Great review! Thanks for that really detailed analysis! I really appreciate the effort RUclipsrs like yourself put in to making these videos. It's a huge help for guys like me that have limited budgets for their setups. This plugin does sound really great!
Hey ! Wow thanks a lot for your kind words. I am super glad that my videos are useful to you ! They are indeed for people not having access to these expensive analog gears but who are still wondering what could be the difference. Exactly like I was years ago. The plugin is ace indeed, odd that the Arturia 1176 was closer to the Urei 1178 in the behavior, but still does not mean that the Pulsar is bad, I like its color and behavior.
@@WheelieMix Exactly! For someone that's never used the actual hardware we would know the differences in behaviours anyway. What matters is how good it sounds and it sounds amazing! Alors merci beaucoup encore pour cette superbe critique! J'apprécie vraiment les efforts que vous consacrez à vos vidéos!
For the Arturia example on Overheads mics, it indeed needs to be LINKED, despite what my text might say in the video, my apologies. This is not a perfect comparison, neither a perfect observation. Just an opinion and way for you to see how the "real thing" sounds without moving your hat from your chair :). A few points : ° All 1176/1178 sound different, so the plugin will sound different anyway, I already know that. ° No, the converters I used did not add any coloration. And running the plugins through the converters did not induced any obvious change (which is what I expected from the converters). ° Oversampling did not changed the behavior of the compressor that much, it "just" reduces aliasing, which is very hard to hear on single elements like this without obvious distortion. ° I run the project at 48khz, because it is the broadcast standard to this day. Running the plugin at 96khz did not changed its behavior tho'. ° This content is free, I have done it on my free time (which I don't have any at the moment haha) and I have not being paid by anyone to do it.
@@TheJohnsofDoes A myth based on hope probably. OS is def an improvement but rarely changes the behavior that much (but it depends on how the devs implemented the OS you are right).
Hey, wow I am really flattered to have your trust ! I will try to do another one soon, it is hard to find the time tho' and my following base is quiet small.
3 года назад
I just relate with your style and specially the way you ear things. Your reviews are unbiased, you have experience and you know what you are talking about, and that's valuable. Anyway, i completely understand your point, the "return of investment" is low, but if you find the time, keep dropping some gems once in a while :D (i'm getting the arturia 1176 btw...)
It sounds wider and more spread out because you are leaving the controls linked AFTER you set the compressor. AFTER you set the compressor, unlink all the controls. Merry Christmas 🎄☃️🎄
Heyyyy Merry Xmas to you too thanks? I could be wrong but I think for stereo materials I put the hardware in linked mode. Hence why L/R were linked (I think I can’t really remember it’s quite an old video).
@@WheelieMix Even if the hardware unit is linked during the processing stage, when the processed signal is sent it out, it's sent out True Left and True Right again correct?
If I am not mistaken (I could be). When the hardware is linked, it means that the the SC is mono. Which means that a heavy signal on the L will trigger some compression on the R channel.
- 00:07 : Intro - 02:00 : On a pair of Overheads mics, ALL buttons In mode, linked - 06:00 : Let's try to compare the Arturia 1176 just out of curiosity. - 09:48 : On a lead vocal, 8.1 ratio, quite smashed and aggressive. - 13:12 : On a full mix, 4,1 ratio, unliked. - 14:44 : Conclusion. - 16:40 : Play around with the plugins different options and sound flavors.
The Arturia Plugins are still underrated! Very good comps! Sta Level is amazing BUT, and no i'm not a oversampling junky, there is quiet a bit aliasing gooing on...
Agree about everything you said ! I prefer their 1176 and DBX 165A to the STA, but that's just me. Actually I quite dig their new 33609 too. I compared it to the hardware I had and was pleasantly surprised.
