new school vs old school reverb/effects/comps

[chuck norriss]

Hey TB I want to pick your brains re: vintage reverb & other effects, vs the new stuff namely dbx 160a r/u vs. Compressore (or name your comp pedal); spx90 or lexicon boxes vs. holy grail or zoom or other multi-effects units. I'm not an effects guy I just know MS60B & not that well.
Application is live, small setting on all--vocals, eg, rhythm loops.
Discussing preferences & experiences or recommendations?
or compromise and buy three zoom ms70cdr's & be done with it? (not for comp but for effects)

 

[seamonkey]

Usually with a DAW like Ableton Live you'd use a VST because then Live can control it.
There are all kinds of vintage vst effects
Free, and paid ones by the top names in hardware reverbs, compressors, ...
Some are based on impulse responses of actual old hardware. The electronics being modeled, the tank, or plate, with the IR. These can be very pricy VST's but they work as advertised.

If you don't have a good PC. You can look at outboard DSP like UA Audio Apollo Twin. It unburdens the CPU from processing for many standalone devices.

 

[chuck norriss]

old mac. i'd save a few bucks getting a new pc over UA apollo twin
thanks.

 

[jon36992002]

As long as you have a good input signal, you can probably rely on your DAW for most of your reverb and compression tools. Ableton has been quite good IME, but Pro-Tools, Cubase and even audacity all have quite workable tools.

If you start recording drums, you'll probably want some tube preamps for the overheads to give it a more natural tube compression/distortion if you hit a peak. Nothing hurts worse than a track being perfect except for one peak on the crash.

 

[chuck norriss]

probably going to use roland 303 or alesis sr16 for drums. I haven't decided which to buy yet but also want to have at my disposal for a 2-pice live scenario so i'm getting the actual consol to carry around. Thanks guys.