Analog Gear vs. Plugins: See if Pro Mixers Can Hear a Difference

Hardware is a little bit smoother than plugins, but this difference so subtle. If you can't get a good mix with plugins, your mix wouldn't be good enough with hardware.
Another awesome and eye-opening video for engineers. Thank you, Jordan!)

I really like how you are doing this with an open mind and just being honest about what you hear. So many engineers do these tests with the mindset of preferring analog

I'm glad I also achieved a 100% success rate on this test! In my opinion, the most noticeable difference is in the vocal breaths and all the micro transients, which tend to stand out more prominently in plugin emulations compared to being softer and more relaxed in real hardware. Thank you for taking the time to produce these high-quality tests!

The difference is audible, but it definitely does not make one better than the other. I think it's safe to say that in these days mixing with plugins gets you results that can sit on the same shelve next to completely analog productions. Great episode!

I want to see and hear a complete mix with plugin vs hardware as a total mix I believe the accumulation is really where the hardware will completely show its metal.

I remember back in 2000. When I first starting learning all this stuff. Everyone was saying a plugin could never get close to the hardware. And now in 2023 the closeness is insane. Don't get me wrong. The hardware units in this test had a just a bit of 3d feel to them and the mids felt more analog in general. But not enough to say paying 10k more plus is worth it. You can absolutely get great sounding mixes with plugins in 2023. Mind blown! and thanks for this test!

I started my music production journey in the box.. Actually named my home studio InaBox.. Can definitely hear the subtle differences. But considering the lack of cash flow in this industry for us small guys.. I could never justify that kind of money for the hardware. Plus the space it takes to have them. Great video! Thanks!

Would really like to hear this done with newer emulations from other companies besides Waves. Make it harder for the engineers - A, B, C, D. Get 4x of each going, 1x hardware, 3x emulations.

These comparisons are great and it goes to show how much progress Digital Recording has made in the last 40 years. It also explains why so many top level professionals are mixing in-the-box.
Suggestion: use 4 choices instead of 2. With two choices it is a 50/50 chance. With 4 choices however, you could have 3 copies or two and two in random order, more of a challenge that way.
In the end, the differences are so small, they could easily represent the differences between two analog units; nothing you couldn’t tweak with some EQ or other processing.
If you got enough CPU power; for the money, go Digital. 😎

I love that lots of people that I've listened to for metal production are on this video! It makes me realise that the world of metal production is quite small, but also very tight-knit!

Dang! I got all of them right, I guess after working with analog and pluings for so long you get to know the sound and characteristics of each one of them. Great video by the way 👍🏽

This was great. Yes, subtle difference in most cases, however subtle adds up across 40+ tracks! Cheers.

Never really tried to mimic the Hard and Soft, I think they both are very useful. Let say If I got some tone idea in mind, I will see what work out best, That's it. But I must say, use all plug-ins are easier to deal with trouble client that always look for final final final final. Thats for the vids. love it.

Great video! The big difference comes when this adds up to over 24 tracks then the sound will definitely make a bigger difference. At the end it’s work flow and budget.

I guessed all of them correctly, yet I don't think the hardware sounds so much better to justify $60.000. Also, these were just Waves plugins. There are plugins out there which are even closer to those analog units tested.

wow, thank you for this video! The differences are so tiny, I had to listen multiple times and really, now, after I saw your video, I can't believe how close they are. I never got a chance to work with the hardware stuff, so it's important to me to realise that the differences probably don't matter that much, it's more about the experience you guys have

It was subtle on here but I still picked all them right. There is a 3d element I get mixing into hardware that I cannot get in the box yet. When using hardware vs plugin for me. I feel hardware. I hear plugins. Thats the best way I can describe the experience.

Grab your free Mixing Cheatsheet to learn the go-to starting points for EQ and compression in heavy mixes: hardcoremusicstudio.com/mixcheatsheet

Really cool.
i think that subtle on a lot of tracks = Big difference.
To achieve the last few percentage points of excellence you have to invest A LOT. In any field. Audio is no different.

The difference is so subtle wow amazing

The plugins are a great tool however, when pushed, that's when the Hardware shines and shows difference in sound, headroom, etc. I just did the same thing to one of my guys that came through my studio. I actually have the Audioscape bluestripe units. They really do shine. Difference is evident.