Nice comparison, thanks! Oversampling junkie here ;) Not really, I don't think oversampling is gonna make different pieces sound the same or more similar :D The situation where I would definitely turn on oversampling (like at least 4x times or more) is actually when using more extreme saturation or ALL buttons in mode, that's when plugin loose against hardware much quicker, it's not to transform plugin into hardware ;) And that's kind of what we can hear here too, when you push it in ALL buttons in mode or add extra layer of Saturation it sounds worse! While in hardware it would do quite the opposite... And we can already hear that when plugins used subtly, they can kind of actually sound better than hardware in some examples due to better flexibility and less noise. I suggest you watch (if you didn't already) video where Dan Worrall (dsp developer) explains this perfectly, using Fabfilter Saturn. The video is called: "Samplerates: the higher the better, right?" Simply plugins are bit different world to hardware, where pushing hardware bit more may be better for getting some extra pleasant harmonics and sometimes can kinda "lower the noisefloor" and where plugins generally appreciate much more to be used quite gently, or pushed strategically on some parallel busses or master bus while using highest possbile "quality" settings. Anyway that's just my experience (oversampling isn't for free and not needed always but sometimes saves the mix!) Cheers!
Thanks for the video. Have a couple of Pulsar plugins and am eligible for a deep discount on this one. From what I've been able to gather it's not all that close to an 1176's sound. BTW I see you're on PT and it looks like dark mode in PT 2020.12. Using the stock dark mode or a modified version?
My pleasure man thank you :). Well I managed to get closer to the outboard with the Arturia 1176 one as I shown in this video. The behavior seem quite different, I don't know why. You could think it's because all outboard are different, but if it was because of that, the Arturia ones would be quite far from it too. Which is not. So that's odd ^^. No I am using PT 12.6 haha ^^. I just use f.lux for easing up the brightness and blue light on my screen, it helps when spending hours on a screen (for funny task such as editing).
Hi. Enjoyed your video. I think the plugin is surprisingly wide. The hardware you got has a nice low end smack and it's embracing the audio in some way without making it unclear. Maybe it's best described with warm body-rich and precise? The plugin lacks a bit in this department. Nevertheless I'm positively surprised about the plugin and its options. Overall I find it sounds beautiful and creates a good amount of movement and depths as well as the additional colors which can beef up tracks well in Parallel mode. Btw, I like your new approach a lot and as you mentioned all those cool plugins to add body in....please try the Eplex7 VD76 vaccum tube saturator. It surprised me a lot out of nowhere. I didn't heard such a thick nstural character yet. I love to hear what you say about it. It's incredibly well priced with 19 Euro too. Cheers
Haaa thanks my dude :). Indeed the outboard we got as a nice low end "smack" as you said. I think it is specific to our unit as I don't remember feeling that way with others 1178 I tried. They probably emulated a unit without that much low-end punch ? We can give them benefit of the doubt :). But the plugin sounds beautiful indeed. I was surprised as how close the Arturia was too !!! Eplex VD76, never heard of it ! I may try it as soon as it is available for Mac also :). Thanks for this !
@@WheelieMix Ah sorry, I forgot that it is just for PC users. They are very small devs, maybe some day. The blackface, isn't that a slightly darker sounding version of the 1176? As you know I'm not familiar with the original units. As I understood the 1178 is a more cleaner version of the classic 1176, so the result is very interesting (getting closer with a blackface). It maybe is a good example of how different all those units are all those plugins are modeled after. It would be awesomely interesting if you could get your hands on the Pulsar studio unit, compare it to your unit and than to the plugin LOL. Your videos are just cool and I wish more people would be so differenciated in their approaches. I'm using a plugin and I like the sound and action of not, without comparing or worrying too much of its like the original hardware. It has its own quality or not. That simple. But from a historical point of view and for learning more about hardware and techniques I'm in general very interested in such things and your stuff is so helpful for that journey. Thanks.
@@ZiadSidawi yeah, I think you got two very important aspects here. Often plugins still struggle with low end or too harsh high end tones too. Another difficult thing is to get them not falling apart when driving them with high input volume imo. That's where hardware still marches on in a cool way and plugins running out of breath. But I get the impression that's becoming a bit less of an issue.
