Tube Compressors

[ndamico]

Hey all, two questions.

1) do believe in the value of tube compressors? as far as adding a real world element to something that could be a mostly digital experience...warmer beats...pads..etc . Do you feel they really add a worthy nuance?

2) and secondly, I feel that they do and I'm lookin into gettting one......do you have any suggestions?......
thanks

[nova]

yeah i reckon they mak it sound much better. for sure. if i had the pennys id go buy an ivory for my hardware

[audioinjection]

if i had the money to get a proper vintage tube compressor i would get one, they sound so nice over a mix or drums.............but seriously the uad-1 dsp card emulates classic compressors so good, you almost dont need one

the fairchild alone is worth the card

[po]

Yep.
UAD's kick ass. very good indeed, but if you've got about £1300, try an empirical labs distressor. (can be use soley for 2nd 'n' 3rd order distortion (valve/tape distortion=what we percieve as phatness/warmth) aswell as compression).
;)

If you check the empirical labs ELX-8 make sure its the 'british version'. this is not being patriotic.. its better.

[RDR]

the SUMO summing amp rocks

TLA stuff fo sho

if you got the money Tubetech.

[Basil Rush]

Avoid the cheaper TLA stuff though.

UAD card is amazing - i've done back to back tests with the real Urei kit and it's hard to tell the difference.

Mind you the 1176 was op-amp or transistor based I think, the LA-2 emulation is of a valve unit.

I really really want to hear the distressor.

Could be worth picking up a copy of the A/B CD though and seeing what you think, there's not an enormorus difference between high-end tube and solid state compressors (unless you overdrive them a bit...)