Thanks for this very timely episode, as I'm at a crossroads between hardware and software gear as I move into a different recording phase. Admittedly, I lean toward plugins for their availability, transport, and options, all inescapably tied to one's budget. Still, the software route allows me to grow my skill set much faster based on the abovementioned attributes. Though I will forever be inspired by and in awe of the awesomeness of physical outboard gear, I'm just as inspired by inbox offerings.
Thanks again for the objective comparison.

Individually each piece of hardware gear contributes with a small difference if compared with its digital counterpart, however when one uses all these unique pieces of gear within a mix or a production, the sum of each individual contributions create a massive difference with a mix or a production created in the box. This is what I experience every day when I use various physical items vs times in which I only use software. The difference of sound in the final masters is evident, especially when one listens to them on a good sound sytem.

I got them all right except the last one! Blown away to know the plug-in version can achieve this level of sound. I would also love to see what things can be done to compensate in the plug-in versions to make them a little more brighter or fuller sounding. To me the analog versions were my favorite but it’s so subtle, I’m sure things can be done digitally to make up the difference

This is such a good video for many reasons. Hats off to your professionals, they really show their worth. And really pleased to hear their opinions that you don't need to spend to sound good if you've learned your craft.

I'd love to hear a comparison of multiple full mixes where they're done analog (or hybrid) and then done fully in the box and vise versa. Not as an exercise to spot the differences or to fully match the other per but to see which mixes came out better and how easy it was to get there. So maybe the drums hit harder in an analog mix but overall the itb mix came out better and in less time, Or maybe it came out worse and it look way longer to get there.

Analog definitely sound better and can forgive you more mistakes than digital but it is not as convenient to work with and quality difference isn't often worth the jaw dropping price :) and usually analog shows its dominance in extreme conditions. It's like driving corsa and ferrari in a 50 speed limit area, and arguing which has more power ;)

Awesome video! I agree the lines are close. I still prefer to touch knobs whenever I can. Keeping my hands off the mouse makes a huge impact on the overall experience for me. Not to mention it holds real value (can be sold) and never needs to be "updated" when my OS doesn't like it anymore.

I can hear these differences even on my phone. Nailed every one except the last one. Going to go pick up the CLA-76 plugin, it sounds fantastic

I feel like the main thing I noticed is that the plugin versions are a tad brighter. Like the hardware naturally rounds off in the higher frequencies making it sound a little smoother.
Character wise they all basically sounded the same lol

It would be an interesting test to ask which they preferred rather than if it was hardware or software.

Nice settings matching! You've got it pretty close! Would like to hear new plugins vs. hardware!
I bet there would be more difference with mixing and matching every plugin on the whole mix. I think those subtleties adds up.

Great video! I would echo what some are saying which is that when you add up tracks in a mix, these differences become more apparent. I think a mix through a console with outboard on every track will certainly sound more different than solo'd track comparisons. But then you have to ask, can't you also make up for that difference with some small tweaks? It also matters which makes more sense business wise - and that's why so many are ITB now at least with a little hardware here and there.

Both ways work great, I was lucky to try analog and plugins when I started from 0 with mixing which gave me my own opinion about the differences. The biggest difference in sound (in my opinion) is some kinda hiss in plugins, while analog is more silk.
If I had the budget, I would buy an analog mixbus chain. But yeah, if I had… probably the biggest dealbreaker for a lot of us :)

All my guesses are correct , and realize that analog has something which is sound more natural. eye opening video. bdw I never use hardware personally.

The biggest surprise for me was the 660, I liked the waves version much more.. like the warmth it has was awesome..
All the other gear was an easy pick for the Hardware
My question for the G Bus, is how accurate were the settings? Because any differences in attack and release times would give it that more open feel
But with that being said even if you selected the exact same settings, they might not be the same in reality
Definitely like the G Bus hardware a lot and considering I use that plugin on every Mix it might be worth it to get the hardware
Great video, God Bless you

got all of them right, even through yt compression. still huge advocate for software here, since its opened up music production for everyone. and in the end, creative, unique ideas is more important than a perfect mix!

dude you seriously sent these to every single one of the people I follow on RUclips haha damn, small world. That's so awesome. I hate to say it, but I could legit tell the difference and spotted the hardware each time. the SSL Bus especially made the point to me though, that it doesn't matter. It's like 2 flavors of the same thing, the exact type of thing us guitarists seem to seek out & spend far too much time on with our tones haha