@@nichttuntun3364 Wow thanks for your very kind words. Indeed, what matters is your taste in the end. As things in audio can get so personal very quickly hehe ^^. From London With Love ;).
Hey, I get your point indeed. Tone Projects Unisum has some very nice "behavior" when we are talking about compression. The Softube Germanium FET also impressed me quite a bit.
Sounds to me like the plugins release isnt fast enough , giving it a very "choked" sound. imo id go for the outboard 1178 , just because its more "transparent" with its faster release. This is a problem almost all 1176/1178 plugins has. But with the ability to change the detection circuit sound is what makes this plugin stand out from the rest. Again even on the full mix comparison its the release of the plugin the just kills the energy (openness) for me.
Thanks for sharing your opinion. In fact I found that for other types of plugins too when comparing to outboard (DBX 160 for example). But yes I def agree here.
Yes, although I'd expect from an emulation to not be faithful regarding this, as it depends on the calibration. It's actually probably just that they use a different calibration than me so settings won't match properly for these two parameters.
He was not doing A/B. All he did was fiddle with the knobs & side chain etc options blah blah but no A/B A/B multiple times is what we need. And as usual he didn't volume match properly! The hardware sounded fuller cuz it was LOUDER. A lot of reviewers are idiots. And On/off so we can hear any difference
Hey, So I can understand the fact that you said that I am an idiot. After all it’s your opinion and the internet is the perfect media to say what you can’t say in real-life. Even if saying that I am an idiot based on a meaningless RUclips video is probably a little a bit of a stretch. At least in my world. But not in yours it seems. And that’s fine. Then : - I level matched, look at the meters. - I did A/B, just watch the video. - Sometimes the plugin was louder. - Do you have access to an 1178 ? I’d love to see a video of you correcting me rightfully. Because you know, I am an idiot right ? So I need a RUclips video to teach me how to do things. Last thing : The 1176 / DBX and other very fast compressors are one of the hardest thing to level match because they can radically change the timing and groove of the audio. We are dealing with real hardware here, not plugins, things are moving, rules of physics and electricity are different. Hence why matching a plugin and an hardware volume is difficult : They don’t live in the same world per say. You know, just like you and me it seems : You live in a world where you insult people and makes assumption based on a meaningless video in a free streaming service. And I live in a world where I respect everyone as much as I can and don’t make assumption on other people’s intellectual state whereas I could have just played the same game and start throwing some spicy words too. Kiff ta vie mec, et trouves toi un sens avant de venir cracher ton tiède venin. Love ❤️ .
Your reviews are the absolute best on the internet
Ho wow thanks a lot! I am so glad to hear this!!!!
Great review! Thanks for that really detailed analysis! I really appreciate the effort RUclipsrs like yourself put in to making these videos. It's a huge help for guys like me that have limited budgets for their setups. This plugin does sound really great!
Hey ! Wow thanks a lot for your kind words. I am super glad that my videos are useful to you ! They are indeed for people not having access to these expensive analog gears but who are still wondering what could be the difference. Exactly like I was years ago.
The plugin is ace indeed, odd that the Arturia 1176 was closer to the Urei 1178 in the behavior, but still does not mean that the Pulsar is bad, I like its color and behavior.
@@WheelieMix Exactly! For someone that's never used the actual hardware we would know the differences in behaviours anyway. What matters is how good it sounds and it sounds amazing!
Alors merci beaucoup encore pour cette superbe critique! J'apprécie vraiment les efforts que vous consacrez à vos vidéos!
@@noiseismylife Avec plaisir Roberto, merci beaucoup pour ton soutien
For the Arturia example on Overheads mics, it indeed needs to be LINKED, despite what my text might say in the video, my apologies.
This is not a perfect comparison, neither a perfect observation. Just an opinion and way for you to see how the "real thing" sounds without moving your hat from your chair :). A few points :
° All 1176/1178 sound different, so the plugin will sound different anyway, I already know that.
