Video

Great video. Good to note that the user does not need to know any math. Lol. I just use four microphones and the rode plugin.

So that IS you. Great song and recording! I see you're using that Soyuz "Ambisonic" mic as well. You've really piqued my interest on a couple of things. I really dug the EQ on vocals and bass. Can't stop thinking about that microphone. Is that some kind of special baffle as well? Are you on the internet somewhere? I am actually a professional audio engineer. I've been out of the loop for a while and just started working again recently. I'm located in NYC. Thanks. Edit: I found you! Arkansas, huh? I will certainly keep your place in mind if I have a project. Looks like a great place! Sub-SCRIBED.

API is fuller, especially the snare drum! Almost sounds like a phase switch. I've been using API consoles since 1988. My first console, actually. I've always loved their sound.

Great track! Super solid recording AND performance. Is that you?

Love the use of Granmas diamond cut lead crystal ❤

OMG something that's affordable, I can blindly hear it! This is great man! I really dig that Mini Buss, as I've been trying to do this(bussing a stereo out to preamps for colour and then back into the Daw)with very mixed results and a shit ton of headaches. This will make it way easier and it's about as much as a cheap DI! THANK YOU!

This is so interesting! I’ve got that old altec solid state mixer and I think channel 5 has phantom but it’s like 24 volts or something but totally works with some mics and I’ve always wondered if it’s really 48 or what but I bet this is kind of what’s happening and it’s just underpowered but still has a vibe (plus that thing has almost too much gain so it might balance it out)

As always great video, I like the filming and editing, great job. It would have been interesting to hear the comparison between with and without the mini bus into the bus driver. I personally find (calibrated) summing box to be almost totally useless for ITB mix, analog or hybrid is a different story. I'm not sure what started that trend but if you're ITB splitting your mix in multiple stereo stems into a passive summing box is useless and playing the stereo mix into a stereo hardware is more practical. I think using hardware like the bus driver on the mix bus can be fun, it adds some soft clipping etc, (you probably can approximate it ITB, not as fun but more handy).

What's the price?

Sound is pretty similar to me, and the song is just beautiful! Cheers!

So is this the Lebanese singer, Fairuz?

Cool boxes! But that API Box still sounds the best to me!

it sounds excellent ; thanks for the review !

I really wish someone would switch the hardware and software audio and tell ppl months down the road that this is the software and this is the hardware some of these ppl need humbled in the audio community

Thank you for the excellent walkthrough and review, Matt! You are absolutely correct in that EVERY mic will react differently to this unit. Some won't do much and aren't that fun to experiment with, but then some will do some pretty incredible things outside of their "optimal" working zone. The Copperline is a box with which to get creative. That said, if experimenting with phantom power is only for some engineers, all good! It's just one feature, and the Copperline can be used at 48v for extremely solid performance! Your thorough and thoughtful video is appreciated!

It looks like there is a hole under the input gain knob for calibrating something. Does anyone know what this is for?

Thank you for the comprehensive comparison. I don't play any electrical devices on cabinets, but these demonstrations illustrate the sounds in a well-paced, well-defined way that clearly demonstrates the effect of the plugin compared to the live sound. Well done for the thought and effort behind this production! 👍👍

Appreciate the comprehensive test!🙂 Really liked both preamps...with the Vanguard V24 tube almost leaned ever so slight to the CA-286 The feedback is an awesome weapon! I sold my 2-610 and a CL1b a year or so ago and miss the tube goodness....Was interested in HAzelrigg VLC, but they have gotten quite pricey these days...Really impressed with all the demo's....Thanks M8🌈

Pro Tools allows setting multiple outputs on a bus. I'm sending my master to a separate monitor bus, in which SW is inserted. That way master isn't "corrupted" by correction. But I'm still contemplating on buying ARC Studio for correcting the room, when I'm mixing a stream with a sound console.

Each of your 8 Preamps has it’s own transformer & 2520 OP Amp. Not to mention whatever is contained within whichever 500 series module you choose for your 8 slots. So your tracking section can definitely impart harmonic saturation / color etc.

what do you think of the zoom ambisonic 360 mic as a starter mic to get introduced to ambisonics in general? I want to record classical music: piano specifically along with voice, french horn, and guitar. but since you said ambisonic mics are sensitive to musicians live dynamics, would something louder like french horn + piano be difficult to record?

Awesome content right here!!! Thanks for putting in the work and sharing your knowledge! Subbed! 😉

For balanced presentation of frequencies, I'm a little disappointed that the tubes produce such a clear, classy picture by comparison. More "mix ready", as folks have said; not that the FET/non launcher signal was bad or couldn't be tailored with eq. Even so, the FET/launcher combo really impressed me on drums & bass, & while the launcher has been on my radar for a while, this is the first demo I've seen that confirms how it can shine, & on what sources. Thanks for putting in the effort to make this shootout!

Just thank You for this. We need more common sense and genuine love for music instead of all of the marketing we often get from most of the Audio CZcamsrs.

You should also show sound WITHOUT PROCESSING.

