Hardware Essentials, or Non Essentials?

[Rah]

Title might be a little misleading

For those of you who use a hybrid 'In The Box' setup alongside hardware, I was wondering, what you find essential to have as a hardware unit, and what you feel is fine to do with plug ins?

For example, do you feel the need for hardware compression, or can you cget by with it ITB only? Reverbs? Delays? etc.

I'm interested in personal opinions, thanks.

[ImNotDedYet]

Tube amplificiation/preamp for one. I've heard many people say compression although I've never used a hardware comp. I think when you are talking top of the line type hardware, it's hard to emulate that in software. Obviously, if you need to do compression on a signal coming from OTB to avoid clipping in a very dynamic performance, you can't beat a hardware comp. I have a few hardware "pedals" or effects - Moogerfoogers that I run synths or my Rhodes through and I've not been able to duplicate the tone I can get out of those pedals/effects ITB. And nothing can touch the Moogerfooger 104M delay software or hardware.

The question really is, in the context of the mix, can you get "close enough" with software? Is there more inspiration from the sound you're getting from the hardware, and therefore a better actual performance when recording the hardware? I personally think so.

[Mister Natural]

I had been thinking that mic > clean, basic preamp(M-Audio dmp3) > interface would be all I ever needed. Then EQ, compress,"sweeten" there.
. . . until I found an irresistible deal on a higher-end channel strip (Presonus VXP)
whoa !
once dialed in, it takes my modest mic to a new level

peace

[Rah]

Thanks for your thoughts guys, very stimulating

[waiting man]

As an approach, I started thinking otb delays are a pita.
Ok for fire and forget uses or for a patch with external modulators, a mess for everything else.

Thinking more about sound than pratical issues, distortion, overdrive, octaver, ring modulation on the other hand are worth the hw route, too much texture to loose, unless extreme control like with multiband distortion is needed.

On a very personal note, I try to plug Danelectro d5 and d6 whenever possible, love the trashy, spicy vibe of these two modulators. Software comes close but no cigar

[Chopper]

Preamps indeed... If your music is purely electronic (as in made with plugins instruments) then OTB is not bringing anything really interesting on the table. But if you are recording stuff then you will hear the difference. And not just with vocals. I've seen so many people coming back to using a real bass guitar once they understood that simply pluging it through their soundcard is not enough. That would never give you the fuller tone and lows a good pre delivers. Even a weedy cold hardware fm synth can come to life as warm and full of character with a bit of gain from a good preamp.

I agree that delays are far more practical in the box. Reverbs as well. Not worthy of the pain. As long as you are using good quality plugins, of course.

Now, one of my pet hate is distortion plugins... Most of them sound to me as going from slight spitting of noise on the top of the original sound up to clipping at high gain. None of the gradual amount of harmonies i expect from even low budget pedals. A few overdrive pedals can really add to your sonic toolbox. Even at low gain, just to colour things a bit, they are priceless. Perfect to have something standing out in the mix.

On that note, a good chorus and phaser pedal as well. I always struggled to have a proper 80s style chorus sound on bass or guitar with plugins. Plugs are good on vsti to give you a juno-like chorus, but for fretted instruments, any pedal are instant gratification.

[cryophonik]

Definitely good preamps for tracking vocals and instruments. I use hardware compressors, expander/gate for tracking, but I don't really consider them a necessity, just a preference. As for FX (delays, etc.), I have a Lexicon multi-FX unit for my Mopho X4 and I wouldn't want to be without it. I use it as an integral part of my sound design with that synth.

[ChamomileShark]

I suspect the answer changes over time - as software improves there may become less reasons to have hardware other than for sentimental reasons.

My personal preference is to have a few hardware synths because I like that specific machine, so I have some specific modulars (which don't exist as software), some odd niche stuff (like the Korg Digital Voice Processor which I use mostly for it's onboard sounds, MXR Pitch Transposer).

I have a Waldorf Microwave 1 even though I have the Waldorf PPG thing, 2 PPG software and Serum. I like old style wavetables.

Until recently I didn't really like the software modulation FX, flangers, chorus etc and have some basic harware units that cover that.

I hadn't found a software vocoder I liked and so have a couple of hardware ones.

But on the other hand I can afford software reverbs that I wouldn't be able to afford as hardware equivalents (like Valhalla, Aether, Arts Acoustic) and they are easier to mangage itb.

[Rah]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to post, I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this subject

I agree on the delay issue. I bought a hardware delay, and so far I find it quite an annoyance

[VariKusBrainZ]

Tube amplificiation/preamp for one.

This is a good place to start as its cheap and easy to experiment with different tubes

Behringer VT999 Vintage Tube Monster Overdrive

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000 ... ge_o01_s00