I am amazed, actually. Now I have to get it.
I like your approach to reviewing / comparing plugins, Paul. Keep up the good work. And please don't change how you say "mux"... its an ear worm for those of us from the fringes of the commonwealth :)
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Thank you for putting so much time and energy into producing these shootouts! Great to watch and listen to! Since I have a PA subscription, I already briefly tried the PA Amek, and I think I also tried the Acustica a while ago, but to be honest: I wouldn't use either plugin. I prefer my Fabfilter workhorse EQ and compressor and then add colour with other tools. But in the end it's all a matter of personal taste ;-)
I completely agree with you. This was hard for me to mix with as I'm so used to colour boxes when boosting. It's not as fun for me haha
That's indeed the best strategy: EQing with modern tools that have a advanced gui (Fabfilter, Sonible Smart EQ3, Melda tools etc.) and getting the dirt from dedicated boxes.
Your efforts are considerably appreciated for this massive test.
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@@PaulThird btw, in your Neve 31102 video please include the 1102 by Tim P. I have the channel strip fully set up and working across multiple tracks in Logic Pro X, and the thing is excellent. I've also mapped everything to the smart controls to control it through one GUI. It sounds awesome, definitely a must imo
I have both of them and I agree with ya in all points.I do love them both though and I tend to use the AMEK one at final stages to tune maybe things a bit better due it's transparent behavior.Nice video and work. \m/
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"why do youtubers not level match audio comparisons?" is the most important question ever asked! I'm watching tube since 2006.
I've started to see it get slightly better since I've came on the scene with guys that I know watch my videos but its still pretty bad and widespread still 🙈
@@PaulThird yep! SSL demonstrates those overpriced plugs(fusion) without level match)
The AA version sounded better to my ears. More 3d for sure.
EDIT: Something interesting I noticed at the end, even tho I prefer the AA on individual parts, listening to the summed mix at the end I actually prefered the BX version.
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Amethyst was the first plugin I bought from Acustica. It's simple and it does it's job very, very well. Even better, it brings dull tracks to life. I used to insert a Maag EQ4 on every track, it was my default general EQ, now I use the Amethyst instead. The only downside is that in Studio One I cannot run as many instances as in Samplitude, but ok, I ended producing in Studio One and mixing in Samplitude.
Thank you Paul for the review! Spot on, as always.
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I also mix and master in samplitude pro×6 alot of people sleeping on that daw
I have the same issues: Producing in Ableton and mixing in Reaper here.
Nice work on this Paul! I really like the new visual with the plugins side by side. As I have both of these I have yet to do any sort of shootout on an actual mix... Thanks again!
As I wasn't looking for a blind test in this one it made sense to show the plugins side by side 🤓
I'm just here to listen to Paul say "HELLO everyone!" at the beginning of all of his intros.
I dunno how long I'll be able to do it for though.. Killing my throat 😂
@@PaulThird Hang in there Paul. We all appreciate the work that you do.
That's why we are all really here!
And you´ve been GREATLY rewarded this time. 😂😂😂
This shootout is a great example of how there IS something different happening in the sound with Acustica’s convolution tech. These two are very clean processors, extremely transparent. But I could easily pick out Amethyst nearly every time. It *seems* like it has more top end even when it doesn’t (confirmed via the graphs) because there is simply a clarity of transients and front to back depth that the Bx doesn’t have. To my ears at least. It’s very subtle, but even a clean AA plug-in still sounds like AA
Ah, I just got to you talking about the harmonics in the comp section. And that may be what I’m hearing. Even order harmonics tend to read as more hidden and “sweet” sounding, and I bet the Amethyst comp favors them over odd harmonics. Possibly why it still sounds clean but just a little sweeter.
Think you may on to something here 🤓
Clarity of transients, focus, depth and blending with the source is where Amethyst excels hands down
I'm not sure if you just omitted this from the video Paul, but the THD works hand-in-hand with the red input knob, which does the most to affect harmonics in the first place. If you didn't try, you should go back and use the input knob first and see how you like it then.
Harmonics are still very clean. Input at 7. THD 3/4. More THD but still pretty marginal. Still only an audible 3rd Harmonic really. its still extremely clean.
Problem is that the more you hit the input then compress it actually brings down the THD. Even at very low compression it doesn't add any more harmonics. Even by 'abusing' the plugin it's very clean and can't get anywhere near the amount of harmonic content of the amethyst compressor. The range of harmonics made is purposely limited. Dunno if it's to reduce aliasing as it's something the bx consoles are stellar with but possibly cause they limit the overall harmonic distortion the plugin makes 🤷♂️
Nice review Paul. I agree both are quite transparent. I felt the BWX Amek did a bit better on the horns and piano, but liked the Acustica better on the other instruments, especially the vocals. You can't lose with either plugin. They both sound super.
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I liked the bx_console AMEK 9099 (and didn't like ACUSTICA AUDIO at all) / everyone individually likes OWN sound / this is not a dispute and not a war! I wish you all the best in writing great music!
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Amethyst sounded more analog as far as a sense of space. Really liked the low mid emphasis on the PA on the full mix though. I know, why not buy both and combine them together on the mix bus?
I refuse to put any eq's on my mixbus unless it my bettermaker/AA titanium combo haha
In all honesty though either would work well on mixbus due to the transparency of the eq's 🤓
@@PaulThird Maybe you should make a screenshot of your favourite bettermaker/ titanium settings, just for your Patreons...Hint...hint
Will do!
