Hey Matty, thanks for checking out the new plugin and making this video. A couple comments / observations for you…. If you try different serial numbers you’ll be be able to see how the EQ curves match better or worse. Keep in mind that each one is like having a different hardware unit, which will have subtle variations. One of those serial numbers (I have no clue which one) was an identical match to the “golden unit” we measured. On the initial sound clips it sounded like you had some gain staging differences that were greatly affecting the amount of saturation/distortion you were hearing. Those Mojo LEDs appeared to be indicating overt distortion was happening as well. I would highly recommend doing two things: 1) calibrate saturation thresholds for each Mojo Amp on the plugin and HW using a test tone. You’ll want to feed a 30 Hz tone @ -18 dBFS out of your DAW into your HW unit and find the Gain setting that allows you to hear the onset of obvious harmonic distortion. Then set the Gain knob the same on the plugin but adjust the Headroom knob to give you that same onset of distortion. It might require you to tweak the hardware to an in-between knob setting to get it precisely matched. I hope this makes sense. 2) Do a DA-AD loopback on the plugin track. That will take the effects of conversion out of the equation. In my own testing I found that my converters affected frequency and phase response of the audio. So you’ll want to include that part of the signal path for an apples to apples comparison. Have fun!
Just bought your plugin - where has it been all of my life? One of the best examples of analog modeling I have come across. Hasn't had enough publicity yet, so for now I am happy to keep it as my secret weapon hehe! You guys did an incredible job
Side note that this is a common issue across all youtube channels when testing analog vs clone or plugin. I picked up a WARM WA1B and was able to do an incredibly close match to the CL1B - significantly better than any youtube channel I had seen - by following proper gain stage/converter procedure (shoutout to Warren Huart's channel though - he did an excellent job in his comparison).
Hey Matty, I was one of the beta testers for this plugin. Great video! As an owner of the mk1 and mk2 of the hardware, I think this is a super positive development. Plugins can go on groups and hardware goes on the mix bus. Its a win win situation. I can kind of understand people now saying they wouldn't consider the hardware because of the plugin, but as good as the plugin is - its no actual replacement for the hardware - but its definitely not a toy.
I feel you Matt. I was kinda mad about it too. The Analog unit is definitely a Secret weapon, well not anymore....lol. Still will never sell my unit. I think its close in some aspects but the Analog version, still has something magical about it. I've been putting the plugin all over buses tho, with great results. Not pushing it hard at all. Louder than liftoff is one of the best companies out there, top notch guys. Plus they really take care of their customers. Just look at their logo, they think outside the box.
It was one of the few analog equipments I wish I had, but that would be way out my budget. I'm so glad this plugin exists! I think we have so much choice nowadays that any plugin/piece of equipment can become the secret weapon of someone :D
My 1st impression is that the EQ function is very-very similar... The big difference to me (1st impression) is that the real analog unit has a 3D sound that the plugin lacks.
Thanks for taking the time doing this. Pretty close indeed. Different feel in the low-end to me. Even when closing my eyes I could hear a change. When closing my eyes I tend to prefer the hardware. But it's quite likely that on blindtest with something that has less lows (like a vocal or a high synth) I'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. Although what the unit does is quite impressive for a single unit. I often dislike how it impacts the lows and sublows. It's less annoying in the hardware but still a bit there too imho. Cheers.
Another great video Matty. Quite impressive that they managed to fill so much in one hardware unit. Surprised that it took this long for somebody to recreate it in the digital realm but tbf it sounds like they did a very good job
Thanks for the comment, Paul. That somebody (us) took a long time to deliver this plugin because I wanted to make sure it was done faithfully and authentically. I’m proud of what we accomplished.
@@LouderThanLiftoff I think you've done an amazing job, trouble is people are more likely to settle for the plugin and not bother with the hardware. Surely this will affect sales, i have the mk1 and still loves what it does on my mixes. Had it for years and It's going nowhere. I must add that it works great as a mic pre. If you could only have one hardware piece in your studio this would be a hard one to beat.