I personally track with hardware and a very nice audio interface and mix in the box while using a very nice DA converter, good monitors and a solid mixing room I built. My whole setup is about $40k. But that's including all the Analog synths, drum machines, hardware, computer and software. So I would consider that a pretty good budget for creating a quality of music that many spend millions of dollars to create. Plugins are priceless for many of us.
GREAT VIDEO!

would be interesting to compare how it fares with a full song (drums, vocals, gtrs etc.) and see if that extra bit of low mid bump or 3d depth paints a greater picture when comparing to all digital mix.

I could hear a difference but it was subtle, and I'm listening on a decent headphone amp driving Audezes. I would imagine any difference evaporates on 99% of most consumer-available earbuds/speakers/soundbars, etc. It really is a difference only audio enthusiasts will know or detect.

That's a brilliant one Brother, I love it, and I think there will always be a subtle deference in better the two because during the process the signal still pass through the Analog Console which I believe will add characters to the response of the Hardware Compressor, and the plugin I want You to consider one thing which I have studied about Audio Interfaces no matter what their Tone or Character and or Frequency Responses will also tell, no matter what's the tone of the plugin, even if You test same plugin on deferent Audio Interfaces, I watched Jacquire King comparison on hardware versus UAD LA2A Compressor, and truly the deference was more subtle. I really appreciate this because it will answer so many questions and lack of confidence in using virtual plugins which many People has. Thanks ❤

Nice. This is so cool that I can record music at home using pretty old notebook and use such awesome soft. Really all we born and live in a great time.

Really cool demonstration! I think the big give away for me with the plugin vs hardware is the transients. The hardware versions have a slightly more sharp and “quick” initial hit that give the impression of extra depth, width, and sometimes openness that the plugins can’t quite reproduce in the same way. I guess it’s the difference between electricity and binary code. It’s amazing how close we can get though at a fraction of the cost and no excuse for a bad sounding mix using the plugins over the hardware!

Thanks for the comparisons. I choose the hardware correctly every time except for the Bass Guitar EQ comparison. That’s the only one where I actually like the plug-in better and so I decided to listen again on my large speaker and found that I liked the hardware better. Hardware one on every test.

amazing stuff. Taking into account how old the plugins are - even more so stellar!

Your cheat sheet helped me out so much dude. Quick and easy. Huge difference. Thanks!

Jordan is a Gem for the producer comunity. He always brings such precious knowledge for us all. I'm glad i can have a personal point of view from this guy. Thanks, man!

Good Point about the Waves modeling, old, be great to see Waves revamp them. I felt with some small amounts of extra saturation, You could have gotten there. Would have been interesting to hear other Manufacturers SSL, 1176, & Fairchild plugins.

I absolutely LOVE this video because it proves that if we're having a hard time telling the differences between the analog and the digital emulations, not that there are aren't differences, then the general public listening to the songs that are mixed and mastered is not going to be to tell the difference. And also, the general public does not even think about that difference. If a song is good and it's well mixed and mastered, they'll like it, if not, they just won't like it and that's what it boils down to.
So, we should definitely focus all of our attention and energy in becoming better at our craft and not obsessing over differences between analog vs digital.

Dope videos my man!
I love that you adjusted the plug-ins for “a good sound” instead of just matching the numbers on the hardware which makes no sense.
Although I do agree with a few people down in the comments about a better test. This would be an .
1- Use 4 (or even better 5) test examples instead of just 2.
2-The 4 test examples should be Universal Audio, Waves, Plugin Alliance, Analog (and if 5) another popular plugin favorite.
3-And most importantly, ask the listener which one they “Prefer” (not better)… if you get a whole bunch of different answers, then it proves that it doesn’t really matter between analog and Plugin.
-Which would make for an even better video: Ask the listener to place their preferences in order of favorite to least favorite.
Then you’ll see heads get blown, and a final nail put in that coffin.✌🏾

Thanks for the greatly needed perspective once again, I love these series of vids 🙂

I think you did a good and fair job with the comparisons. I am a hybrid guy using lots of analog but I would love for you to do a summing test similar to this one. IMO, thats where the differences are more obvious. Most who don't sum aren't summing because the sonics are equal but out of convience, from what I see.