You definitely can read my thoughts! I wanted to ask you for that comparison yesterday.
As soon as it came out my inbox was constantly
'tried the new amek yet?'
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I don't have a preference over Acustica or BX at all , just on listening the Acustica mix felt more thick and rich but i will also say that the Acustica after a bit almost felt borderline muddy in the low mids. Both mixes i felt had something to offer. I can totally see how the acustica gets a bit more the musical nod where the BX is more on the transparent side. Great work here.
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agreed. i used amethyst to get a more 3d pluck that sounds like/better thn the old school EDX/Chris Reece pluck and use amek on master with cla-2a to clean up the sound. i dont even use the amek 200 anymore. i thought about buying pulsar massive but amethyst and amek 9099 together does the job. add warmth and dimensionality with amethyst, cut back surgically with 9099.
Great job Paul ! I prefer Amethyst, it sounds a bit more open and deeper, like I can distinguish the instruments more easy in the mix. Or my ears simply prefer the soundstage the Amethyst gives.
It's more the feel I prefer in amethyst. I move to the beat a lot more and feel the track 🤓
The original intention of being a console plugin should be to use it in every channel. However, ACUSTICA AUDIO's CPU usage is a bit high, which is not conducive to multi-channel use. For multi-channel use, I prefer the BX plug-in, which has almost zero delay and is very friendly to the CPU. It would be more perfect if the BX plug-in can add oversampling.
Awesome vid. I love how detailed your videos are. Awesome job.
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Lovely review! Both super passionate minds behind each of these companies;
Good stuff mate!
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Hello Paul, I really enjoyed the shootout ! I'm a big Bx owner and I use them somewhere on every mix , yet the Acustica plugin's, to my ears sound full and real. Thanks for explaining about the compressors, that cleared up some things I don't like about Bx compression. Keep doing what you do !
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Great video. I love the plugin alliance version, didn't know Acustica modeled one. Very balanced vid. I guess it comes down to what your CPU can handle.
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Absolutely phantastic analysis. That's how plugin tests should be. Every opinion is backed by a technical analysis. But there is still room for phantasie or brand symphathy. At the end all we users shouldn't care if the brandname is acoustica or brainworx.
Both EQs are very close. I hardly can hear a difference between the EQs on my big Genelec monitors with a subwoofer that goes down to 19 Hz. Most obvious it was on the piano and the bass. I personally share your conclusion with the compressor to 100 %.
Why should anyone want such a uncolored digital EQ? I have my DAW EQ (Cubase) for that, or fabfilter etc. The Amek was produced at a time where digital EQs (and digital processing in general) was much worse than great analog gear.
Thank you very much for your passion and time you invest in such a review. I know it's a lot of work.
As long as you guys appreciate it I'm happy 🤓🤓
doesn't prove the fact, that it doesn't generate any harmonics and plugin alliance did the same for AMEK EQ, bx_2098 EQ, bx_console AMEK 9099 & bx_console N
Definitely using both in different situations Thanks for all the hard work to get this to us
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Paul,you are amazing mate.exactly to the correct points and great detail.love your content. keep rocking 🙏💪
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As a regular AA user I was very surprised how unmusical the PA Amek console sounded. Once you get used to the AA sound it is hard to go back...
Be interesting to see if they make any changes to the PA if it is still in the beta stage
Amek won this one. The AA is muddy - I don't need another saturator, lol.
I can't hear the difference via RUclips. Sorry..
I tried the Amek on a mix as the main console.... felt great, client loved it....... But I noticed the high end difference in your comparison. So to me Acustica won this one...... Thanks bro, you make the decision process so much easier.
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It’s funny… I liked bx every time except piano and background vocals.. but the bx piano made all the difference in the final mix.. the airy and open top end on the bx beat out all that extra “color” and “vibe” on this track for me.
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I watch your tuts all the time. My wife loves to watch with me just to hear your accent 😂🤞🏾
My wife only likes my RUclips accent cause I pronounce words properly haha I fall more into my Scottish dialect at home and she hates it 😂
@@PaulThird 😂😂 I can understand. My wife prefers that I pronounce my words with the Queen's English. Your accent is dope. South African accents are not as cool
I've watched a few of your Acustica reviews now and I feel like there's a certain stridency in the upper harmonics for all of them. Sometimes it comes across as 'clarity' but mostly hearing it as something artificial. Maybe it's the SHMOD... Thanks for your ongoing research.
Great video! I have a lot of the BX channel strips and I enjoy them quite a bit. I do have a couple AA plugins (Sand 4, Dove, Fire the Gold) and I think they sound great but man they are power hungry. I hope to make the leap to Apple silicon later this year but I can run 20 tracks with the AMEK 9099 without significant CPU usage as compared to the Sand 4 Channel strip. Forget about turning up the oversampling on Sand...lol. I just found your channel and I love your analysis. Always nice to see what's happening under the hood on these plugins.
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Great video Paul! Listening to the full mix Amethyst sounds fuller, a little more 3D. Last album I mixed I used amethyst all over, great sound! The thing is right now my computer is like 7yo so I'm avoiding AA plugins. been using them for for a long time and have bought almost all their catalog. So I think it's time to change my computer or use plugins that are faster to load and make my workflow a little better.