° No, the converters I used did not add any coloration. And running the plugins through the converters did not induced any obvious change (which is what I expected from the converters).
° Oversampling did not changed the behavior of the compressor that much, it "just" reduces aliasing, which is very hard to hear on single elements like this without obvious distortion.
° I run the project at 48khz, because it is the broadcast standard to this day. Running the plugin at 96khz did not changed its behavior tho'.
° This content is free, I have done it on my free time (which I don't have any at the moment haha) and I have not being paid by anyone to do it.
@@TheJohnsofDoes A myth based on hope probably. OS is def an improvement but rarely changes the behavior that much (but it depends on how the devs implemented the OS you are right).
Sounds close enough to me!
Hey, it does right ? Especially on the 4:1 ratio (full mix). The difference gets greater as higher GR and ratios are applied tho'.
Ahhhhhhhhhh a video from you sir !! I can't wait to sit down and watch this one. Thank you so much Wheelie !!!
My pleasure Monsieur ! I am so glad you are looking forward to watch it !
@@WheelieMix always !
Wheelie, you are the guy that i trust. Keep them coming my friend...
Hey, wow I am really flattered to have your trust ! I will try to do another one soon, it is hard to find the time tho' and my following base is quiet small.
I just relate with your style and specially the way you ear things. Your reviews are unbiased, you have experience and you know what you are talking about, and that's valuable. Anyway, i completely understand your point, the "return of investment" is low, but if you find the time, keep dropping some gems once in a while :D (i'm getting the arturia 1176 btw...)
really nice comparison. thanks, wheelie. all i wanted to know!
My pleasure Dirk! Thanks for the kind comment!
It's absolutely unbiased review Wheelie.
Thank you for this video mate!
Hey ! Thanks a lot for your nice comment my friend, I happy you liked it ! I try to be as unbiased as possible indeed :).
@@WheelieMix ruclips.net/video/q8WFyJhNPgY/видео.html
As this compare, personally I like the stereo image of the hardware.
@@graywyot It's great right ? I was quite surprised !
@@WheelieMix Yes, indeed.
Niceeeeeeee one buddy ,always informative and unbiased review 👌🏾👌🏾
Haaaaa thanks for your support as always my friend
It sounds wider and more spread out because you are leaving the controls linked AFTER you set the compressor. AFTER you set the compressor, unlink all the controls. Merry Christmas 🎄☃️🎄
Heyyyy Merry Xmas to you too thanks?
I could be wrong but I think for stereo materials I put the hardware in linked mode. Hence why L/R were linked (I think I can’t really remember it’s quite an old video).
@@WheelieMix Even if the hardware unit is linked during the processing stage, when the processed signal is sent it out, it's sent out True Left and True Right again correct?
If I am not mistaken (I could be). When the hardware is linked, it means that the the SC is mono. Which means that a heavy signal on the L will trigger some compression on the R channel.
- 00:07 : Intro
- 02:00 : On a pair of Overheads mics, ALL buttons In mode, linked
- 06:00 : Let's try to compare the Arturia 1176 just out of curiosity.
- 09:48 : On a lead vocal, 8.1 ratio, quite smashed and aggressive.
- 13:12 : On a full mix, 4,1 ratio, unliked.
- 14:44 : Conclusion.
- 16:40 : Play around with the plugins different options and sound flavors.
Hardware is bit open and low end is smooth 3dish ,plugin is very close though,
Nice comparison video ,welldone !
Thanks a lot ! Indeed it's quite close but I can hear the difference tho'. Glad it was useful to you !
The Arturia Plugins are still underrated! Very good comps! Sta Level is amazing BUT, and no i'm not a oversampling junky, there is quiet a bit aliasing gooing on...
Agree about everything you said ! I prefer their 1176 and DBX 165A to the STA, but that's just me. Actually I quite dig their new 33609 too. I compared it to the hardware I had and was pleasantly surprised.
@@WheelieMix Thanks for the info! Will def. Check it out.
