best eq/comp plug in

[dzara 4]

Hi,

have been contemplating purchasing some eq/comp plug-ins (cant afford the hardware yet). I was interested in the focusrite liquid mix but started hearing bad things about it on forums. Cant seem to trust the magazines
because everything seems to good to them. Any thoughts on a good sounding
eq or comp?

Thanks

 

[xstatic]

Waves SSL is a great EQ/Comp package. The channel strip is stunning. It may not be an actual SSL, but the EQ in particular has a lot of the same vibe.

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

I was just going to post about the Waves SSL, too. xstatic beat me to it. Good stuff. Good sound. Easy to you if you're familiar with hardware at all.

 

[Ford Van]

Well, I don't think you can say any one package is the "best".

The SSL stuff sounds pretty good. But, it has a certain "sound" that doesn't float my boat for everything.

The URS stuff is killer, but, on some stuff it is a bit to extreme.

The UAD-1 1176/LA2A/Fairchild are three great sounding compressors, but again, a different flavor and not suitable for everything.

I would start with the URS. It is pretty rock and roll sounding stuff and should serve you well. The API eq has a top end that no other plugin eq I have tried sounds like! On guitars, the API eq is simply KILLER! Their compressors are pretty good. I think they are a bit more "transparent" than the SSL buss compressor, but sometimes, that is a detriment.

 

[dzara 4]

how about UAD?

 

[dzara 4]

whoa! Ford Van replied to my question while I was even typing my reply.

rock on!

 

[lomky]

My initial impressions of eliosound AirEq are pretty good. I'm liking the way it sounds, and very little cpu usage. I got it in the group buy so it was relitively cheap. But I'm not sure if it is worth the whole pop yet.

Wow, that was no help at all was it...

 

[Ford Van]

how about UAD?

What I really don't like about UAD is this:

1 - The card can be VERY touchy to get working right on your computer! This very well documented and complained about on their own forum!

2 - You are limited to the CPU on the card. You can expect at most about 6 instances of the 1176 to run, and that would use up all the cpu power on that card. So, while the 1176 is possibly one of the best sounding plugin compressors I have heard, you REALLY pay for it too!

UAD doesn't really have a GREAT EQ. They have some decent one's, but nothing so ridiculously killer sounding that I HAVE to have it. Okay, the Pultec Pro is pretty sweet, but it is a very limited eq too. While it has a nice sound to it, it's limited full parametric bands sort of bites. URS has the FullTec, and I think it is about as good. Not quite as good, but close enough. NEITHER sound as good as the original anyway!

UAD reverbs SUCK BALLS! Don't get sucked into one of their cards based on their reverbs. For that matter, the Nigel reamp plugin isn't all that impressive either.

Precision Limiter though, that is a KILLER limiter! I forgot to add that to the 1176/LA2A/Fairchild mention.

If you have an extra $1000 to blow on plugins, the UAD card would be a welcome addition to your studio. But if you are looking for "bang for the buck", I think the URS everything bundle beats it out.

 

[xstatic]

The URS stuff definately does sound great. For EQ it was my go to until trying the SSL EQ. When initially trying the SSL stuff it was the comp I thought I was going to be excited about. After using it though, the channel strip and EQ are where the gold is at in my opinion. That being said, the URS neve EQ does awesome highs and decent low mids, the URS 10 bands are amaxing on bass and kick and guitar busses, and the Fulltec is "OK" but to my ear does not sound near as nice on the HF side of things as the UAD. All in all though, the URS bundle is an excellent value. At $400 for the SSL package (academic version) though, I still like the SSL stuff a lot.

As for the UAD, the reverb is not near as bad as Ford Van says in my opinion. I still prefer my convolutions in many instances, but the Dreamverb and the Plate 140 is VERY usable with just some minor adjustments. Dreamverb has some parameters that are hard to adjust to at first, but are really cool. I agree that Nigel is fairly worthless though, and I have no problem running 10 or more 1176's on my comp. The UAD neve plugins are a bit spendy, but offer Incredible sound for their price. The UAD precision plugs are also very nice, but I do not like the UAD channel strip much either.

All in all, the UAD and waves SSL and URS packages offer compressors that seem to be way ahead of the pack as far as I am concerned. Comp wise I would go UAD then URS, then waves SSL. As far as EQ's, I actually like they way the SSL EQ "feels" much better than the others, but the URS is definately still an excellent sound. The waves SSl though feels much more like a real console to me which I like. For overall EQ I would go Waves SSl then URS, then UAD. Price wise I believe that the Waves SSl is the cheapest with the UAD being the most expensive (once you add some of the better plugs to the menu).

 

[Bulls Hit]

What I really don't like about UAD is this:

1 - The card can be VERY touchy to get working right on your computer! This very well documented and complained about on their own forum!

2 - You are limited to the CPU on the card. You can expect at most about 6 instances of the 1176 to run, and that would use up all the cpu power on that card. So, while the 1176 is possibly one of the best sounding plugin compressors I have heard, you REALLY pay for it too!

UAD doesn't really have a GREAT EQ. They have some decent one's, but nothing so ridiculously killer sounding that I HAVE to have it. Okay, the Pultec Pro is pretty sweet, but it is a very limited eq too. While it has a nice sound to it, it's limited full parametric bands sort of bites. URS has the FullTec, and I think it is about as good. Not quite as good, but close enough. NEITHER sound as good as the original anyway!

UAD reverbs SUCK BALLS! Don't get sucked into one of their cards based on their reverbs. For that matter, the Nigel reamp plugin isn't all that impressive either.

Precision Limiter though, that is a KILLER limiter! I forgot to add that to the 1176/LA2A/Fairchild mention.

If you have an extra $1000 to blow on plugins, the UAD card would be a welcome addition to your studio. But if you are looking for "bang for the buck", I think the URS everything bundle beats it out.

OK in defence of the UAD card:

If you get the card on its own IRQ it will run pretty well. There were problems with Cakewalk s/w, but I've got it running well on Guitar Tracks, Project 5 as well as Reaper. Where it gets flaky is when you start getting close to the maximum plug in count, the card doesn't behave consistently. Also the load distribution across multiple cards could work better.

The UAD cards all ship with a lite version of the 1176 which will run around 12 instances, so you can still get that sound or pretty close to it.

The thing I like about the Pultec is if you need to boost,you can boost with it quite a bit without getting that harsh phasey sound. It can really warm up guitars too. I haven't tried the Neve EQ emulations, but they are supposed to be top shelf.

I think the Plate 140 is a decent reverb, certainly not in the ball sucking category. The card also ships with a reverb (Dreamverb?) which I've never used.

I agree with you on the Nigel. I'd put that maybe a 1/2 step above Amplitube.

Agree 100% on the Precision Limiter. I've had fun with the Precision Multiband too and the Precision EQ is a genuine wideband mastering EQ

 

[dzara 4]

Thanks for the advice any word on duende

 

[XLR]

My best don't come from a single plugin suite:
EQ: PLParEQ
Broadband compressor: Majortom - included in Reaper. A very surprising plug, whether you want to classify it as a limiter or compressor.
Multiband comp: Voxengo Soniformer, but you're probably asking just about broadband comps.