@@tyranic1 It will definitely affect sales, they will make far more money from the plugin as more people are able to afford and access it at such ease, this means far more people are going to buy the plugin than the hardware, but they will probably also make more hardware sales now as the plugin bring more eyes to the hardware. They will actually make a way bigger profit from the plugin than hardware units they have to continue to manufacture. Trust me they will be far better off from making the plugin.
Thanks for the demonstration and a very good contribution from the L.T.L. crew. The difference was far from subtle between the plug-in and analog. Analog sounded smoother, overall, it was more apparent than just the high mids, the plug-in sounded much harsher..
I didn't think they sounded super close, the stereo image changed a lot between the two. I"m monitoring on an Antelope Orion to Pure 2 Mastering Converter and Focal Alphas. Just what I heard though, I don't know which one is better because they sound different to me.
wow they really nailed that one! do you really need this if you have neve,api, and ssl channels on your board? just wondering what people would say. cause i have those but ive heard a lot about the unit lately and wanted to check it out
negligible differences .. damn , this is crazy emulation . I would sell the hardware , but i need it for the preamp functions to insert the mic via the SB in my mastering chain .
Great video, yeah. I really appreciate your honesty, and I do trust your ears (which is an important thing listening on youtube ...). I was thinking about getting the hardware, but it is pretty difficult and expensive when you live in Germany. As I have the PA Mega bundle anyway, I am very happy to hear that the plug is so good. Haven't had a chance to test it myself yet. Thank you!
Peace, Matty. Yeah, the plugin does not sound nearly as good as the hardware. Listen to the low end and how much more relaxing it is, when compared to the plugin in the first example. In the final example, they sounded closer, but again, plugin wasn't as good. The top end of the hardware and upper midrange did sound more open. Thank you for sharing! You keep us hybrid guys justified in our purchases! ha!
I think they pretty close mannnnnn. I think the drums you hear the difference more. Transients are better like I said in video. But I think any of us would get a 50% score trying to tell which one is the same on full mix if you didn’t know which was which.
@@mixedbymatty, blind shootouts is how I chose some of my gear, so challenge accepted! LOL I'm sure that I'd hear the differences and be correct, over 70% of the time.
When you are driving it hard, you can clearly hear the difference. However, people who are Reaper users can upsample the plugin up to 16x times which removes a lot of that grainy mush, bringing it a lot closer to the hardware.
I don't understand how you say the plugin is better, listen to the weight in the low end and transients. I am listening on excellent Genelec speakers in a well treated room. The plugin sounds slightly brighter, but analog is definitely better if you want that weight and smoother transients, which is what I reach for analog for
Yeah this so close, I think, Ill pass on getting the hardware...Ill probably get the SSL 2 Bus + instead.......This eliminates the need to buy Looptrotter SA2URATE, Sliver bullet or the SSL Fusion...they nailed it.......
I would not be upset! Firstly, plugin seems to need oversampling, as it sounds like it's distorting/aliasing. Also, it's doing something odd to the transients. Hardware way better, IMHO. In my experience, 50%+ of PA plugins sound flat and 2D, not useful for pro audio. Many notable exceptions, but this did not wow me at all.
@@mixedbymatty When you went between them in your demos, it was obvious from the distortion and transients (To me). But as you said, maybe it was the gain staging. Would be interested in a deeper dive, with full oversampling, on and not over-driving the plugin so much.I have the V1 plugin and never used it much in the end. I get a huge $21 discount to upgrade to V2!! Ha!
