Safe Sound's Dynamic Toolbox

[Sound Drifter]

Has anyone here used one of these?

http://www.safesoundaudio.co.uk/img/dt_endclose.jpg

http://www.safesoundaudio.co.uk/dynamics.html


I have one coming this week and was curious if any one here have seen and/or used one. Seems like a cool enough unit. Looking forward to this weekend's sessions with it.

[paulwr]

Looks nice.

I'm still 'all in the box' here. Still blown away by the new IK T-Racks 3 stuff. Using the oversampling option in the plugs, the clarity at high limiting and compression is startling. And the stereo field effect in one of the compressors is the best I've heard.

-Paul

[Sound Drifter]

I'll have to check out those plugs. This compressor business started with the CA700 I got from a friend that uprooted my favorite plugins after doing critical listening, bandwidth and scope tests.

Which one in particular do you really dig?

[Sound Drifter]

Here is what I posted over there. Would like to get people's thoughts on this.



The Story:

On a whim I picked up a 1970's Electrodyne CA700 compressor. Being me, I brought up mixes from different artists and genres and started inserting and chaining it to other outboard gear on just about every instrument you can think of on into complex stems then into a scope running pink noise, sine square and saw tooth tones doing nulls and additive differences to better understand what was going on in the box. I was really surprised by the sound difference between my favorite and most inserted plugins, and that's an understatement.

No, this isn't the grass is greener in a 19" rack, or sitting on top of my desk next to my mixer (where it currently is). Taken back, I called and talked to a pro audio fellow I met at an AES dinner party for about a half an hour. He has a boat load of experience. I told him my experience along with the tests I did and I asked him if I was crazy or if it is that newness thing that happens with new gear... he said no and agreed with my findings.

What's crazy now is I don't like some of my favorite plugins anymore due to the sonic differences. They sound a bit fake to me. I was done getting gear I thought, but the focus was on preamps, thinking the compressors I had were enough, but no... I'm on the hunt again to have a collection of compressors.

For the past month or so, I was actually getting bored with my mixes. Maybe I'm just working too much. They sound good and translate fine but that boredom has now ceased. I know what happened and changed me. It's something I haven't done in a while. It's the critical listening and testing that I haven't wanted to do. Listening critically and studying to find/hear the difference. Insert in, insert out, insert in insert out. Oie. I don't think I'll ever be able to retire. I have another compressor coming in for this weekend's sessions.

[The Guru]

What Tom's DAW really looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAKZ-O70wNg

[paulwr]

I'll have to check out those plugs. This compressor business started with the CA700 I got from a friend that uprooted my favorite plugins after doing critical listening, bandwidth and scope tests.

Which one in particular do you really dig?

So far, every one I pull up becomes my favorite! My long time friend in town who recommended them to me, has had several analog studios, and designed others.... much experience with hardware and software both (over 30 years full time). The T-Racks have replaced nearly everything else for dynamics for him and me, too. Part of it is the oversampling feature that wrings out tons of 'invisible' very high frequency distortion that happens from things that don't show in the waveform or typical meters. I don't know the tech side inside out, but he was on a mission to get rid of this kind of distortion, and found the T-Racks did a great job on them.

-Paul

[Sound Drifter]

What Tom's DAW really looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAKZ-O70wNg

That's really funny squirrel banner! :rotfl:

[Sound Drifter]

Paul,

What is your friend's position in the industry? (recording artists acoustically, a composer that uses mostly sample libraries, etc)

[paulwr]

Paul,

What is your friend's position in the industry? (recording artists acoustically, a composer that uses mostly sample libraries, etc)

song writer (including 7 years staff writer Motown and submitted records, not demos) producer, great guitarist, composer, editorial also for tv in the mix for about 8 years. We go back to the mid 70's when we toured. Best ears in the biz that I've ever come across.

Currently in Nashville, mostly recording parts in his studio live. For a number of clients he simply mixes/masters, as well.

But hey, go download the demo for the plugs. 10 days full use. I'm curious what you think.

-Paul

[dementedchord]

What Tom's DAW really looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAKZ-O70wNg

maybe update this with the cavemen???

[Sound Drifter]

Hi Paul. Thanks for the scoop. I think I will give them a run when I have a little free time.


So, the Dynamics Toolbox arrived today and so far, so good. It does a really good job as a buss compressor which is my primary use was for it. Ran about 4 songs through it and it fills in things really nicely in a smooth, clean sorta way. Chaining some tubes or transformers adds some sweetness. I didn't like it at first, but now I'm starting to get a grip on it and even the artist that's coming in tomorrow gave a thumbs up for it.

So far, EQing in front of it fills in the areas wonderfully once they come out the other side of the compressor. These are only 1-2db boosts at .5-.75Qs. Fantastic.