I wouldn't be wasting the money I've already spent. A new computer will be inevitable anyway when you think about it. Either that or utiluse freezing like I used to do in the i5. I could do a mix without acustica but I just don't wanna 😂 the tools that I've chosen give me the pallet of sounds I desire to quickly paint a picture. I use way less plugins when I use acustica.. Pain the arse at times but worth it for me 🤓
@@PaulThird Right on, new computer is inevitable. I've got an i7 with 32gb of ram but I still need to freeze a lot! a pain like you said. Well, thanks for your time and advice. cheers
Accent when you say Sawf Clippin’ is just awesome. Great comparison! Both companies make fantastic plugins and I finally ditched Waves.
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I have run my tests on both. I like both for different reasons. Their bells both have different Bandwidths which can make audio sound different. Both are great tools for mixing. I’d use Amethyst for my pre mixing duties and Amek9099 for real time mixing. I like the Amethyst compressor more though. I really like the TMT on the PA and it really rocks when you have cranked up values on EQ and compressor. Love the notch on the PA, plus the limiter option. Price too high , will have to wait a year or so till it drops. Would love a buss plug-in like the Lindel 80 series. I love the amethyst collection of pre pre amps.
Yeah it was a pain in the arse to match the curves of the PA. Could be done but was using different settings in the amethyst. Having eq A and B helps a lot as it gives you more options. I know I would Intuitively use amethyst different from PA due to the curves and options 🤓
You did say at the start of the video it was a beta version. Did they fix/change the compression?
Nope. That's the sound of the Plugin. That's what they went for
I agree with your observations, the Acustica plug in this case wins (and Amethyst is one of the FEW acustica comps I actually like). If you can't handle the CPU load, the Amek isn't too bad a choice.
Cheers
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I used to own an old Tac Blue console, which had that Amek Angela type eq and sound (but noisier!)...I have also some experience with the new Amek/Neve which is more relevant here. I have to say when I first tried this plugin it just felt like using the hardware...I can't say that for all of AA's stuff (I don't like Sand and actually prefer Analoge Obsessions SSL)...but usually they have that 3D depth that gives the feel. With that sound and authentic interfaces, it gives you a wonderful user experience IMO.
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Sooo to be fair you have to take into account the 'distortions' that Utube is adding to sound but as reviews go, that was the most honest and meaningful review I have seen for a long time, my vote is still Brainworx though as the main problem with Acoustica is that the CPU drain is just to high to be fully used on a multitrack session. On a side note to 'Hello' try saying 'No' with an Australian accent..... Impossible.
In which Paul Third proves that "HELLO" is the hardest word in the English language to say...
If your throats not up to it it's a killer the way I say it 😂 Ive got a bit of a cough.. Game over 😅
Of course, why do you think they started the damn word with Hell- ; they knew what they were doing! :)
I couldn't sit through over a hundred hello everyone's 😂😂
I personally used an Amek desk for quite some months and man, Amethyst is so SO close. Once they updated it, had to buy it straight away. I know it's a bit late but anyway, thanks for this Paul, amazing stuff as usual!
Nice one. Doesn't matter you're 'late' - i recently got the BX_A and this weekend Amethyst in the sale. Thinking to 'hybrid' them, for cpu reasons
I think Alliance can be used for more up front in your face type of sound vs AA is more of like oyu said, 3d with a boost in saturation which I found boomy in the drums portion. But I feel Amethyste is better when it comes to parallel compression etc.
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The start was worth it Paul 🤘🏽✊🏻👐🤣
Help me out folks. I have an i7 8700K and 32 gigs of RAM. I'm used to using UAD which of course doesn't attack your processor but I do use some IK, PA, Noise Ash, etc. I can hear what you guys are saying about the harmonic content on the AA and would love to get it. I'm not a techy guy but would my Windows machine be able to handle 16 to 24 instances of the AA? I don't know much about convulsion or other types either. I just use the stuff. 😁
OK...confession time. I own the PA BX9099 and have found uses for it. It's very clean and transparent . That's not a slam. It's just what it is. Even though I think Rupert would pick the AA🙂. I want the AA too because yes, I'm a plugin junkie and it sounds so good! And it WILL get used And some people will say that you shouldn't have too many plugins because you should just choose one and use them. The fact is I look at the different brand plugins
of the same types just like the BX9099 and the AA like a wall of outboard behind you. I like to mix it up. It all depends what works. Thats why all the classic studios have all that outboard. You might have 10 original 1081 from different 4 sales and worked on by how many different techs? And in the track one might sound better on a particular channel than another one that's depending on whats going on the mix. This work flow is required most of the time in my humle opinion. This is where its' only the gear because of the ear!
My 2cents. Im loving the sound of the AA...but as far as the BX AMEK 9099 and a powerful laptop? The Beatles would had killed for that
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this vid straight GOLD to me...one of the BEST vids ever seen on YT.
THANKS a lot for this gem. just suscribed..!!
Have you got any video talking about those analisys plugins, i mean Plugin Doctor & Blind test???
Would be good and very welcome a vid for those ones...
I've been asked by a few so I may do a quick video on plugin doctor
@@PaulThird Thnx bro...blessings ☝🏾🎩!!!
I wish the Acustica had multiple channels. A tip with acustica gear is that it is meant to be used like a analog channel. Meaning 2 instances on a stereo channel. I see lots of people using 1 channel for the stereo track, while that will work you not getting the slight differences in each channel to make it sound more analog. But with this plugin it only has the 1 channel.
That's what the PRE is for. In most channel strips it'll sample every channel in the console so you can have a slightly different response. Camel for example sampled every channel of the calrec console. Most of the modern AA channel strips give you the option of all the different sampled channels. Sand, gold, pink etc does it as well.
