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Thanks. I figured something needed to happen on the daw mix bus, but I never really use it except for a fake mastering boost - that’s where I put the Manley eq and Fairchild… or even a LA2A silver sometimes (don’t ask). I thought I was being fancy with two plugins there.

I actually recorded with analog tape simulation and console emulation on most tracks, but they’re not being pushed for an effect, just to help finesse transients and peaks, and then I have the tape sims on the inserted on the master out of the mixer ad well. Then after the inserted tape sim is a graphic eq set to cut 8k (which reads as harsh on this mix) and then out to an AML 2254 style compressor tapping the meter w/o limiting. The only time I use the tape plugins (uad studer) is when a ride cymbal is poking out too much or something like that.

However, I don’t have the electric bass hitting the mixer or the 2nd stage tape emulation because I love the way they push the bass on those old records, which drives my stereo compressor insane. So I have that going out to a 76D and then back into the recorder, kind of like a stem I can blend in in the box.

I feel like I’m 90% there from yalls post maybe I’ll push the stuff I already have a tiny bit harder. I think I have the opposite problem of most where I get galaxy brain over I do one click of a compressor or eq. I’m not mastering at this point so maybe I do need to be a little more heavy handed, though it’s easy to get too deep fast with the way I have everything set. There’s already a lot happening on the individual tracks.

And yeah, totally nothing wrong with SSL, just like there’s nothing wrong with Ibanez guitars or whatever, it’s just guilt by association. But its not like Neve or API wasn’t used to record the dumbest sounding stuff ever, I just like those sounds because of associations w/ the odd Pink Floyd or Neil Young record or w/e, though not like they couldn’t have done it on something else.

By the way, Ziggy Stardust was mixed with 1176s on the mix bus and its rumored that LA2As were used on some of Bob Marley’s records, but Phill Brown thinks it was more likely 1176 as well. Their studios were world class but still didn’t have quite as much outboard as they do now.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Wed Feb 04, 2026 5:19 pm By the way, Ziggy Stardust was mixed with 1176s on the mix bus and its rumored that LA2As were used on some of Bob Marley’s records, but Phill Brown thinks it was more likely 1176 as well. Their studios were world class but still didn’t have quite as much outboard as they do now.

I have no problems with 1176 on the mix bus as they are fast limiters and great for knocking back a dB or 3 RRRRReal FAST. It's literally what they were designed for. People have just gotten into the habit of only grabbing them to totes crush a kick drum or room mic and abuse the saturation of the make up gain because it sounds fucking great to do that, but they are a very good light limiter too. A 1176 feeding a LA2A is a classic mix bus chain. I have a hard time getting a LA2A to do what I want though.

I do 1176 > LA2A for vocals and bass. I've read about engineers using 1176 for everything or even a Distressor that way. Totally plausible, definitely the Distressor.

If I'm like, oh this needs compression, I usually just slap on an 1176 with 4:1. Never gonna be bad.

cakes wrote: Wed Feb 04, 2026 7:47 pm If I'm like, oh this needs compression, I usually just slap on an 1176 with 4:1. Never gonna be bad.

That’s basically what Nigel Godrich does. I’m not a Radiohead guy but that’s as close to hifi as I care to roll.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Wed Feb 04, 2026 9:27 pm

cakes wrote: Wed Feb 04, 2026 7:47 pm If I'm like, oh this needs compression, I usually just slap on an 1176 with 4:1. Never gonna be bad.

That’s basically what Nigel Godrich does. I’m not a Radiohead guy but that’s as close to hifi as I care to roll.

Isn't 4:1 the "golden ratio"?

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Wed Feb 04, 2026 12:06 am I’ve been kind fighting a bright (for me) mix and trying to get that thick presence old records have. Its hard.

I fixed this a few ways:

A) found a cabling issue on one of the stereo pairs coming out of my 16 i/o

B) removing plugins and replacing with closest available hardware.

C) taking everything off the master bus

I have a few Audioscape pultecs but still use plugins if those are tied up on the bass and kick or whatever. I just went through and pulled off the LA2A/1176/pultec plugins and just ran them through the hardware and the sound improved a lot.

You can compare the UAD plugins side by side with the Audioscape boxes and tell a difference, but its not quite a night and day quality thing. However the effect built up over several tracks really made a big difference.

Also, I already had compression and eq everywhere so only left a couple analog tape sims on the master and it improved.

I still used the studer tape sim, motown echo chamber, fairchild, and a couple motown and api eqs here and there, but I’m kind of suspicious now.