Can you hear the mix with the UAD (test) ANSWERED!

[imdrecordings]

Here is a simple/natural mix....

Both mixes are the same. I basically got the levels I wanted from the recorded tracks, with added bus compression/Tape Emulation and EQ on the master bus. Just to get the track kind of where I wanted it.... (mixing on Sennheiser HD 280s)

I then inserted 1073s, Pultecs and the Helios 69 on random inserts, until all tracks had at least one plug-in. I didn't touch the EQs, aside from leaving them on the inserts and bouncing the mix.

I then removed each plug-in from it's insert and bounced again.


See if you can tell which one is which. Is it 1 or 2 that has the UAD plugs on the inserts and how can you tell?

Again, this a quick little B.S. mix of a band who's album I'm almost done with. This is not the real mix going on their record. It's pretty much just what was recorded with added master-bus compression.

These are higher quality MP3 files.

Thanks!



Audio 1:
http://boomp3.com/m/f29d94d087b6

Audio 2:
http://boomp3.com/m/bc7cba1f3a35

 

[Richard Hunter]

these guys got a kind of Spoon thing going on. I have no idea which mix is which. Through my headphones they sound pretty similar. I'm gonna guess that track 1 is the UAD-1 mix.

 

[Schaap]

I would be really surprised if audio 1 had the plug-ins, so I voted 2.

Henk

 

[Peter South]

I can't tell a difference on my AKG K271. Just tiny level differences.

 

[Loki]

Number 2 for sure for sure, sounds loads smoother on my headphones

 

[elram]

I think 1 is the one with the uad-1 because it has more volume and balls on the drums and guitars... so it must be because of the pultec or something...

anywayz... 1 mix sounds better!

 

[BTLG]

listening to the first 30 seconds of both mixes back to back on my little altec lansings in my office....

I'm going to go with number 1

 

[injasonbow]

number 1 sounds nicest to me in my headphones... so i'm saying 1. bear in mind i do have poxy fisher price headphones
injasonbow
x

 

[imdrecordings]

I can't tell a difference on my AKG K271. Just tiny level differences.

That's what I thought, but upon further listening one is a little clearer and has a bit more depth of field. These are 2 identical mixes with mostly 1073s just sitting on the inserts, a few pultecs and a couple of helios. I think the Pultecs are sitting on the Toms and Baritone guitar. The two clean guitars have the Helios and everything else (drums&vocal) is the 1073. The Bus compressor is Samplitudes AmTrack with a little of it's Tape-Emu (on both mixes, set the same). I didn't Brickwall the mix or Maximize either.

 

[LFranco]

I listened to both on a pair of Bulls*** Harman/Kardon desktop speakers and sony earbuds and am TOTALLY convinced that the mix with the UAD-1 plugs is #2.

Why, because I recognize the gentle low/mid level boost that the Pultec EQ adds to tracks immediately.

Nice songs too, awesome recordings.

 

[Eurocide]

Even on crappy desktop speakers I can hear the difference. #1 sounds a little bit \"thinner\" and #2 has got lo-mid \"meat\". So my vote is for #2

 

[guitarz]

#1. Maybe I'm imagining it, but the highs sound a little \"smoothed\" out on this one...

 

[imdrecordings]

listening to the first 30 seconds of both mixes back to back on my little altec lansings in my office....

I'm going to go with number 1

Dude, you didn't get to the cool drum freak out at the end... :lol:

Would anyone care to know how I recorded it and with what?

 

[tgorle]

I guess I'd have to ask \"What's the point?\"

The idea of using plugs in the first place is to add character.

Adding plugs at default settings proves what?

 

[Macc]

Errr.... the plugins he's used have an effect on the sound even at default settings. If you can't hear what pultec does when you switch it in, try it again.

Anyway - no downloadable files, or am I being thick? I would much rather check them on my music machine...

 

[Richard Hunter]

1) yea the drum freakout is well worth listening to the whole track. craziness.

2) UA claims that all these plugs color the sound of audio at default settings. In much the way noise and distortion of a cheap preamp can build up over the course of 24 tracks, so should the character some UAD plugs impart on sound.

I'm just having a hard time hearing it, but my gut still says mix 1.

 

[RWIL]

It is mostly when I'm listening to the guitar/sitar part (around 57 sec +) that I can hear the biggest difference; a boost around 3.5 khz. So if that because the plug on that track is adding; well, no #2 with uad!

RW

 

[secretworld]

Took a short listen maybe 30s both, I think No2 uses UAD, a little less harsh and more coherent. Like the drums and bass!

 

[rhgg2]

Errr.... the plugins he's used have an effect on the sound even at default settings. If you can't hear what pultec does when you switch it in, try it again.

One thing with the pultec is that when you put it in "flat", it adds about 1dB of gain across the whole spectrum: so you need to level-match it when A/Bing, to ensure that it isn't sounding better by dint of being louder.

 

[LFranco]

One thing with the pultec is that when you put it in "flat", it adds about 1dB of gain across the whole spectrum: so you need to level-match it when A/Bing, to ensure that it isn't sounding better by dint of being louder.

Yeah, and...it's not. Easy to hear if you simply bypass a "flat" Pultec on the mix buss and increase the master fader by about 1db; the Pultec does something else besides a gentle boost. Those who can't tell are the ones that say #1 is the UAD-1 mix, for example. Bwhahahha...sorry.