@@PaulThird Pink don't. My only problem with Pink is that it don't have multiple channel sampling. Or is it on the EQ and not the Pre? I forget Pinks an odd one. You would assume its on the pre.
Have you seen Dan Worrall new video testing it? It's a great video as always. Deffo puts it into perspective. I'm not buying one any time soon.
Saving my money for Kelvin and VSM4 to feed my saturation addiction. Im a god dam harmonic junkie.
Finally an actual review. thank you for your service sir
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@@PaulThird be interesting to see you do some measuring of the width control on the bx amek. seems to add a tonne of top end too the sides but it gets so much louder so fast so it instantly sounds amazing would be interesting to see it level matched and see what kind of phase mess its creating etc..
Yeah I was thinking that cause I only used stereo width on the piano and it's definitely brighter but the curves remain the same so its possibly the phase
@@PaulThird i tried it on overheads and it seemed to get a lot brighter but the hi hat intro if the track i was mixing seemed to start doing some weird phasy type things.. i need to take a closer look there was a fair bit going on in the mix, i added the amek towards the end so perhaps it was just accentuating a problem that was coming from somewhere else etc
The Kit-Blackbird sounds very good, looking forward to your next viddi 🎶✨
I always get wary when I do a shootout of a plugin everybody is raving about haha 😅😅 I have a habit of being a bit of a party pooper
@@PaulThird please do one of the Blackbird Kit console!
Does the Amethyst4 sound better because it is 96kHz? Is there more aliasing in the BX_CONSOLE AMEK 9099? I saw the PLUGIN ALLIANCE LINDELL 50 SERIES VS ACUSTICA AUDIO PINK 4 you did, and I was wondering if the Lindell 50 is as good as the Pink4 if you turn the oversampling to max on the Lindell? What would its max setting translate to, 96kHz?
And if you could choose only one channel strip from ACUSTICA, which one would it be?
The experts say we cannot hear a difference between 44kHz and say 96kHz. I say yes we can if the 44 has a shit ton of aliasing. Remove the aliasing and things sound more high definition.
And folk on the internet say that UAD is not better than PA because it is PA or Brainworx that provides the codes for UAD.
I am not an expert, so I might be talking bullshit, lol.
Personally, I prefer PLUGIN ALLIANCE because you can get 349$ for like 30$ on sale and, you escape the horrible upgrade plan from Waves. I uninstalled all my Waves plugs because I got so angry. I will never buy a plugin from them ever again, well, until they remove the upgrade plan.
I can see you can get the Pink for 149$, which means you must pay like 119$ extra when you can just turn the oversampling up in the Lindell. Or am I wrong?
The way I see it, PLUGIN ALLIANCE is the best bang for the buck deal on the planet.
However, today you get like the Behringer Model D for like 300$, the Moog alternative is like, I dunno, 3000$? And nothing can beat real analog yet, zero aliasing and heavy, thick, warm, 3D, and alive. 😈 So, how would say the Behringer SX3242FX compare to the Amethyst4? 😎
1. Bx amek is so clean and internally oversampled that aliasing isn't an issue. 96khz just means that niquist exceeds further and really in this case is very unnecessary. These plugs would arguably sound the same at 44.1 & 48k.
Lindell at x16 is comparible to pink but still differences but id definitely say it sounds it's best when at x16 when I tested it in both videos
2. Magenta would be my AA channel strip of choice
3. The UAD plugins that were coded by bx are identical to the bx ones. However there is a difference between UAD's own coding and BX's coding. As to which is better.. Subjective.
4. Pink gives you way more bang for your buck and cpu wise Lindell x16 OS is equivalent to pink with the additional compressor mode on.
5. I've tested analog gear worth thousands and many times it's that close nobody can tell the difference in blind tests. Sometimes plugins even sound subjectively better.
Id probably imagine that a well coded plugin emulation would beat cheaper made hardware most of the time.
A lot of cheap hardware can sound super nasty to the point where you'd be better off with a clean digital plugin haha just look at a lot of klark teknic stuff. I know guys that wouldn't use some of that stuff for free 🤣
In the end use your ears at all times. Level match correctly and triple blind test yourself. Then you'll know whats what 🤓
@@PaulThird Thank you for your quick reply. Much appreciated. I will look into the Magenta! TY ✌
Amek sounded better - I'm not the only one saying it. Tiny difference though. Cleaner.
The actual AMEK 9098 console’s dynamics section is digital. Meaning that the dynamics section on the console itself is just controller knobs acting on a digital dynamics processor, which is rack mounted in another room.
Very complex. The channel goes from analog, to digital, back to analog.
My question is: which of these two channel strip’s dynamics section most closely matches the real console?
As much as the colored sound of the AA sounds appealing, I suspect that the transparency of the PA matches the real console more accurately.
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I've ran a few things through an 80's amek console and it was pretty coloured but it wasnt a 9098
If it is really as transparent as the PA then just use a stock daw compressor or another free clean compressor 🤷♂️ there's tons out there
Great video Paul!! I prefer the added mojo (musicality) of the Acustica plugin myself. Even so, I'm sure the Plugin Alliance version has its applications as well.
Absolutely 🤓 both won't ruin what you've got already
Great video Paul. Really love your channel. No hype just honesty and that's all I want. I do have two issues with Acustica I hope you address in future videos... Price and CPU drain. Starving musician here on an old Mac and not much money. It's keeping me away from them for now. I mentioned the $500 admission price to the Nebula system.to you recently. That's crazy! Not saying it isn't worth it just that it keeps me from enjoying it.. Maybe make a video with your thoughts on those issues? Anyway...thanks again for the great content.
