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Post by wiz on Mar 14, 2020 17:37:14 GMT -6
I have had some people writing to me, asking my thoughts on the switch to the Apollo X8... so rather than bury this in the orig thread, I thought I would post a new one. I really like the system. I really like the sound. I think some of the new plugs sound incredible, eg Capitol Chambers is amazing. I bought the LA2A series, the Fairchild, the Neve 1073, Capitol Chambers, Oxide, and the ATR102 as well as the Ampeg B15N and the SSL G Buss Compressor. I think the older plugs (which I had when I was on UAD 1) are super overpriced and way behind sonically compared to Native offerings at lower prices... I also, grabbed a second hand OCTO satellite to give me a total of 14 Sharc Chips. Most of my songs are a very low track count... but I really like the sound of some of the DSP intensive plug ins... and lets face it one of the reasons for going this way is recall...so I don't want to have to commit to anything till I have to. I love the fact, that my CPU in my ageing iMac is untaxed now, I was looking at buying a new one. Unison plugs. I have a real 1073 and V72 and I will continue to use them... .the Unison plug ins don't do it for me compared to those...and I suppose neither they should. The DI on the apollo sounds really good. I wish it would respond to my keyboard volume controls like my MOTU used to. The headphone amps are good, not great. So far stable as a rock. I like the console and after working it out, its way easier than the MOTU routing matrix which was always confusing, this is less flexible but fine for me. I tracked and mixed the song below using the apollo. Acoustic guitar is real V72 with Rode NTR Main Vocal is U87 into 1073 preamp Both those tracked at same time. Then I built a tempo map off the guitar in Logic and played the drums in with my Roland TD17 into Superior Drummer 3 one of the stock dry kits. Then I played bass using a J Bass via the apollo DI Then I played the lead guitar, using a strat into Helix LT. The Bricasti M7 is used with the WAITS ROOM Preset providing ambience and the Capitol Chambers is the Reverb . Each track has an instance of Oxide on it. Each track has 1073 Vocal Compression is the Fairchild 670 Both guitars have LA2A's on them The stereo buss has SSL G Buss and ATR102 All uad plugs Static fader mix no rides yet Cheers Wiz Guitar Strings Pen Paper
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Post by johneppstein on Mar 14, 2020 19:43:33 GMT -6
I have had some people writing to me, asking my thoughts on the switch to the Apollo X8... so rather than bury this in the orig thread, I thought I would post a new one. I really like the system. I really like the sound. I think some of the new plugs sound incredible, eg Capitol Chambers is amazing. I bought the LA2A series, the Fairchild, the Neve 1073, Capitol Chambers, Oxide, and the ATR102 as well as the Ampeg B15N and the SSL G Buss Compressor. I think the older plugs (which I had when I was on UAD 1) are super overpriced and way behind sonically compared to Native offerings at lower prices... I also, grabbed a second hand OCTO satellite to give me a total of 14 Sharc Chips. Most of my songs are a very low track count... but I really like the sound of some of the DSP intensive plug ins... and lets face it one of the reasons for going this way is recall...so I don't want to have to commit to anything till I have to. I love the fact, that my CPU in my ageing iMac is untaxed now, I was looking at buying a new one. Unison plugs. I have a real 1073 and V72 and I will continue to use them... .the Unison plug ins don't do it for me compared to those...and I suppose neither they should. The DI on the apollo sounds really good. I wish it would respond to my keyboard volume controls like my MOTU used to. The headphone amps are good, not great. So far stable as a rock. I like the console and after working it out, its way easier than the MOTU routing matrix which was always confusing, this is less flexible but fine for me. I tracked and mixed the song below using the apollo. Acoustic guitar is real V72 with Rode NTR Main Vocal is U87 into 1073 preamp Both those tracked at same time. Then I built a tempo map off the guitar in Logic and played the drums in with my Roland TD17 into Superior Drummer 3 one of the stock dry kits. Then I played bass using a J Bass via the apollo DI Then I played the lead guitar, using a strat into Helix LT. The Bricasti M7 is used with the WAITS ROOM Preset providing ambience and the Capitol Chambers is the Reverb . Each track has an instance of Oxide on it. Each track has 1073 Vocal Compression is the Fairchild 670 Both guitars have LA2A's on them The stereo buss has SSL G Buss and ATR102 All uad plugs Static fader mix no rides yet Cheers Wiz Guitar Strings Pen PaperGREAT song! I love it. Unfortunately it'll probably never be a hit because:
It's too well written
It's too well performed
It's too well produced
It deals with real life emotions
There's no detectable autotune on the vocal
......