It’s so cool to see you finally did this video! You have been talking about doing this for a long time! I have to say I heard zero difference lol ITB all day long especially for the amount of time it saves you with presets and templates! Plugins are gonna be the better option for 99% of mixers and not to mention the $$$ savings and also space you save in the studio. Plugins for me all the time way!!

Waves are good. But my PA plugins would stand the tests even better. It's the awesome results of the tech guys writing the emulations and getting them endorsed by the license owners that move our trade further, not dust collecting, buzzing and hard to maintain -though the mothers of analog warmth- hardware😊

Hi! Thanks for the video! Really curious what sample rate you used for the plugins. Aliasing can make you lose some of that punch that Nolly said the hardware had.

The differences are so subtle that it's an absolute safe bet to mix totally itb.
That being said hardware does have the mojo, only just. Great video ❤

Fantastic video.....loved it! It confirms what I had been thinking for the longest time, i.e., that you can get so close with the plugins that it doesn't justify the cost of the hardware. Looking at those professionals struggling to hear the differences, and yet not condemning the plug-in versions, was quite revealing. I mean, if they have to struggle that hard to hear the difference, then the difference is negligible. The ultimate question then becomes, why do people actually salivate when recording in these mega studios with all that hardware? Is it just a psychological thing? The answer must be in the affirmative. Peace. Tom

The analog is only producing more low end which gives a slightly more beefy sound, however, the plugins sounded much clearly and felt more naturally pleasant. If you want more boom bottom from plugins just dial it in a bit more.

For me the real game changer was when CLA mixed a song, IVO "let her know" for MWTMs both analog and digital. For those who have a paid subscription you can download the session and both mixes come included. And when I would A/B them to my clients, most of the time they couldn't hear the difference. They were very subtle. I did prefer the analog mix, but for the thousands of dollars that would involve, I get why many, including me, have decided to sell all outboard gear! Except mic pres of course!

2:56 it’s not bandwidth or frequency response; it’s resonance. Desirable resonance.❤

Is there any active patchpay or other part in the chain, which gains the signal from the hardware plugin or just 100% plugged into the interface?

The differences are subtle but they add up when you have enough tracks and become a bigger difference.

As an amateur mix engineer who spends all his money on hardware because I love it, I’d like to share the benefit of hardware for myself! Whilst some pieces of gear are very similar to software, some most certainly are not and are leaps and bounds ahead of software in terms of sound (first one that comes to mind is my IGS rubber bands stereo pultec vs waves Puigtec on my drumbus… the Puigtec sounds shocking in comparison)
The main benefit from hardware I find is that it actually taught me SO much more about the actual unit and software than I ever would have learned with software… I’m not sure if this is an issue for everyone, but with hardware I learned pretty much which settings I like, how to use the unit and what to use the unit on so much better than I ever could from a RUclips video or online tutorial.
I also enjoy using hardware sooo much, it really inspires me in a way that plugins just never made me feel… maybe like when you buy heaps of plugins when you first start out in production and get really excited, but then the excitement goes away and you realise you wasted heaps of money- except my excitement has never left with hardware!
No hate at all for what you do Jordan, I look up to your mixes and the work you do so much but I just thought I’d add my two sense in as someone who does this as a hobby but also loves gear and uses it on every mix!

Amazing video ♥☺♪

Really nice and eye opener video! To me, the real deal with hardware is to use it on recording and production stages, it really make the difference when you uses nice stuff to get your music recorded.
In mixing stages if the job was well done plugins are the way on time saving and nowadays sounds really close.
Anyway good music is always good music, if your write and produce nice songs, people will hear you. Focus on creativity, feeling and soul, having an 100k home studio wont make your music better.
Have fun guys!!