I've discussed it in loads of videos. Unfortunately it's the issue with convolution. Due to every move you make loading a new impulse response it takes a lot of cpu. It's just the makeup of convolution. That's why your install files are HUGE. The more options it has the more sampled impulse responses there are. It's a complete different set up to algorithms which are more code based. I'm hoping by the time more powerful computers become affordable Acustica's technology has advanced where they meet in the middle and its just like using an algo.
Price is decent with their sales. The summer sale just now is mental. £30-£80 for a lot of their best is amazing value but I've been in the same boat. I actually had to bide my time with magenta before I got it. Even at £80 it was a lot of money for me to justify. The more you buy you get put into set discount tiers even on sale prices but you need that initial investment. That's the pain.
I'm pretty sure control room (fb forum) have 50% off acustica all year round. It's like £2 a month or something. Whether they still do it I'm unsure.
IF you've got a low performing computer then you can utilise freezing like what I did in the i5 lenovo. Once I got used to that workflow it was a piece of cake.
I'm on protools which is a cpu killer anyway.
I've been told reaper is way better to host acustica plugs in terms of cpu due to protools AAX threading or some crap like that 😂
Acustica is an investment. That's the issue. Its whether you are more sound or workflow based. I go for sound as I feel I get better results and it's closer to hardware so I get more depth and character. It's all subjective though. You've really got to believe in the Acustica and nebula stuff to change DAW's, computer, workflow, lose more storage space etc if it's something that you find marginally better then I'd just say stick to what you got and make the best out of them. It's a lot of money otherwise 🤓
AA sounds more dynamic and more spacious a really good imitation of Hardware
In solo i liked the AMEK 9099 but with the full mix i like AMETHYST 4 , WHATS that all about lol , Thats a good mix you have done by the way .Great vid as always Paul dude . KEEP ROCKING ;)
Thanks man. Still needs reverb, delay, some saturation, drum bus processing and maybe pultecs on the mixbus but I'm quite happy with how it's sounding so far.
Probably within the next hour or 2 the Acustica brown vid will be up. Honestly wait till you hear that thing on the mix!
@@PaulThird Not another Acustica plugin ill be wanting to buy hahaha , saying that paul i did some updates and instored a few last night took hours , and i was having problems , the sort u have when you are maxed out on cpu , but i was only at 9 to 11 % , and today i've turned my pc on to load more plugins and I have a BLUE SCREEN , not sure why, first cubase started saying my licence isn't working , then OZONE was being ODD not sure what it is , I hate this part of my job , always something that dont work , a lead ,a speaker , pc anything .If only i could go 1 month with it all working lol . PC is a year old and graphic card stopped working a few weeks ago , And have to wait 22 days to get a new one , SCAN computers ARAHHhhhh . 2 weeks b4 that a dude recording fucked up the headphones lead , and didn't tell me and when i tried to fix it thinking it was the mixer and leads I ended up blowing a speaker with a big POP , Mute was on as well . Some Time I want to cry PAUL , all i want to do is record and mix hahaha , saying that its been like this on and off for 30 plus years things always fuck up from time to time even if you dont ever upplug a lead , one day it just dont work . Acustica plugins are great but there is something strange going on with PA and Acustica on same master chan . SO my top TOP TIP to you all out there ONLY load 1 plug in at a time and test it b4 you load a 2nd plugin or you may find you have to uninstall all of them and start over . And don't work til 4 am thinking your on a roll ;).
hm i think the Amek sounds a bit nicer on the top end additionally to what you heard. Both seem to be one of those you can only load 1-2 times in the mix because of the noise / harmonics tho, so idk. not the biggest difference, but i like them both
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Not for shootout, but I really fell in love with the AA Green EQ/suite recently. Just wanted to recommend, I find it very unique and extremely useful.
I've done a subtractive eq with green. Very musical 🤓
Great video as usual! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the blackbird plugin.
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I love the Amek….just not on the kick drum….i feel like the kick is too transparent on my kick.
Well, there's "transparent" and then there is lifeless. I think the BX is on the border of lifeless. that's more of a confirmation why I sold it a couple months ago. Amethyst to me sounds exactly what I look for, a bit of musicality and emotion. There were some cool things with the BX but the clipper actually didnt clip. I always had a massive peak transient and the more you clipped the worse it got.
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Good job as usual, Paul. Hopefully one day we'll both be speaking the same version of English.
Unless I move country.. Never gonna happen 😂😂
Either one is usable but Acustica is my fav. The probablem with Acustica is they are very CPU heavy (from what I have heard on reviews) My Xeon turbos at 4.0 but I can't see putting the Acustica plugs on 20 plus tracks. Now BX is very CPU friendly, plus their Mega Bundle is only $29.99 a month and their Mix & Master bundle is like $14.99 so you can use them and quit anytime. I wish Acustica would do something like that.
Some sort of dsp would be amazing
@@PaulThird Like UAD. Give us a "Box" or a card. they really need to do this. Plugs seem to be poorly coded. I have 32 cores and ONE core will max out while the rest are at 7% or something ridicules.
I love the amethyst compressor sounds great
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Thank you for your efforts, it looks like you spent a lot of time to test it and film it. Yeah, Acustica rules
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Hi Paul, what's the song that plays at the beginning of your video. The one with woman's formant-kind voice?