I really, really like the understated lead guitar.
I don't give a damn if it was produced using mostly digital stuff. No matter what any of the monkeys at GS say.
Great work. If we can ever get my time machine working we can go back in time and make a million dollars. (Why "We"? The time machine was expensive to run, and new flux capacitors ain't cheap, either, when you can find one. Hell, I'm still looking for a new rubber band for my plane!)
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Post by stratboy on Mar 14, 2020 21:04:43 GMT -6
Thanks for posting this Wiz. You’ve answered a lot of my questions, sonically and process-wise.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2020 21:17:56 GMT -6
Nice job! The UAD plugs really nail the tone and timbre of a lot of the gear. They might not behave the same way sonically (except for the early Marshalls) but the tone they get down cold a lot. Their SSL bus comp is the plug emulation to use because it’s one of the only ones to actually get close to the “dark sheen” but still lacks the depth.
How do you feel about the sound vs MOTU for AD and DA?
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proxy
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Post by proxy on Mar 14, 2020 21:39:17 GMT -6
Great song, and recording.
For anyone else considering Apollo x8, I agree,100% with every point of the review.
Thanks for sharing.
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Post by ragan on Mar 14, 2020 22:01:15 GMT -6
Sounds really great Wiz. This setup is really working for you.
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Post by gwlee7 on Mar 14, 2020 23:00:09 GMT -6
wiz could make a great recording with an old kmart cassette recorder. In my opinion, you engineer and arrange so well that as long a you have gear that you have confidence in, you’re going to make a great sounding recording.
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kcatthedog
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Post by kcatthedog on Mar 15, 2020 3:31:35 GMT -6
Sounds great: thought cymbal crashes sounded a little rounded off (eq ?): a mixing decision ?
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Post by ragan on Mar 15, 2020 8:49:35 GMT -6
I love where the cymbals are, FWIW.
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kcatthedog
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Post by kcatthedog on Mar 15, 2020 9:43:49 GMT -6
wasn’t being critical, was curious if he had rounded them off or if that was the normal sound of the roland/sd3 kit ?
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Post by ragan on Mar 15, 2020 9:55:52 GMT -6
wasn’t being critical, was curious if he had rounded them off or if that was the normal sound of the roland/sd3 kit ? No I know you weren’t. Just putting in my vote. They just sound softly struck to me and I dig it for the tune.
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Post by nick8801 on Mar 15, 2020 10:22:29 GMT -6
This is a great tune Wiz! Love the guitar playing and arrangement. Lyrics are really pretty. I hope you don't mind, but in my social distancing I decided to run it through some of the new gear I've picked up. Overstayer Stereo ID4 for a little saturation and level, and an Overstayer Stereo FET to pull up some background info (about 50% blend) Captured by the Burl B2 at -18. I also ran out to my new Vermona Spring and blended that with the mix. I applied Voxengo Stereo Touch to the mono verb return to make it pseudo stereo. Again, I hope you don't mind. If you want me to take this down just lemme know! Work has been a little slow lately and I've been itching to use this gear on something new! If anyone else gets stir crazy and wants to work on some music together hit me up. I've been stockpiling gear for this moment my whole life lol. www.dropbox.com/s/80i0od72d2k2uwv/Guitar%20Strings%20Pen%20Paper.wav?dl=0
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Post by Guitar on Mar 15, 2020 10:37:05 GMT -6
I find the lyrics to be pretty touching on this one, wiz. Can't argue with the sound either, sounds as good as anything should.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 15, 2020 11:03:29 GMT -6
Just had a listen Wiz, and I hear the difference immediately. This sounds more polished, more pro. As good as all your recordings have been, this definitely is a sonic upgrade. There's a rounded/blended quality you find on more expensive productions, and this has a lot of that.
