Parallel Compression But With ¨Tape¨ Saturation

[Mark]

Is that a thing that can/could be done?

[drumsound]

If you mean using a tape plugin in parallel in the same manner as setting up a parallel compression scheme, then yes.

If you're talking about using an actual tape machine there will need to be a lot of time shifting of the tape track due to the delay of the playback head on the tape machine. There may also be drift from the machine so you may have some phase/flangey sounds to deal with.

What are you wanting to accomplish here?

[Nick Sevilla]

Is that a thing that can/could be done?

Yes. In the tape days, this was not needed.

With plugins today, you can if you want to.

[digitaldrummer]

I gotta be honest, I've tried a couple tape plugins and haven't found much use for them in a parallel fashion. They seem to work better on a single track or a bus (aux) group. I think if I was going to use a real (or is it reel?) tape machine I'd do the same - record it to tape and then back into the DAW and hope it still lines up...(which it probably won't exactly, so you probably have to tweak it).

I like to be able to mix a compressor where you can hit it really hard and mix it with the uncompressed signal to get a blend. But for tape color, the compression is very subtle (to me) and the saturation I'd rather just place the effect on the the whole track/bus (and the mix doesn't do much for me). But depending on what you are looking for maybe it would work for you?

[drumsound]

I think there's a pretty big misconception of what tape saturation is, especially in the era of a new saturation plugin being released every week. A properly calibrated, or even a closely calibrated tape machine, run at or around UNITY (0VU) doesn't sound saturated or distorted. The tone does have some bigger low end from head bump and a bit of roll off at the top and some softening of the transients. All generally in a pleasing way.

Unless we're getting into the really old designs (Ampex 350 - 440 et all) where the electronics could only handle so much before they broke up, and were designed for older tape formulas, tape machines and tape formulas were designed for clear (and hopefully pleasing) reproduction.

So if we're talking about Studer A80 and later, MCI JH24, any Otari etc running 456 (kinda), 499, GP9, 996. SM900 tape, with proper level calibration, there won't be a ton of distortion without beating the daylights out of the tape. Like pegging the needle and having itstay there not just going over here and there, that is where tape distortion happens.

[vvv]

It's been a while but all the tapey plug-ins seemed to me to just be a way of adding light distortion.

It could sound good, but never seemed anything more than light, subtle, distortion.

On single tracks, I really like Meek pre's or compressors for that, or hitting a tube unit a little hard.

The Eureka has a "saturation" knob, also - sounds like light, subtle, distortion.

I do use parallel compression all of the time, every mix pretty much on vocals, frequently on snare or OH's or the drums two-mix, percussion ...

[drumsound]

It's been a while but all the tapey plug-ins seemed to me to just be a way of adding light distortion.

It could sound good, but never seemed anything more than light, subtle, distortion.

On single tracks, I really like Meek pre's or compressors for that, or hitting a tube unit a little hard.

The Eureka has a "saturation" knob, also - sounds like light, subtle, distortion.

I do use parallel compression all of the time, every mix pretty much on vocals, frequently on snare or OH's or the drums two-mix, percussion ...

I'm really into what HEAT does in Pro Tools. I found out, after trying it that it was designed by the late Dave of Cranesong and that it's meant to kind of be both a tape sound and/or a transformer and console sound. The setting I basically defaulted to was the drive one or two clicks to the left, which is the 'tape side' of the drive function. I was a long time tape person, so I think that says a lot that I landed there without knowing that. I also set HEAT PRE the channel strips, as a tape machine would be, again by ear and then learning the functionality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyqPZcFRkRY This is a good video about it.