@@RJ1J i don't know would it be the right way (probably not) but reaper has internal oversampling that can be applied on any plugin so you can also maybe try it with this plugin
I just shot this out against Plugin Alliance Karacter Master...Karacter in "FET mode Dialed back to 40% on the mix Knob Saturation Color and Volume Adjusted against Peaking...going to into your Limiter or Clipper in a Mastering Situation in my Opinion...sounds better than this But...on a Bus...when Processing your Mix...before Vocals...this is Gold....Ill be using this in Mix Processing and Karacter Master on Mix and Masterbus
Plugins and budget audio interfaces nowadays is becoming so scarey real check out acoustica audio and the new focusrite scsrlett gen4 they now updste it with thair flagdhip rednet converters and premium console preamps im blown away im hearing a lynx helo
"How long are we gone slam it into distortion" I thought ,,,, always ? :-) Jokes aside , even though the plugin sounds awesome , if someone gave me the hardware I would throw a party
Um. It's a good plugin. It has emulated the sound characteristics, i just feel it's again missing that sense of space that hardware gives. It's much more subtle here, it's not a deal breaker, i'm going to use it for sure, just wish someone could work out why plugins cannot get that sense of depth or 3D or space.
It's interesting to see all these reference companies shooting each other in the head. Because even if plugins only come to 90% of hardware, the image that this sends to the general public is: why buy the hardware ? ( see just the comments here on few persons ) . And i do the same . For me, at least a few companies should have kept their exclusive treatment. They would have remained legendary. This is no longer the case.
Why buy the hardware? Because it does things the software doesn’t do. It’s a stereo mic preamp, has switchable inserts, and serves as a matrix router for simplifying workflow. Those are important front end functions. Even if one only considers the hardware as a stereo mic preamp with dual tonal personalities it has earned its value. It also has an analog expansion slot that will allow users to install our forthcoming Fairi-Mu and Hitmaker Comp compressor modules. These were not modeled for the plugin. Also it’s worth considering that some folks are working at a level that demands that last few percent of performance that hardware can give. I’m not worried about my hardware sales.
Hi there, I’m happy to help you get it working for you. Perhaps you can email us a screenshot of your settings and the level of the coming into your settings. For starting out feed in a signal that sits around 0 VU on the plugin’s meters with peaks hitting +6 to +10. Then engage one Mojo Amp at a time and slowly bring up the Gain. Leave Gain Link enabled. If the Mojo LED is purple or pink that’s probably as hard as you want to drive it. If those Mojo LEDs turn red then that means you are applying too much Gain or your input signal is too high. Let it breathe. I typically have Gain set between 9:00 and 11:00. Anyway, reach out, we are here to help. The plugin is not a distortion box so if you are getting lots of distortion it means you need to revisit some settings.
As always, the plugin sounds dull and cardboardy compared to hardware, with reduced stereo (2d vs 3d sound), and harsher highs. On a single track, it doesn't make much of a difference, but if you use it on many tracks, the difference in the final sound is huge. This is why getting a big sound with plugins is always such a tedious (sometimes impossible) task, something that is easily achieved with hardware. Frustrating, but it's the undeniable reality.
Right. But unfortunately, the price difference between plug-ins and the physical product is huge. So absent a lot of money, most people choose plugins...
Hey Matty, thanks for checking out the new plugin and making this video. A couple comments / observations for you…. If you try different serial numbers you’ll be be able to see how the EQ curves match better or worse. Keep in mind that each one is like having a different hardware unit, which will have subtle variations. One of those serial numbers (I have no clue which one) was an identical match to the “golden unit” we measured. On the initial sound clips it sounded like you had some gain staging differences that were greatly affecting the amount of saturation/distortion you were hearing. Those Mojo LEDs appeared to be indicating overt distortion was happening as well. I would highly recommend doing two things: 1) calibrate saturation thresholds for each Mojo Amp on the plugin and HW using a test tone. You’ll want to feed a 30 Hz tone @ -18 dBFS out of your DAW into your HW unit and find the Gain setting that allows you to hear the onset of obvious harmonic distortion. Then set the Gain knob the same on the plugin but adjust the Headroom knob to give you that same onset of distortion. It might require you to tweak the hardware to an in-between knob setting to get it precisely matched. I hope this makes sense. 2) Do a DA-AD loopback on the plugin track. That will take the effects of conversion out of the equation. In my own testing I found that my converters affected frequency and phase response of the audio. So you’ll want to include that part of the signal path for an apples to apples comparison. Have fun!
