1Posted on 02/04/2017 at 10:00:03February 4, 2017 editorial: comments
The Irony of Modeled Plug-Ins
One of the questions I like to ask producers and engineers during interviews is if they think plug-in emulations of vintage hardware processors sound like the original units. I posed that question to producer/engineer Ed Cherney in the interview with him published this week.
As he was answering me (by the way, he said he thinks they do a great job) I had a small flash of insight. It occurred to me that most home-recording musicians nowadays, myself included, have had little or no experience with the original units. Thus, we have no real bassline (in the comparative sense, not the Fender sense) to judge how accurate the modeled versions actually are.
I mentioned that to Cherney and he his response was, “I'm wondering for a generation of people, does it even matter?”
And that, is the crux of it. For someone like Cherney, who’s spent years using hardware 1176s and LA-2As and Fairchilds—and still does—it clearly does matter. He can listen to the modeled plug-ins and mentally compare them to the real units.
For me, and I suspect for a lot of you, it’s a different story. Although I’ve been in sessions where vintage hardware processors were in use, my only significant, hands-on experience with them—where I could really hear what they do, and learn what they’re capable of—has been when using plug-in simulations. Talk about the tail wagging the dog.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not arguing against emulative plug-ins, after all, they simulate units that became iconic for good reasons. Even if you’re not familiar with the original, there is definitely appeal to the idea of using a processor that sounds just like one that’s been on countless famous recordings, and that so many engineers, producers and musicians love.
But it is ironic that software developers work hard to emulate gear that the great majority of their customers have never used. It’s not a knock on anyone, just an observation.
Personally, I really like plug-ins that take a hybrid approach, starting with a basic emulation of hardware and then adding features that would have been impossible to achieve in the original analog unit.
Much food for thought and a great topic for this forum. Having grown up with a neighbor who serviced old audio electronics, I learned a great deal about analog circuits, the transition to solid state and then the amazing digital transformation. I remember well the amazement of hearing the clarity of a CD playing for the first time over the radio waves. That said, my take on all this is that it is absolutely necessary to move forward with the development of pristine emulation software of the vintage gear. I say this for the simple reason that the writing is on the wall. The momentum these days is for continued miniaturization of electronic circuits on a surface mount platform. Point to point wiring is essentially gone and through hole circuits are rapidly disappearing. The components to service vintage gear is disappearing at an accelerating and alarming rate. One day this won't even be a discussion. The coveted vintage gear will be non-functioning and decaying in a museum like some of the amps and gear from the 60's you see in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Let's enjoy it while we have it, but always keep an eye to the future to develop even better emulation software. We're going to need it. Thanks for the opportunity to comment and for the great topic seleciton.
-mike
I have to agree with what you say. Fortunately, my speciality ie electro-mechanical pianos, are so well made in the first place, they are going to be around for decades yet......Rhodes pianos are mostly passive and built like tanks. I read somewhere that they are designed to survive a six-foot drop - hey, do not tell the shipping companies that!...whoops, too late, they do that anyway.....There are no electronics to go wrong, apart from two pots & one capacitor. Happy days....Doug @ Klassic Keys GB.