[digitaldrummer]

I haven't really dug into HEAT yet (mainly because I believe it is tied to my having a "current" support/license in my iLok and I don't want to pull up a mix down the road and find I don't have it any longer). Console or transformer saturation is different than tape saturation, although it sounds like heat tries to cover a bit of both. I do prefer to mix in the box so I don't use analog summing, but I do have several different plugins to emulate that sorta thing (and yes I know that just triggered several analog purists...). I like to add the Slate Digital VCC (virtual console collection) on every track and/or bus or sometimes I will use Sonimus Satson and/or Britson (which are API and Neve-like console emulation). I might use an API or a tube console sound on overheads, cymbals, etc. whereas I might want the Neve sound on drums, bass, maybe vocals. No rules that you have to use only one type per mix. it's also very subtle, but once you hear it... But I don't typically use a tape emulation on every track like this (even though I have plenty of those plugins). And nothing in parallel here either....

[drumsound]

I haven't really dug into HEAT yet (mainly because I believe it is tied to my having a "current" support/license in my iLok and I don't want to pull up a mix down the road and find I don't have it any longer). Console or transformer saturation is different than tape saturation, although it sounds like heat tries to cover a bit of both. I do prefer to mix in the box so I don't use analog summing, but I do have several different plugins to emulate that sorta thing (and yes I know that just triggered several analog purists...). I like to add the Slate Digital VCC (virtual console collection) on every track and/or bus or sometimes I will use Sonimus Satson and/or Britson (which are API and Neve-like console emulation). I might use an API or a tube console sound on overheads, cymbals, etc. whereas I might want the Neve sound on drums, bass, maybe vocals. No rules that you have to use only one type per mix. it's also very subtle, but once you hear it... But I don't typically use a tape emulation on every track like this (even though I have plenty of those plugins). And nothing in parallel here either....

I never used heat until I made a serious upgrade when the Mac Studio came out. My old system was getting long in the tooth and I actually sold a 2" machine to do it. I was on PT10 which didn't include HEAT. But PT 2022(?) had it there, but I only found that out after watching some YouTube video. I was mixing one day and I was in that 'it's not quite there' mode and I remembered HEAT was there, so I tried it out and it really started to bring the mix together. One of the cool features is that you can set it pre or post, per channel.

I mix ITB with summing and panning from the console with an analog bus comp, and lately also a nice mix bux EQ after the comp.

[Recycled_Brains]

Heat is cool. I've been using it on every mix lately. Usually favor the "tape" side as well, pre-additional processing. I don't push it too hard.

My favorite plugin for subtle (or not) transient shaping and soft clipping stuff is definitely Fab-Filter Saturn using the clean tape or saturation algorithms. I use it before or as a substitution for other compression types.

I also love the clean tube setting for livening things up and default to that as the first insert on my mixbuss.

It has a mix control. You can even decide if you want more of the shaping to occur on the sides or middle or in equal measure to a stereo source. The multi-band and modulation functionality can be useful too.

[drumsound]

I mixed 2 acoustic and vocal songs yesterday and HEAT really does something nice. On the second I was thinking, "What isn't happening here?" and I turned HEAT on and it really came together.

[Recycled_Brains]

I mixed 2 acoustic and vocal songs yesterday and HEAT really does something nice. On the second I was thinking, "What isn't happening here?" and I turned HEAT on and it really came together.

I like that you kinda forget it's there and then when you bypass it it's not that different, but the extra 10% of goodness it adds is missed.

[drumsound]

I mixed 2 acoustic and vocal songs yesterday and HEAT really does something nice. On the second I was thinking, "What isn't happening here?" and I turned HEAT on and it really came together.

I like that you kinda forget it's there and then when you bypass it it's not that different, but the extra 10% of goodness it adds is missed.

Yeah. Dave Hill (RIP) was a freaking genius.

[digitaldrummer]

I played with Heat on a couple recent mixes, and yeah, it's got potential. I don't know that I'd give it 10%, but maybe 2-3% better once you get something dialed in.

[drumsound]

I played with Heat on a couple recent mixes, and yeah, it's got potential. I don't know that I'd give it 10%, but maybe 2-3% better once you get something dialed in.

It just does that thing that feels both better and more 'alive' to me. I don't know what percentage I'd give it, but I do think it is quite useful.