Just bought your plugin - where has it been all of my life? One of the best examples of analog modeling I have come across. Hasn't had enough publicity yet, so for now I am happy to keep it as my secret weapon hehe! You guys did an incredible job
Side note that this is a common issue across all youtube channels when testing analog vs clone or plugin. I picked up a WARM WA1B and was able to do an incredibly close match to the CL1B - significantly better than any youtube channel I had seen - by following proper gain stage/converter procedure (shoutout to Warren Huart's channel though - he did an excellent job in his comparison).
Hey Matty, I was one of the beta testers for this plugin. Great video! As an owner of the mk1 and mk2 of the hardware, I think this is a super positive development. Plugins can go on groups and hardware goes on the mix bus. Its a win win situation. I can kind of understand people now saying they wouldn't consider the hardware because of the plugin, but as good as the plugin is - its no actual replacement for the hardware - but its definitely not a toy.
I feel you Matt. I was kinda mad about it too. The Analog unit is definitely a Secret weapon, well not anymore....lol. Still will never sell my unit. I think its close in some aspects but the Analog version, still has something magical about it. I've been putting the plugin all over buses tho, with great results. Not pushing it hard at all. Louder than liftoff is one of the best companies out there, top notch guys. Plus they really take care of their customers. Just look at their logo, they think outside the box.
Agree 100% they are one of the best out there and my analog unit isn’t going anywhere
The width and the overall balance of the mix sound even better on the plug-in to my ears 😮
It was one of the few analog equipments I wish I had, but that would be way out my budget. I'm so glad this plugin exists! I think we have so much choice nowadays that any plugin/piece of equipment can become the secret weapon of someone :D
My 1st impression is that the EQ function is very-very similar... The big difference to me (1st impression) is that the real analog unit has a 3D sound that the plugin lacks.
Thanks for taking the time doing this. Pretty close indeed. Different feel in the low-end to me. Even when closing my eyes I could hear a change. When closing my eyes I tend to prefer the hardware. But it's quite likely that on blindtest with something that has less lows (like a vocal or a high synth) I'd be hard pressed to tell them apart.
Although what the unit does is quite impressive for a single unit. I often dislike how it impacts the lows and sublows. It's less annoying in the hardware but still a bit there too imho.
Cheers.
I also have the SB MKII the top end on the EQ is phenomenal!
Loving it
I was planning on buying a hardware unit by the end of the year. Now I will consider a completely different purchase.
It sounds amazing! And so close!
Another great video Matty. Quite impressive that they managed to fill so much in one hardware unit. Surprised that it took this long for somebody to recreate it in the digital realm but tbf it sounds like they did a very good job
Thanks for the comment, Paul. That somebody (us) took a long time to deliver this plugin because I wanted to make sure it was done faithfully and authentically. I’m proud of what we accomplished.
@@LouderThanLiftoff respect 🤜🤛
@@LouderThanLiftoff I think you've done an amazing job, trouble is people are more likely to settle for the plugin and not bother with the hardware. Surely this will affect sales, i have the mk1 and still loves what it does on my mixes. Had it for years and It's going nowhere. I must add that it works great as a mic pre. If you could only have one hardware piece in your studio this would be a hard one to beat.
@@tyranic1 It will definitely affect sales, they will make far more money from the plugin as more people are able to afford and access it at such ease, this means far more people are going to buy the plugin than the hardware, but they will probably also make more hardware sales now as the plugin bring more eyes to the hardware. They will actually make a way bigger profit from the plugin than hardware units they have to continue to manufacture. Trust me they will be far better off from making the plugin.
@@Mike_Benz_ Hopd so, they deserve all the success.