Just some random song that the guy that made the intro video used
12:21 i have a question, If any hardware emulated plugin is so clean then why would you choose to work with it instead of non emulated digital plugins(i need your prospective because i respect your opinions)much love and thanks❣️
More the fixed options and modelled curves really. The phase can be argued in some ie the pre's of convolution plugins sample the pass through of the unit which in itself shapes the behaviour of the curves but in most cases you don't need as many emulations as you think, nowhere near and it took me over 10 years to figure that out haha
Acustica for me my dude! PA sounds flatter to my ears (more digital.. I sed it!!!) but srsly both still sound good my dude. Surprised by the differences but I would pick the acoustica 😁
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digital lol? The AA is muddier, the BX bit more transparent - all within a 5% margin. If you like plugins, go with BX. I stay away from the AA madness.
Hi there. Write through Google translator. Thanks for the video. In my opinion, amek sounds great, but not as lively as aa (although many of you know plugins that sound better than AA? True, the problem of creations from AA in the appetite of the processor). Sometimes you don't know (or maybe I missed something) this amek 9098 is identical to bx 2098, are there any differences in terms of sound?
Nope. Both files null so the 9098 and 2098 eq's sound identical
Finally a decent review! Subbed
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I think I need to upgrade my monitors - I can't really hear a difference between the two. Maybe when I watch you bypassing, but if I look away I can't hear any changes.
I can't really say much as its from your perspective but from my perspective there is quite an audible difference to my ears.
Suppose it may depend on what you are listening out for. As soon as I hone in on the differences I can't unhear them.
@@PaulThird Perhaps thats what I need. I have the same problem when tasting whisky :) It all tastes like petrol until someone points out 'apples' or 'tobacco', then I cant miss it.
Great video. Very useful. Thanks.
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Great stuff. Will definitely check them out. Have you tried the TBProAudio CS-5501? Looks intriguing…
No but probably looks like the most versatile CS I've seen to date. Looks like it's got everything!
LOL. The sonic differences are so small. It really comes down to workflow preferences with these two.
Genuinely if brainworx gave the compressors a bit more character it would have the edge as cpu wise the 9099 will always win but in the end I had 9 instances of both and had no crashes with either when playing them back, and I've got nebula and acustica snow on the mix and print bus haha on lower performing peocessers amethyst probably won't be an option
For me, the Amethyst was richer - but I don't know if it's the EQs or your tweaks but I actually found both EQs a little strident... looking forward to the Neve showdown.
Both eq's are extremely clean. Like nearly digital
agreed! bit too much.
If you don't take into consideration that Acustica's version takes up 10 times more processing power from your DAW than the BX one (as always when it comes to channel strips), all other considerations become completely out of context. I would suggest to Paul that he always point this out for each test. This is a BIG BIG deal in the real world.
But I don't have those issues. Everybody knows AA has more CPU, I even did a whole video about it and how to combat it. I don't speak about it cause its the same excuse over and over and over.
I ran 9 instances of amethyst and also have acustica snow on the print and TimP vari level on the mixbus. Not one cpu issue on my i9. I can get like 47 instances of pink (eq, comp, pre all working) until it maxes out and I'm on protools.
The experience of the whole acustica thing is dependent on your processor and which DAW you use. I choose to use protools so I can only manage under 50 channel strips but that's my choice. If I used reaper I'd maybe get 70-80 instances 🤷♂️
Even when I did have my i5 lenovo laptop I used to just freeze stuff in protools. I made an entire record with like 80% acustica on a 6 year old i5 laptop.
So no.. Its not out of context. The context is determined by each user. Like anything in this world, if you believe the output is worth the input then you put in the input. Again, dependent on each person.
@@PaulThird I understand that's where you stand. Don't get me wrong, I use Acustica a lot. I just mentioned it because if you ran a BX Console at 16X oversampling, surely Brainworx could make it sound better (like the Lindell 80, which does sound considerably better oversampled). And even so the hit on the CPU is smaller than that of most Acustica plugins. So it's not just about choice or the CPU you have, it is a real technical/emulation/sound issue that has to go into consideration. BX Consoles are made to allow you to run 120 instances of them and still have plenty of room for your other plugins. Because obviously in most mixes and for most engineers we don't use only a couple of dozens of Acustica plugins, right? In real life we use many more than that. So I don't think a BX Console can be really compared to Acustica's plugins (at least not without mentioning this fact), because the purpose of the design is very different. What I personally do is the obvious solution: I pick a few important tracks or groups to use Acustica on, and for the rest I'll use either the new SSL Channel Strip or a BX Console emu. But each one has it's way of dealing with this. This is mine.
BTW, (and I don't think this is the main point of my comment), I mix on Logic on a 2020 Macbook Pro, top of the line, and Acustica's plugins still have a considerable impact on CPU usage, to the point that sometimes more than 5 plugins and 1 Acustica on the same track is not a viable option.
Anyway, really love your channel, thanks so much for the carefully recorded reviews, some of the best on YT. Cheers mate!
They sound so close to each other. To an average listener they wouldn't know nor care about the small difference I could hear. The acustica audio plugin sounds a tiny bit darker and richer, but the tones are so close between the two, that one could just use the AMEK strip if they wanted the sound with less CPU hit. I use the AMEK strip in Studio One with the Brit Console MixFX engine set to "superb analog" and it sounds super close the acustica by itself. Plus low CPU hit so I can mix large sessions without freezing instances. But if someone likes the acustica more, then that is fine, they are both so close, and sound amazing regardless of which one someone uses.
