Post by viciousbliss on Oct 31, 2017 11:30:08 GMT -6
www.ploytec.com/aroma/
With the holidays coming up I was looking at plugins again. There aren't many outside of UAD I've not spent some time with. So I went back to try Phoenix and RA again. Results can be pleasing just using these two and only Bx_Console N and FX plugins(Echo Farm, Seventh Heaven Pro mainly), even moreso than using Novatron on everything. But those price tags, ouch. $650 to buy both seems to be the cheapest unless someone sells them on ebay or a forum. As I dug for more info, I stumbled onto a discussion at the other place about this Aroma plugin. Some notable posters claimed it was the Cranesong killer they'd been waiting for. Another claimed they got basically identical output as their HEDD hardware. I've tried Aroma on a few sessions. I would say the results are better than what I'm getting with RA and Phoenix. Aroma can be just as smooth without compressing the highs too much or narrowing the stereo width the way the Cranesong stuff does. I love a lot of what Dark Essence and Opal do on Phoenix, but it always feels like a compromise. RA can help tame some peaks and stuff when used with Phoenix, they partner well. RA is also very smooth. Using Aroma alone, I don't feel like RA adds anything when partnered with it. Everytime I'd increase a RA setting a little with Aroma active on a track, it just seemed to stifle it. Overloud Dopamine actually provides some better compression of that sort when I couple that with Aroma.
Earlier I tried swapping in some other sat plugins for Phoenix and RA. SDRR, Black Box, and Halcyon. Didn't really work out too well. My thinking on a lot of this analog stuff is that when working inside a DAW, you need a lot more control. For example, BX Console N is infinitely more useful to me than the original because I can adjust that THD knob now.
I was just curious if any of you who are familiar with Cranesong stuff have tried Aroma. For me it's kinda like Novatron for compressors. I haven't heard a saturation plugin that I think is better. But I'll keep testing to make sure.
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Just wanted to edit to say I started using Dopamine after both Phoenix and Aroma and felt it provided a superior result when compared to using RA. RA seems to be good at cutting signals as opposed to boosting them. Then I decided to try using Tapedesk instead of Phoenix/Aroma. Set to SSL 4000, it was way better than the other two in terms of excitement, cohesion, and dynamic evenness. The SSL setting on Tapedesk is actually kinda dull sounding. But Dopamine really brings it to life. Previously I had used Tapedesk set to N80 toward the end of the chain after a bunch of other stuff. Now I don't feel so bad for missing the Phoenix that was for sale for $225 the other day.
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Editing again to say now I'm preferring Phoenix over the others after making some adjustments as to how I was using it with Dopamine. That Dark Essence compression is not something I've found any other tape sim or saturator able to replicate.
With the holidays coming up I was looking at plugins again. There aren't many outside of UAD I've not spent some time with. So I went back to try Phoenix and RA again. Results can be pleasing just using these two and only Bx_Console N and FX plugins(Echo Farm, Seventh Heaven Pro mainly), even moreso than using Novatron on everything. But those price tags, ouch. $650 to buy both seems to be the cheapest unless someone sells them on ebay or a forum. As I dug for more info, I stumbled onto a discussion at the other place about this Aroma plugin. Some notable posters claimed it was the Cranesong killer they'd been waiting for. Another claimed they got basically identical output as their HEDD hardware. I've tried Aroma on a few sessions. I would say the results are better than what I'm getting with RA and Phoenix. Aroma can be just as smooth without compressing the highs too much or narrowing the stereo width the way the Cranesong stuff does. I love a lot of what Dark Essence and Opal do on Phoenix, but it always feels like a compromise. RA can help tame some peaks and stuff when used with Phoenix, they partner well. RA is also very smooth. Using Aroma alone, I don't feel like RA adds anything when partnered with it. Everytime I'd increase a RA setting a little with Aroma active on a track, it just seemed to stifle it. Overloud Dopamine actually provides some better compression of that sort when I couple that with Aroma.
Earlier I tried swapping in some other sat plugins for Phoenix and RA. SDRR, Black Box, and Halcyon. Didn't really work out too well. My thinking on a lot of this analog stuff is that when working inside a DAW, you need a lot more control. For example, BX Console N is infinitely more useful to me than the original because I can adjust that THD knob now.
I was just curious if any of you who are familiar with Cranesong stuff have tried Aroma. For me it's kinda like Novatron for compressors. I haven't heard a saturation plugin that I think is better. But I'll keep testing to make sure.
------------------
Just wanted to edit to say I started using Dopamine after both Phoenix and Aroma and felt it provided a superior result when compared to using RA. RA seems to be good at cutting signals as opposed to boosting them. Then I decided to try using Tapedesk instead of Phoenix/Aroma. Set to SSL 4000, it was way better than the other two in terms of excitement, cohesion, and dynamic evenness. The SSL setting on Tapedesk is actually kinda dull sounding. But Dopamine really brings it to life. Previously I had used Tapedesk set to N80 toward the end of the chain after a bunch of other stuff. Now I don't feel so bad for missing the Phoenix that was for sale for $225 the other day.
-----------------
Editing again to say now I'm preferring Phoenix over the others after making some adjustments as to how I was using it with Dopamine. That Dark Essence compression is not something I've found any other tape sim or saturator able to replicate.