Thanks for the demonstration and a very good contribution from the L.T.L. crew. The difference was far from subtle between the plug-in and analog. Analog sounded smoother, overall, it was more apparent than just the high mids, the plug-in sounded much harsher..
Awesome video, as always, thanks Matty !
I didn't think they sounded super close, the stereo image changed a lot between the two. I"m monitoring on an Antelope Orion to Pure 2 Mastering Converter and Focal Alphas. Just what I heard though, I don't know which one is better because they sound different to me.
wow they really nailed that one! do you really need this if you have neve,api, and ssl channels on your board? just wondering what people would say. cause i have those but ive heard a lot about the unit lately and wanted to check it out
negligible differences .. damn , this is crazy emulation . I would sell the hardware , but i need it for the preamp functions to insert the mic via the SB in my mastering chain .
The hardware sounds smoother on the drums but maybe it's a gain thing like you said.
The SB and Pollack next to each other is just dead sexy. Jealous
Great review 👍
Great video, yeah. I really appreciate your honesty, and I do trust your ears (which is an important thing listening on youtube ...). I was thinking about getting the hardware, but it is pretty difficult and expensive when you live in Germany. As I have the PA Mega bundle anyway, I am very happy to hear that the plug is so good. Haven't had a chance to test it myself yet. Thank you!
Lets Go, why dont you loop a 2 bar section in comparison??
Cannot believe this is replacing my Pulsar Modular 440. So much easier to get the sound I'm looking for.
I have the hardware and the plugin and the hardware is more 3 dimensional it’s hard to explain but there is a difference and it’s not gain staging.
Peace, Matty. Yeah, the plugin does not sound nearly as good as the hardware. Listen to the low end and how much more relaxing it is, when compared to the plugin in the first example. In the final example, they sounded closer, but again, plugin wasn't as good. The top end of the hardware and upper midrange did sound more open. Thank you for sharing! You keep us hybrid guys justified in our purchases! ha!
I think they pretty close mannnnnn. I think the drums you hear the difference more. Transients are better like I said in video. But I think any of us would get a 50% score trying to tell which one is the same on full mix if you didn’t know which was which.
@@mixedbymatty, blind shootouts is how I chose some of my gear, so challenge accepted! LOL I'm sure that I'd hear the differences and be correct, over 70% of the time.
But would your client....😎
@@mixedbymatty nope!
Yepp louder than liftoff is awesome, the unit was sold out for some time, same as my bank account 😢
Thanks for the review...it does sounds very close cheers
When you are driving it hard, you can clearly hear the difference. However, people who are Reaper users can upsample the plugin up to 16x times which removes a lot of that grainy mush, bringing it a lot closer to the hardware.
Yepp I switched from Protools to Reaper about 3 years ago and never looked back, I really like Reaper awesome daw 👌🏼
I don't understand how you say the plugin is better, listen to the weight in the low end and transients. I am listening on excellent Genelec speakers in a well treated room. The plugin sounds slightly brighter, but analog is definitely better if you want that weight and smoother transients, which is what I reach for analog for
Yeah this so close, I think, Ill pass on getting the hardware...Ill probably get the SSL 2 Bus + instead.......This eliminates the need to buy
Looptrotter SA2URATE, Sliver bullet or the SSL Fusion...they nailed it.......
I would not be upset! Firstly, plugin seems to need oversampling, as it sounds like it's distorting/aliasing. Also, it's doing something odd to the transients. Hardware way better, IMHO. In my experience, 50%+ of PA plugins sound flat and 2D, not useful for pro audio. Many notable exceptions, but this did not wow me at all.
I just don’t think you would be able to pick which is which in a blind shootout.
This one wasn’t developed by pa and it does have oversampling
@@YEE941 Ok. That's good. Matty didn't mention if it was engaged or not.
@@mixedbymatty When you went between them in your demos, it was obvious from the distortion and transients (To me). But as you said, maybe it was the gain staging. Would be interested in a deeper dive, with full oversampling, on and not over-driving the plugin so much.I have the V1 plugin and never used it much in the end. I get a huge $21 discount to upgrade to V2!! Ha!