I really think there is quite an audible difference due to the lack of harmonics in the amek to the point where id argue that you'd probably get away with any clean channel strip like metric halo in comparison
I have the metric Halo channel strip in it doesn't sound the same as this in my opinion. The AMEK has just enough THD to sound warmer than the metric halo. The metric Halo channel strip has no harmonics whatsoever it is a flat digital channel strip. The acustica plug-in is definitely warmer, but the tone seems so similar in my opinion. The actual AMEK console is really transparent. There's a studio on the west side of town where I live, that has one. The AMEK plug in from Brainworx sounds very similar to their SSL 9000 J plug in but with smoother top end. But then that plug-in has no thd, at least at default. Now you have me wondering if the AMEK plug-in has the THD turned all the way down too. 🤔 Maybe the EQ or the compressor is making me think that the tones on that plug-in sound warm.
@@PaulThird an update. I checked the plug-in with plug-in doctor. And compared it to the SSL 9000j. The THD on the AMEK set at the default position is the same as the SSL 9000 J plug in that has the THD turned completely off. So you were right again. This is why I love watching your videos! The harmonics and depth that I thought I was hearing was because of Studio One and the mixfx engine I was using which has harmonics and channel cross talk. I still like the EQ on it, but I am starting to think with all these scams these plug-in developers are doing, I'll probably just use a Fab filter EQ and call it a day. I'll just use Studio One for the console sound with the Brit console.
When I looked into the THD in PA stuff it's basically just a soft clipper in reality. In the manuals it states that it replicates the units being driven harder. TimP includes this as well in his plugins but guess what he calls it... A clipper haha so you'll have the Compressor, pre (which in reality is a post amp) and an optional clipper which models the units being driven harder all the way into distortion.
The THD thing in PA plugs is a very sly marketing ploy when you think about it. In a sense it does mean Total harmonic distiortion as it incorporates the unit being driven harder but really it should just be called a f*cking clipper! 🤣
Theres no need to call it anything else. That's what acustica incorporate in their plugins but you don't have the control over it. That's what the oversampling is for in their newer plugs and updates. It's only for the internal clipper which is a very sly addition from them as I dunno exactly how it works, when it kicks in etc
Question for you... How do you tolerate protools on Windows? I installed the ultimate demo, it doesn't process 64bit FP audio, it couldn't handle the max buffer size of my interface UAD x16, and its got hideous windows in windows with no full screen option, plus it just felt laggy, and no it was not my PC (9920x 64gb ram and NVME ssds with a 1070ti).
As a side note great content and rant on level matching... I hardly watch plugin reviews anymore because people simply crank them.
It's just what I was taught on. It's all I know. Been using PT for over a decade now. It isn't the best of acustica plugs cpu wise but since I got the i9 computer I've had no issues. PT never crashes. I swapped my perpetual license for the avid subscription model as I got it cheaper for the license. £9 a month or something so I've always got access to the latest version.
I'm purely mixing and recording on protools. I'm not into producing or that so other DAW's like logic or ableton have no interest to me.
Its basic bitch but that's what I like about it. Remeniscent more of a console workflow. I use 1082 buffer, set it to maximum cpu efficiency and that's me good to go. No lag, everything loads quick. Dunno maybe its just cause I've worked with for so long it's just like riding a bike
@@PaulThird Makes sense, I've been on cubase for many years now, moving back over to protools was like stepping back in time! That and I could not belive how poor the UI is in comparison.
I knew this was coming!
Latest I've ever been!!
The problem for me was Acustica's CPU drain. Snap, crackle and pop on my system (which handles most makers' plugins with ease). BX_'s uses its fair share of CPU, but it is manageable.
CPU Percentage does not make music sound better.
@@BasariStudios The distractions from the constant farting and crackling in the AA can really suck your will to live. And having a freeze/commit option is not a solution, it's a band aid. Ergonomics are at least as important if not more important than the tine differences in sound quality.
@@whistletom Are we talking about 2011?
So is the Acustica supposed to be an emulation of the AMEK 9098i as is the Brainworx? Or is the Acustica based on another board?
I dont think the PA BX 9099 sounds bad but I think the Acustica sounds a little richer and warmer in the mids. The PA 9099 sounds a little more strident...not horrible but just a smidge. I liked the PAs clarity. I can get the PA 9099 with a voucher for $174 US. The Amethyst for 149 Euros which is about $177 US
I don't dislike the PA 9099 it does have the gate, expander and other options...which I may not use anyway lol. What do you guys think about TMT? I thought they both sounded good on Pauls track. Just different. Is the Amethyst more like the NEVE or AMEK I would DEMO the PA9099 but my Voucher expires tomorrow.
I can see that people here are leaning toward the Acustica. Any silly reason i should spend money I don't have and buy both?🙄
Own both and Amethyst is in a completely different league IMO. There is no comparison at all. Amethyst does everything way better. It literally pulls out the events in a busy mix and makes them shining.
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To me, the bx sounds more 3d on the piano alone, and on the full mix. Less color, but then the Amythest sounds less toppy. I AM hearing more gluing of the mix in the Amythest. I tend to like gear with lots of clean and balanced high end. I can always take some treble out. So yeah, bx doesn't seem to have any significant added harmonics on the comp; but those on the Amythest don't sound entirely convincing. As I don't have a 9099, I couldn't tell you which comp is a more accurate emulation; so if they are on the real board, and they likely are, bx needs to do some work on them. When doing an emu, I almost always would want the more accurate emu, unless it is more clear or punchy. I'm hearing more bass punch in the bx - but again, less glue.