Awesome video man! You are only one of two producers with a solid presence on RUclips that I watch, listen to, and from whom I trust production/mixing advice and "how-to's". But while I sure as hell wouldn't pay that much more for an actual Faichild, my personal opinion is analog, hands down. This video does show subtle differences. But Ive also heard, and performed A-B's like this that were MUCH more apparent (i.e. my BLA Bluey vs. Waves CLA Bluey, which I love, on a snare). From my experince plug-ins usually seem to be a lot more 2D and some sound like they actually cut off much of the tracks natural ambience. With that said, you can obviously get great results 100% in the box, as has been proven time and time again and shouldnt even be a debate anymore. However it takes more plug-ins, and time for me personally, to get there. And we cant ignore the fact thay many of the huge songs we know that were mixed in the box were recorded on/with the same kinds of analog gear in your videos. Anyways, just my 2 cents on it. Thank for all that you do man! 👊

felt all the plugins were brighter. That might ad up in the mix, but could be comåensated for tho. Great test, thanks for making it 😊💚

With my headphones (and untrained ear), all sound relatively close, although there were some specific individual differences. Snare snap without a doubt on some, fullness on kick on a couple, breathiness on some vocal tracks....but without being familiar with the gear, I wouldn't know which was which (and guessed correctly on less than half). Both versions sounded great on every test, to me. I get that professionals want their best shot at perfection, but I'd think that most listeners aren't listening on pro gear at the office, in the car, or even at home. Price has to be taken into account for most home recording musicians, even with the great stuff out there these days.... I'm a long time musician retired for over ten years, just getting the bug again to record my music. Thanks for your videos.

What about tracking tho? How was all this stuff tracked? Was it Mic right into interface or what? I’m looking to get the best quality vocal recording

I can hear it!!!!!!!!!! There is now way… it’s so so subtle, would not of heard if I didn’t hear the direct comparison in the beginning.. but I’m surprised🤣🤣 hectic
Just note this is only for the first.. the rest I had trouble because I didn’t get to compare the difference, but they are so close

I heard the difference right away in 1176 BlueStripe. The hardware was warmer and smoother. The plugin had a slight high end spikey sound that I hate, but I can be easily corrected. Those of us that have been doing this a long time can easily hear the differences. 🙂👍

This was a good video. makes me feel better using my waves plugins, good that all the engineers got it right also :)

One of the biggest things for me in the relentless battle between ITB or OTB.. (if I may use abbreviations without sounding pretentious..) 😆 is the spread. There is a level of dimension that hardware offers over software, especially when it’s stacked up over x-amount of tracks. Doesn’t mean it’s better.. simply different.
However, it’s 2023. The way we hear music has drastically changed with the introduction of software modeling and IR. The average consumer is used to hearing ITB mixes. So that’s the norm.
In the end.. dive into the rabbit hole, be a gearhead and nerd out BUT never allow the tech to hinder the creative process. Commit and GO! 👊 🔥 👌

I’m happy I could hear the minute differences, but they’re so subtle, that it really does the plugins justice for their price and ease of use. If you don’t have the hardware and can’t stomach the steep prices, you can still get amazing results with plugins, and it’s easier to implement. At this point in time, hardware is really just a way to flex. I’m sure you’ll draw in more clients when they see all that expensive hardware! ;)

I could just about hear the difference on a couple but I'm one of those who thinks that it is so subtle that the public will never hear it in a track that's released. I am encouraged that the T-Racks emulations of classic kit that I mostly use are definitely good enough for the most professional work.

What a great idea, sum up and message this video has. I Love it

Imo there are 2 main advantages of using hardware. Capturing your signal in higher fidelity will give you the most out of your headroom to noisefloor. The other is that it makes mixing easier when you already have the tones gently dialed in a bit, which can also help performers be inspired when they hear a nicer tone in their headphones.
Both are viable and valuable and their strengths complement each others weaknesses.

I got em all right off the phone speaker ! But its all in the box for me! Once you add a tape saturation plugin it really doesnt matter. Abbey road vinyl is that thang. Also SAPHIRA harmonics plugin is really good

Totally agree with the guy re the saturation on the 1176. It's tiny but it's there. Couldn't tell a difference in the EQ, not a meaningful one at least. Regarding the SSL I liked the plugin more, somehow. Same with the Pultec. Got the last one right, as well. All in all, if you can't do it ITB throwing money on hardware won't help.

I got them all right except the fairchild but I'm at work listening on some crappy computer speakers too. But I admit, wow, they are very close. We live in a great time as music creators....honestly....I think about that all the time and am grateful.

I think the only time I heard a noticeable difference was the SSL Bus comp. My ears are not super trained for mixing, so it was cool to see insight on how the audio engineers tell things apart.