Nice comparison, thanks!
Oversampling junkie here ;)
Not really, I don't think oversampling is gonna make different pieces sound the same or more similar :D
The situation where I would definitely turn on oversampling (like at least 4x times or more) is actually when using more extreme saturation or ALL buttons in mode, that's when plugin loose against hardware much quicker, it's not to transform plugin into hardware ;)
And that's kind of what we can hear here too, when you push it in ALL buttons in mode or add extra layer of Saturation it sounds worse!
While in hardware it would do quite the opposite...
And we can already hear that when plugins used subtly, they can kind of actually sound better than hardware in some examples due to better flexibility and less noise.
I suggest you watch (if you didn't already) video where Dan Worrall (dsp developer) explains this perfectly, using Fabfilter Saturn.
The video is called: "Samplerates: the higher the better, right?"
Simply plugins are bit different world to hardware, where pushing hardware bit more may be better for getting some extra pleasant harmonics and sometimes can kinda "lower the noisefloor" and where plugins generally appreciate much more to be used quite gently, or pushed strategically on some parallel busses or master bus while using highest possbile "quality" settings.
Anyway that's just my experience (oversampling isn't for free and not needed always but sometimes saves the mix!)
Cheers!
Hey thanks man ! And Oh boi I agree fully to what you are saying (and yes I saw that video, it's very well done !)
Thanks for the video. Have a couple of Pulsar plugins and am eligible for a deep discount on this one. From what I've been able to gather it's not all that close to an 1176's sound.
BTW I see you're on PT and it looks like dark mode in PT 2020.12. Using the stock dark mode or a modified version?
My pleasure man thank you :). Well I managed to get closer to the outboard with the Arturia 1176 one as I shown in this video. The behavior seem quite different, I don't know why. You could think it's because all outboard are different, but if it was because of that, the Arturia ones would be quite far from it too. Which is not. So that's odd ^^.
No I am using PT 12.6 haha ^^. I just use f.lux for easing up the brightness and blue light on my screen, it helps when spending hours on a screen (for funny task such as editing).
Hi. Enjoyed your video.
I think the plugin is surprisingly wide. The hardware you got has a nice low end smack and it's embracing the audio in some way without making it unclear. Maybe it's best described with warm body-rich and precise? The plugin lacks a bit in this department. Nevertheless I'm positively surprised about the plugin and its options. Overall I find it sounds beautiful and creates a good amount of movement and depths as well as the additional colors which can beef up tracks well in Parallel mode.
Btw, I like your new approach a lot and as you mentioned all those cool plugins to add body in....please try the Eplex7 VD76 vaccum tube saturator. It surprised me a lot out of nowhere. I didn't heard such a thick nstural character yet. I love to hear what you say about it. It's incredibly well priced with 19 Euro too. Cheers
Haaa thanks my dude :). Indeed the outboard we got as a nice low end "smack" as you said. I think it is specific to our unit as I don't remember feeling that way with others 1178 I tried. They probably emulated a unit without that much low-end punch ? We can give them benefit of the doubt :).
But the plugin sounds beautiful indeed. I was surprised as how close the Arturia was too !!!
Eplex VD76, never heard of it ! I may try it as soon as it is available for Mac also :). Thanks for this !
The hardest to get it right in a plugin are: transient response and the sound imaging in the stereo field.
@@WheelieMix Ah sorry, I forgot that it is just for PC users. They are very small devs, maybe some day.
The blackface, isn't that a slightly darker sounding version of the 1176? As you know I'm not familiar with the original units. As I understood the 1178 is a more cleaner version of the classic 1176, so the result is very interesting (getting closer with a blackface). It maybe is a good example of how different all those units are all those plugins are modeled after. It would be awesomely interesting if you could get your hands on the Pulsar studio unit, compare it to your unit and than to the plugin LOL. Your videos are just cool and I wish more people would be so differenciated in their approaches.
