How many times have we heard that analog sounds better? Or that digital sound is cold and lifeless?
Why does analog have more “colour”?
One reason is that analog consoles don’t have the digital 0 limit. This allows you to saturate the signal to gain colour and power without reaching undesirable results like digital distortion.
Another key factor is the tape character, which provides a natural compression and a very pleasant colour to the sound. Also in play is harmonic distortion, inherent to real analog gear, which is added to the signal and gives it richness, body and depth.
Analog emulations: what is actually happening?
Nowadays, much of that analog character is achieved via hardware emulation plugins.
Many of you know convolution reverbs. The same principle is used for hardware emulations: the character of a real piece of gear is “captured” and imprinted into software. Additionally, developers program the plugin’s behavior to mimic, with more or less fidelity, the functioning of the original hardware.
When we use tape plugins, valve (tube) emulations, vintage EQs or saturators, we get our sound to acquire a warmer colour, more pleasant to the ear and closer to the analog sound.
The best-known emulations… and some alternatives
Without doubt, many of the best analog emulations are the ones from UAD plugins, but it’s also true that they are not affordable for every budget.
We all know the brand Waves, so I won’t dwell on it. Personally, I’m not a big fan of many of their analog emulations.
For that reason I’d like to highlight other developers, some much smaller than Waves, but that offer excellent results (in my opinion and in many comparisons).
Developers to keep an eye on
Sonimus
They are a developer specialized in analog hardware emulations. There are comparisons where you can clearly see that their plugins outperform much more popular alternatives.
Their prices usually range between €20 and €50 per plugin, with a really interesting quality/price ratio. A very solid bet.
Sly-Fi
Also known for their ties to Kush Audio, they offer very high quality plugins, especially in the field of vintage EQs, saturators and analog colour tools.
Analog character within everyone’s reach
Today, giving analog colour to your sound is totally within reach thanks to these types of plugins. You don’t need expensive hardware to achieve warmth, character and personality in your productions.
If you want to understand how to give character, warmth and personality to your sound through saturation, analog emulations and creative mixing tools, the Diploma in Advanced Music and Sound at EUMES works these concepts from a practical and musical approach, applied to real productions.