What i am also interested in is the summing aspect of things.. Seems that plugins can nail the sound super accurately that in reality it really is difficult to tell the difference on isolated parts.. But when it comes to analog vs digital summing, there must be differences.. At least i can definitely hear huge different when i mix in the box vs on my cheap analog mixing desk, the analog mixer makes everything sound more organic, everything sits in the mix better and generally sounds more musical to me personally. Would be nice to see you doing that.

I was able to spot the hardware in all of them. Differences were not huge, but I did like the hardware sound better every time. The one that stood out the most was the Fairchild. Plug-in had a little harsh digital sound, hardware was super smooth. All the others would fall into subjective taste.

To my mind is better to compare with something like UAD, acoustic audio, SSL, because they sounds better than waves.

Great comparison. I have done many tests myself and after I found the Xtressor to replace my trusted Distressors on kick and bass while mixing, my search is over.
Just from a testing perspective: it would have been interesting to not let them hear the differences first - it gives a clue what to listen for and as is mostly the case, there will be differences.
If you would just let them listen blindly first and then pick a favorite - or conclude there is no favorite, that could have been very interesting.
What these type of comparisons prove: it's in the mixing skills by now, not these very small differences.
There may still be something that has to do with aliasing and accumulation of it, but if you record well, honestly, there is no need for expensive hardware during mixing anymore IMHO.

While the differences are noticable they are subtle enough that you don't have to spend the big money on hardware to get "there" as an engineer anymore. It's better to train your ears and work on mixing skills than worry about gear. With that said there are still a few pieces of hardware I'd love to have over the plugin versions. Great video. You saved us all thousands of $$$ on hardware. Now go update your Waves plan 🤣🤣🤣

If dialed in right plugins can get extremely close to hardware but if you noticed he dialed in a tone and had to match it. I have noticed with hardware eqs the top top end can actually be much smoother than plugins but 80% of the time I can make a close sound using my uad or PA plugins. Great hinest video and since your good at your craft man those plugins where doing an amazing job

whoop whoop! I got 100% right! Damn, that feels good... sorry for being that guy. But for real tho, the differences are super subtle and most of them could easily be adjusted with another plugin, i.e. an additional Param.EQ or some smooth type of subtle saturation.... I'll keep mixing in the box, but I'm also kinda glad to hear that there ARE differences and I CAN pick up on them. That definitely hasn't always been the case, that's why it really makes me happy :)

What about UAD plugins versus the original hardware?

Thank you so much for the informative video. It makes it clear how far advanced has technology come. On the bass comparison I coundn't find any difference, very close. I'd like to see these comparisons with UAD plugings, I think it will be harder to tell. I used to use Waves and the difference side by side is notable. Great video!

At what sample rate did you made this comparison ? Because I do own hardware, and I did this test as well. At 44khz the Software actually sounded better the plug-in, but at 96Khz Sample rate, the Hardware came alive to all new level. It wasn’t even close, you could really tell the huge difference. Software didn’t even came close to Hardware.

Great as always Jordan 🤘

Great experiment. I got 3 of 4. Subscribed.

Using 3rd party “air pods,” the differences, if any, were so subtle that it proves your point. :)

I think it’s fair to say that a decent plug-in will get you really close to the hardware at least close enough that you can compensate for what the plug-in may be lacking. I just know in my own space I can hear a difference when I’m on really awesome speakers, but as soon as I’m going to a different system, you wouldn’t be able to tell if I use plug-in or hardware

When you do a Full Mix with all Single analog Units all these tiny differences will add up to something. I would love to compare a full mix analog vs in the box. I think the difference can be transparent. Comparing the single tracks in this video requires real focus due to the little differences. But summing up all of these to an analog vs in the box mix I would be super interested to hear it.

always love these testsss

I own a 1073 hardware and plugin. The UA plugin is fantastic, but I can achieve the results I want much faster with the hardware than with the plugin. When using the plugin, I often use other modern tools to shape the sound. Remember, to get the best results out of the hardware, you must have good cables, converters, etc.

Glad that I got all of them right! I think the difference might be in the actual ''analogic flaws'', it feels to my ears that the hardwares in general introduce more character to the sounds, how the bits and bops spike here and there for electrical fluctuations and 0.001% tolerances in the components, while plugins sound great, they sound a little too clean, almost as if trying not to appear in the mix, while the hardwares normally introduce more variance in the inputs.