Doing those tests blind and then doing a reveal right afterward I think would prejudice the choices less. I tried using the harmonic distortion of the bx on a heavily-distorted guitar signal (JVM); but I decided what it added was inferior to the amp's distortion, so I just set it to zero. On most other channels, I used some. I think I could get a better mix out of the bx; but admittedly, I'd have to add some harmonics, and do the master bus compression with other plugins. I'm fairly certain the actual board would sound much better; but plugins are well more affordable. As I write this, you can get the bx for about $30, but you have to subscribe to their email and wait a while for prices like this.
I'm not a pro, so it's just my two cents. I'm listening on HS8's (which I think are gr8), but with no sub yet, via a Presonus Firepod, on 1080p.
I may revisit this as there is an amek console in the college I work in but it's getting access to it. I've asked the question so you never know but if it's not the exact same console type then probably pointless
@Paul Third I think the main ? is just to find out if the compressor of a real one adds a lot of harmonics like the Amythest. True, differences in consoles can account for differences in plugins, but if the ? is only lots of harmonics or not, the test may be more feasible. Asking to try it for a quick track, say a sine wave, for "academic" reasons might seem reasonable. Of course, it's easy to armchair quarterback; but I would be interested if you try it. I do know analog compressors often have a much bigger bass sound than plugins. The question of do the harmonics added by the plugin hold a candle to the real thing seems like one that could be thrown off by differences in boards. FWIW: I have seen reports of the freqs of the bx being off; but then, you can just turn the knobs to where it sounds good. I WOULD like to see them respond to such reports, as well as yours.
These days, I care a lot about accurate xfer of signal (as did Rupert), and if I want rich harmonics, I try to use only the best of the best of digital ones. Currently, I was impressed by a moderate application of the Pulsar Modular P42 Climax Line Amp, but the distortion on the Voxengo LFPunch works miracles on bass, and good Distressor emulations make drums just STOMP.
@@PaulThird I think I found out the deal with the compressor. This video: ruclips.net/video/HnwQuXGjLS8/видео.html says they totally ignored the 9099 dynamics since they didn't like them; and designed their own - so it would indeed be moot to compare the harmonics to the real thing.
Great presentation... Trev
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I WAS GONNA GET THE AMEK TODAY BECAUSE I COULD HVE GOT IT FOR $25 BUT IMA GONNA JUST SAVE MY MONEY,NO NEED TO BUY PLUGINS I DONT NEED
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looking forward to this
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@@PaulThird aa sounds more natural/open to me on almost everything.
Yeah I agree. I much prefer it
another banger
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u should add also the daw default channel strip!
Yeah that would've been a good idea but would've really pushed me for time. I remember that one literally took me weeks haha 😅
I agree totally, gonna have me an amethyst.
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Dan worall did a killer indepth of the BX amek .
Amethyst just sounds more 3D to me
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we dont need more 3D anymore... it's overrated :)
Amethyst has a depth and weight that just isn't there in the BX, they're both quite good and I'm sure the BX has a much lighter hit on the CPU but as always with Acustica anything commit and freeze are your friends...
Freeze and commit.. Always commit 🤣
@@PaulThird where are the harmonics!!!! just joking 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Muddy Amethyst - transparent Amek.
Tape plugin shootout sometime? ......maaaaaybe?
Already done one 🤓
Spent 20 mins with the PA 9099. Total garbage for the price, IMHO. I have the PA 2098 Amek EQ and never use it, except on one track. Harsh, thin and ultimately nothing interesting to offer. Makes total sense the 9099 uses the Amek EQ. Just glad I got Amethyst for $29 when it was in version 3. Then again, Snow has been a big disappointment so far.
Thats interesting as I like snow haha saying that though just one instance on the masterbus. what is it you don't like about it? 🤓
@@PaulThird The high end of the EQ module and the standalone compressor - both disappointing. My fault or insta-buying because Gold was so good. I mean, this was supposed to be a virtual Portico! But it was broken when I got it, has needed 5 fixes and I still don't know if it broken features work. The high EQ distorts badly from 14k upwards if you push it. Not exactly the rounded and smooth Neve sound. Gold sounds better! I will try and work on the master bus more, but that wasn't my main reason to get it. I just love the AA Neve plugins (Got three of them). Gold and UAD's 1084 (Which I don't own) both sound fantastic. I just expected Snow to be amazing. It needs work, IMHO.
Yeah it had echo bug and some truncation when I did my video. I use the Masterbus and eq together utilising the best of each to my ears. Really I wish they were just one total plugin. I didn't push either hard though as it was masterbus.
To me AA is a clear winner. As you've said - it's much more natural sounding and it's definitely much more 3d. But that's my general thought about PA vs AA - PA always sound flatter and AA sound more natural. Only think wrong about AA to me is this huge latency their plugins introduce. Even the cpu usage is not that bad for my i9 ;) But I really like see my meters in sync with what I'm hearing... This is much more targeted to Nebula world, where on my system stock compressors introduce ca 6000 samples of latency, but Acquas are quite 'late' too...
Anyway, you've done another great video. I can't wait for the next video with BB N105 against Lindell 80 which is my go to now...
Yeah the latency is annoying but I'm just used to it now haha you learn to live with a lot of stuff when you use acustica 😅
The Amek sounded so transparent that it was like there was no plugin being used or doing anything at all. AA had some saturation to it.
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yea Amek won.
Amek sounds warmer than Acustica to my ears
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