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Post by sozocaps on Mar 15, 2020 11:49:08 GMT -6
Sounds really good I agree on the Cymbals... need less low mid more air as they are distracting a bit from the silky smooth feel of the song.
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Post by popmann on Mar 15, 2020 13:38:04 GMT -6
It sounded generally good....my initial thought was "except the cymbals".
This is the problem with drum sample libraries....they allow things to be produced that wouldn't happen in the real world. It sounds lie ka cymbals, which IME are a few feet over that snare and closer still to those loud toms....sound like they're in a different room.
I have spent a lot of time in SD3 (including resisting older libraries)....you almost always need to solo each and every mic and from your experience, mix the bleed to sound like it does. They have ALL KINDS of odd oversights--high hats being SUPER quiet in the overheads, while the kick is super loud....anyway--you need to do that--and DO NOT use their MIDI to do it--they hit 127 on the 1,2,3,4....you won't on your kit. Then you have to tailor the response of a given drum TO your eKit---you have to be kind of forensic in attention to detail like that....and THEN.....it can sound pretty realistic. The level of bleed in different mics makes a very tangible difference in the realism. IMO/E.
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Post by christopher on Mar 15, 2020 13:59:25 GMT -6
Great job, sounds just right. I think the crashes are fine, so yeah the rest of the world probably wants them brighter. I always go too far on treble it’s like salt... too little it’s not enough, too much it’s not edible... I’d try EQ on the mix boosting 12k see what that does, might sizzle it up enough, if it doesn’t mess up the other stuff.
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Post by Johnkenn on Mar 15, 2020 14:08:04 GMT -6
It sounded generally good....my initial thought was "except the cymbals". This is the problem with drum sample libraries....they allow things to be produced that wouldn't happen in the real world. It sounds lie ka cymbals, which IME are a few feet over that snare and closer still to those loud toms....sound like they're in a different room. I have spent a lot of time in SD3 (including resisting older libraries)....you almost always need to solo each and every mic and from your experience, mix the bleed to sound like it does. They have ALL KINDS of odd oversights--high hats being SUPER quiet in the overheads, while the kick is super loud....anyway--you need to do that--and DO NOT use their MIDI to do it--they hit 127 on the 1,2,3,4....you won't on your kit. Then you have to tailor the response of a given drum TO your eKit---you have to be kind of forensic in attention to detail like that....and THEN.....it can sound pretty realistic. The level of bleed in different mics makes a very tangible difference in the realism. IMO/E. Very true. Really adjusting bleed can make a huge difference.