@@RJ1J i don't know would it be the right way (probably not) but reaper has internal oversampling that can be applied on any plugin so you can also maybe try it with this plugin
I don't find them to be that close, the plugin suffers from that aliasing dullness.
I just shot this out against Plugin Alliance Karacter Master...Karacter in "FET mode Dialed back to 40% on the mix Knob
Saturation Color and Volume Adjusted against Peaking...going to into your Limiter or Clipper in a Mastering Situation in my Opinion...sounds better than this
But...on a Bus...when Processing your Mix...before Vocals...this is Gold....Ill be using this in Mix Processing and Karacter Master on Mix and Masterbus
Plugins and budget audio interfaces nowadays is becoming so scarey real check out acoustica audio and the new focusrite scsrlett gen4 they now updste it with thair flagdhip rednet converters and premium console preamps im blown away im hearing a lynx helo
the analog keeps the mid sweet and in your face...on first demo
love this video 😂
Hahaha. You would.
"How long are we gone slam it into distortion" I thought ,,,, always ? :-)
Jokes aside , even though the plugin sounds awesome , if someone gave me the hardware I would throw a party
🎉😂 there goes your 4k invested hardware 😮😅😊
🙂👍
Um. It's a good plugin. It has emulated the sound characteristics, i just feel it's again missing that sense of space that hardware gives.
It's much more subtle here, it's not a deal breaker, i'm going to use it for sure, just wish someone could work out why plugins cannot get that sense of depth or 3D or space.
Hardware sounds better and cleaner
It's interesting to see all these reference companies shooting each other in the head.
Because even if plugins only come to 90% of hardware, the image that this sends to the general public is: why buy the hardware ? ( see just the comments here on few persons ) . And i do the same .
For me, at least a few companies should have kept their exclusive treatment. They would have remained legendary. This is no longer the case.
Why buy the hardware? Because it does things the software doesn’t do. It’s a stereo mic preamp, has switchable inserts, and serves as a matrix router for simplifying workflow. Those are important front end functions. Even if one only considers the hardware as a stereo mic preamp with dual tonal personalities it has earned its value. It also has an analog expansion slot that will allow users to install our forthcoming Fairi-Mu and Hitmaker Comp compressor modules. These were not modeled for the plugin. Also it’s worth considering that some folks are working at a level that demands that last few percent of performance that hardware can give. I’m not worried about my hardware sales.
Not trying to upset you...but the plugin...is so so close its no point in spending $2700 on this....
Unfortunately Plugins can never get close to the real thing
Tried it, and cannot get my head around it. It just distorts everything regardless of what setting I put it in. Not for me.
Hi there, I’m happy to help you get it working for you. Perhaps you can email us a screenshot of your settings and the level of the coming into your settings. For starting out feed in a signal that sits around 0 VU on the plugin’s meters with peaks hitting +6 to +10. Then engage one Mojo Amp at a time and slowly bring up the Gain. Leave Gain Link enabled. If the Mojo LED is purple or pink that’s probably as hard as you want to drive it. If those Mojo LEDs turn red then that means you are applying too much Gain or your input signal is too high. Let it breathe. I typically have Gain set between 9:00 and 11:00. Anyway, reach out, we are here to help. The plugin is not a distortion box so if you are getting lots of distortion it means you need to revisit some settings.
As always, the plugin sounds dull and cardboardy compared to hardware, with reduced stereo (2d vs 3d sound), and harsher highs. On a single track, it doesn't make much of a difference, but if you use it on many tracks, the difference in the final sound is huge. This is why getting a big sound with plugins is always such a tedious (sometimes impossible) task, something that is easily achieved with hardware. Frustrating, but it's the undeniable reality.
Right. But unfortunately, the price difference between plug-ins and the physical product is huge. So absent a lot of money, most people choose plugins...