I'm using a plugin and I like the sound and action of not, without comparing or worrying too much of its like the original hardware. It has its own quality or not. That simple. But from a historical point of view and for learning more about hardware and techniques I'm in general very interested in such things and your stuff is so helpful for that journey. Thanks.
@@ZiadSidawi yeah, I think you got two very important aspects here. Often plugins still struggle with low end or too harsh high end tones too. Another difficult thing is to get them not falling apart when driving them with high input volume imo. That's where hardware still marches on in a cool way and plugins running out of breath. But I get the impression that's becoming a bit less of an issue.
@@nichttuntun3364 Wow thanks for your very kind words. Indeed, what matters is your taste in the end. As things in audio can get so personal very quickly hehe ^^. From London With Love ;).
Если сравнивать 1176 от Артурии и Pulsar 1178, кому отдадите предпочтение? Или они слишком разные?
Here I kinda preferred the Arturia one to be honest :).
Great job.
Hey ! Thanks a lot Kevin, glad you liked it :D !
nobody seems to get the compression right with the digital versions of analog gear. and don't get me started about the transformers...
Hey, I get your point indeed. Tone Projects Unisum has some very nice "behavior" when we are talking about compression.
The Softube Germanium FET also impressed me quite a bit.
@@WheelieMix also the kush audio ar1 is very good!
@@mirkomarkovic3438 Apparently, but I tried so quickly like a dumbass that I am, so my demo is out now :(.
Sounds to me like the plugins release isnt fast enough , giving it a very "choked" sound. imo id go for the outboard 1178 , just because its more "transparent" with its faster release. This is a problem almost all 1176/1178 plugins has. But with the ability to change the detection circuit sound is what makes this plugin stand out from the rest. Again even on the full mix comparison its the release of the plugin the just kills the energy (openness) for me.
Thanks for sharing your opinion. In fact I found that for other types of plugins too when comparing to outboard (DBX 160 for example). But yes I def agree here.
Pulsar 1178 or Arturia 1176??
Arturia for me here in this test!
Doesn't sound bad.
It doesn’t indeed!
The gain match is not ok, threshold is all over the place.
Yes, although I'd expect from an emulation to not be faithful regarding this, as it depends on the calibration. It's actually probably just that they use a different calibration than me so settings won't match properly for these two parameters.
He was not doing A/B. All he did was fiddle with the knobs & side chain etc options blah blah but no A/B
A/B multiple times is what we need. And as usual he didn't volume match properly! The hardware sounded fuller cuz it was LOUDER.
A lot of reviewers are idiots.
And On/off so we can hear any difference
Hey,
So I can understand the fact that you said that I am an idiot. After all it’s your opinion and the internet is the perfect media to say what you can’t say in real-life.
Even if saying that I am an idiot based on a meaningless RUclips video is probably a little a bit of a stretch. At least in my world. But not in yours it seems. And that’s fine.
Then :
- I level matched, look at the meters.
- I did A/B, just watch the video.
- Sometimes the plugin was louder.
- Do you have access to an 1178 ? I’d love to see a video of you correcting me rightfully. Because you know, I am an idiot right ? So I need a RUclips video to teach me how to do things.
Last thing : The 1176 / DBX and other very fast compressors are one of the hardest thing to level match because they can radically change the timing and groove of the audio. We are dealing with real hardware here, not plugins, things are moving, rules of physics and electricity are different. Hence why matching a plugin and an hardware volume is difficult : They don’t live in the same world per say.
You know, just like you and me it seems :
You live in a world where you insult people and makes assumption based on a meaningless video in a free streaming service. And I live in a world where I respect everyone as much as I can and don’t make assumption on other people’s intellectual state whereas I could have just played the same game and start throwing some spicy words too.
Kiff ta vie mec, et trouves toi un sens avant de venir cracher ton tiède venin.
Love ❤️ .
@@WheelieMix your reply is too long 🥺
Too bad you missed the best bits.
Watch the video properly and you’ll get all the answers to your « request ».
Salut