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Post by wiz on Mar 15, 2020 16:39:08 GMT -6
I have had some people writing to me, asking my thoughts on the switch to the Apollo X8... so rather than bury this in the orig thread, I thought I would post a new one. I really like the system. I really like the sound. I think some of the new plugs sound incredible, eg Capitol Chambers is amazing. I bought the LA2A series, the Fairchild, the Neve 1073, Capitol Chambers, Oxide, and the ATR102 as well as the Ampeg B15N and the SSL G Buss Compressor. I think the older plugs (which I had when I was on UAD 1) are super overpriced and way behind sonically compared to Native offerings at lower prices... I also, grabbed a second hand OCTO satellite to give me a total of 14 Sharc Chips. Most of my songs are a very low track count... but I really like the sound of some of the DSP intensive plug ins... and lets face it one of the reasons for going this way is recall...so I don't want to have to commit to anything till I have to. I love the fact, that my CPU in my ageing iMac is untaxed now, I was looking at buying a new one. Unison plugs. I have a real 1073 and V72 and I will continue to use them... .the Unison plug ins don't do it for me compared to those...and I suppose neither they should. The DI on the apollo sounds really good. I wish it would respond to my keyboard volume controls like my MOTU used to. The headphone amps are good, not great. So far stable as a rock. I like the console and after working it out, its way easier than the MOTU routing matrix which was always confusing, this is less flexible but fine for me. I tracked and mixed the song below using the apollo. Acoustic guitar is real V72 with Rode NTR Main Vocal is U87 into 1073 preamp Both those tracked at same time. Then I built a tempo map off the guitar in Logic and played the drums in with my Roland TD17 into Superior Drummer 3 one of the stock dry kits. Then I played bass using a J Bass via the apollo DI Then I played the lead guitar, using a strat into Helix LT. The Bricasti M7 is used with the WAITS ROOM Preset providing ambience and the Capitol Chambers is the Reverb . Each track has an instance of Oxide on it. Each track has 1073 Vocal Compression is the Fairchild 670 Both guitars have LA2A's on them The stereo buss has SSL G Buss and ATR102 All uad plugs Static fader mix no rides yet Cheers Wiz Guitar Strings Pen PaperGREAT song! I love it. Unfortunately it'll probably never be a hit because:
It's too well written
It's too well performed
It's too well produced
It deals with real life emotions
There's no detectable autotune on the vocal
......
I really, really like the understated lead guitar.
I don't give a damn if it was produced using mostly digital stuff. No matter what any of the monkeys at GS say.
Great work. If we can ever get my time machine working we can go back in time and make a million dollars. (Why "We"? The time machine was expensive to run, and new flux capacitors ain't cheap, either, when you can find one. Hell, I'm still looking for a new rubber band for my plane!)
Thank you so much for the lovely comments. Cheers Wiz
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Post by wiz on Mar 15, 2020 16:39:36 GMT -6
Thanks for posting this Wiz. You’ve answered a lot of my questions, sonically and process-wise. Glad to have helped.... and thanks for checking it out Cheers Wiz
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Post by wiz on Mar 15, 2020 16:40:53 GMT -6
Nice job! The UAD plugs really nail the tone and timbre of a lot of the gear. They might not behave the same way sonically (except for the early Marshalls) but the tone they get down cold a lot. Their SSL bus comp is the plug emulation to use because it’s one of the only ones to actually get close to the “dark sheen” but still lacks the depth. How do you feel about the sound vs MOTU for AD and DA? Thanks for checking it out.... I think the apollo might have the edge. But its not a deal breaker either way. I do think the SSL G Buss is the best plug in I have heard of that ilk. Cheers Wiz
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Post by wiz on Mar 15, 2020 16:41:33 GMT -6
Great song, and recording. For anyone else considering Apollo x8, I agree,100% with every point of the review. Thanks for sharing. Thank you for checking it out Cheers Wiz (thats Leo right?)
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Post by wiz on Mar 15, 2020 16:41:56 GMT -6
wiz could make a great recording with an old kmart cassette recorder. In my opinion, you engineer and arrange so well that as long a you have gear that you have confidence in, you’re going to make a great sounding recording. thats really kind of you to say... thanks Cheers Wiz
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Post by wiz on Mar 15, 2020 16:42:33 GMT -6
Sounds great: thought cymbal crashes sounded a little rounded off (eq ?): a mixing decision ? Thanks for listening Matt..... the tape plug ins?
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Post by wiz on Mar 15, 2020 16:43:36 GMT -6
I find the lyrics to be pretty touching on this one, wiz. Can't argue with the sound either, sounds as good as anything should. Thanks bud Cheers Wiz
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