Why somebody suggest that something is even similar to hardware in this code

Fantastic work, just an insanely high-quality series - well done. On the full track, again I'm hearing the same thing of acoustic guitar not as good with the UAD. But also the UAD on the vocal doesn't sound great, in a similar area of the upper mids/treble. Possibly the same thing that is exageratting the graininess in the acoustic is bringing out a papery sibilance in the vocal. Whereas the acoustic and vocal sound great on the API. Didn't distinguish a massive difference otherwise, maybe the bass was a little fuller with the API, but wasn't a night and day difference in this track. In fact, the slightly edgier UAD sound on the electric guitar when solo actually made it more intelligible in the full mix - like a slight presence boost.

Interesting. From the first video, I had a less positive impression of the software chain. But, after this one, the software is a little better than I thought after the first video. Because, it seems like acoustic guitar was the achilles heel for the UAD software; where I didn't like it. What's quite nice is that overall drums is where it made the least difference. That's great, because it's tracking drums with 8, 10 or 12 expensive preamps that hits the highest costs. It matches with my own experience too, where I'll stick Neve/CAPI pairs on kick and snare and run run overheads through Camden EC1s. But for the rest, I'm happy to just run spot tom mics, and room mics into my affordable Audient ASP800 and it doesn't feel like I'm missing that much. Whereas, for acoustic guitar and vocals, I'll always take the time to set it up with the Neves. The bass had more depth on the API, but then those differences could wash away in a mic/D.I. mix, with compression. Similar with electric guitar, mic placement, EQ and compression could ameliorate the fact that the CAPI did sound a little smoother / less grainy. A little of that difference in body and treble grain that was apparent on acoustic could be heard on electric, and even less again on piano. (the UAD API tone had some of that treble grain texture you hear on Soyuz MK-012 SDCs)

It was definitely enlightening. My own conclusion was that the the software had quite varied a degree of success, at those different stages of preamp, EQ and a whole chain with compression. With the preamp modelling, what I was hearing was tthat the preamp modelling was not an adequate substitute for the the real hardware. They did not sound like the same thing. It sounded like a rough ballpark approximation, at best. So, especially for the critical tracks like vocals and main guitars, I think it's worth investing in the hardware if you can afford it. Especially when a great preamp like a CAPI VP28 is not _that_ expensive for one or two channels, relative to the cost of a UAD audio interface. Whereas, with the EQ, it was closer, and I would consider the software quite acceptable. For me, this chimes with the fact that many engineers are very comfortable at this point using software EQs extensively. But the most interesting thing was that once the full signal path was heard, with the compression, then the full paths sounded acceptably close again. I've noticed that before with cheaper transformerless mic clones. Naked, they sound inferior. But, once you introduce EQ and Compression, even digital, the gap becomes closer. So, with a bit of work, can get there with software. But, if you can afford the hardware, you save yourself that work/time.

Bridge pickup, please

How do you like the api channel strip for guitars?

Nice. Love this full console-only-style demo for small desktop setup. Great track too.. Thought the vocalist had same vibe as John Boyd of Incubus. My question is - Can you not create markers to each part of the song instead of timeline scrolling between verses and chorus? It'll be cool if the timecode window can also show main mix transients to be able to 'see' where we are while working on it. Overall still very impressed on this small setup. Good stuff!

Man I really like you and your style. You seem like a really good dude. Joined!

As soon as the full mix switched to the real room, I went "aaah there it is", but then i went back to the plugin and i was like - well, it's still there 🤣

Hey man, that is a great song! They both sound very good to my ears, however, the API sounds a bit more "Live" and it has to do with the wider stereo image and the warm sound of the transformers. I really appreciate this great production because I'm a big fan of analog gear, that's how I grew up in my music career. This video was very reveling since I was wonder how much I'm missing by not having the API "The Box", yes, you can get a bit more punchy and warm sound but it's over $16,000. The question is, does it make your final track sound a $16,000 dollars better? Probably you can get the same result with a good analog master buss processor for about $4000.

Plugin is pretty good. But the low end and depth on the hardware is a pretty huge difference for me. Expecially across a whole mix the effect of the hardware would grow exponentially. I’m definitely ganna give the plugin a try. Great channel brother!

And after having wasted 5000 heirs; “no, of course it can’t. I wasted my life daydreaming instead of making music”

Subscribed!

Thank you so much for sharing this❤️❤️❤️❤️

This is a crazy plugin. My vst drums suddenly became real live drums and the tweaking (decay and more) on in the vst really shines combined with the different parts of the plugin.

Is it Virginia?

Heck yeah! Very grateful for your technical and artistic insights. Just joined 🎉

So much dimension added, and almost a “Soothe”-like removal of anything brittle too. Wonderful demonstration and some clearly great EQ decisions with it too. “Sounds like a record”.

What’s the riff? Sounds great!

Did you record with compression or is it "just" controlled performance because after eqing it sounds closed to a natural yet finished result which doesn't need further compression on individual tracks imo. It suits the song. Great video as usual!

All i can say is...great production and terrific song...very impressed

Amazing. I really like what the compressor did for the tones of this song. It really handled the dynamics of the song structure. I really noticed the movement when the E. Guitar and piano come in on the right channel along with the falsetto-esq vocals. Great song by the way. Reminds me of Jeff Buckley with a bit of Coldplay parachutes. I love the barking at the end as I’ve had this happen to me so many times.