# Analog Obsession Plugins



## José Herring (Mar 11, 2021)

Haven't found much on these but one review. How are you guys liking these compared to the big boys, UAD, PA, et al.?






Now, all plugins are free on Patreon!


https://www.patreon.com/analogobsession



analogobsession.com


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## José Herring (Mar 11, 2021)

I tried them out this afternoon. Don't know what the fuss is. I kind of find them thin sounding overall.

So good that I can have these conversations with myself on this forum.


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## dgburns (Mar 11, 2021)

So, I looked at the website. Unless these blow everything esle outta the water, not sure why I’d go down this path imho.

jus sayin’


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## Macrawn (Mar 11, 2021)

Thin compared to say UAD and PA? 

I have some vintage one from Presonus and they definitely don't aound as good as UAD or PA. It requires a side by side comparison to really tell though.


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## juliandoe (Mar 11, 2021)

I've done an entire series of videos testing those plugins (until I upgraded the OS and they're not compatible anymore)


They're just fine. nothing spectacular. Some of their plugins are, to my ears, quite similar to the Logic stock counterparts. I still haven't found a plugin that is superior to what I already have in my template (and I don't have expensive plugins) 

UAD, Softube, DMG, PA have stuff that is way superior and worth the money.


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## José Herring (Mar 11, 2021)

Macrawn said:


> Thin compared to say UAD and PA?
> 
> I have some vintage one from Presonus and they definitely don't aound as good as UAD or PA. It requires a side by side comparison to really tell though.


Thin in general. Kind of brittle on the high end. The compressor cuts a bit of energy and body. I did a side by side comparison with Waves API and AO didn't hold up. 

I would consider the Analog Obsession on par with stock plugins but its not transparent like stock plugins so I'd be hard pressed to find a use for them.


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## juliandoe (Mar 11, 2021)

well, there are some plugins that are original and do something different but they're simply not my cup of tea.


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## chimuelo (Mar 11, 2021)

*He made some good Novation Peak presets worthy of dissecting.
Nice Psuedo FM, Sync and good notched CS80 Brass and PWM tricks.*


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## darcvision (Mar 11, 2021)

Very good developer, it has potential and free, similiar like airwindows but with great UI and based on analog gear. Also, if you like his plugin, don't forget to check his patreon. 
I didn't using their plugin anymore because i already have SSL from plugin alliance.


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## juliandoe (Mar 11, 2021)

I believe that the main mistake that developers like Analog Obsession and Airwindows (for example) make is to produce a large number of plugins.
Find bugs and issue is common but keep up with the customer service is really hard if not impossible.
When I filed a complaint with these to companies I received no reply whatsoever.

On the other side, I like the acting choice of the developers who have very few plugins that see upgrades frequently, improving over time.
I'm thinking of Klanghelm, Valhalla, D16, Klevgr just to name a few.

I'm happy to pay for a few great plugins instead of having hundreds of mediocre flawed ones.


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## Megreen (Mar 26, 2021)

José Herring said:


> Thin in general. Kind of brittle on the high end. The compressor cuts a bit of energy and body. I did a side by side comparison with Waves API and AO didn't hold up.


You were comparing apples and oranges and that's the problem.
"The compressor"? Which one? You can't just take any compressor and to compare it to any compressor if it's about emulations.



José Herring said:


> I would consider the Analog Obsession on par with stock plugins but its not transparent like stock plugins so I'd be hard pressed to find a use for them.








The Hidden Dangers Of Vintage EQ


Plug‑in models of classic hardware can sound great if you feed them the right level. But what level is right?




www.soundonsound.com





And now something weird:



juliandoe said:


> I've done an entire series of videos testing those plugins (until I upgraded the OS and they're not compatible anymore)
> 
> 
> They're just fine. nothing spectacular. Some of their plugins are, to my ears, quite similar to the Logic stock counterparts. I still haven't found a plugin that is superior to what I already have in my template (and I don't have expensive plugins)
> ...




The guy literally went to slap emulation of LA-2A on drums, LA-2A which has been used for decades
almost exclusively on vocals. 

On top of that, settings in compressor (used as a comparison) are completely wrong, because LA-2A has instant attack, 4:1 soft knee compression and 40-80ms release and to hear the real magic you need to use it on vocals and not on any vocals, but on raw, unprocessed audio material, same thing with emulation.
Otherwise, you are entirely missing the point.


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## juliandoe (Mar 26, 2021)

I often use drums to "hear" a compressor because you have the main frequencies covered (lows with the kick, mids with the snare, highs with cymbals and hi-hats) 

Also, the drum pattern that I use is often the same or similar between all my demo so it's easy to compare the sound of two different units. 

On the other hand if something "has been used for decades with ..." to me sounds like a good incentive to experiment in another direction 

I didn't call it a comparison and if you watch the video I'm showing exactly what a similar sounding alternative with different settings can offer. I'm not trying to match the sound. There's no point in that.


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## Megreen (Mar 26, 2021)

juliandoe said:


> On the other hand if something "has been used for decades with ..." to me sounds like a good incentive to experiment in another direction


I keep saying that you are missing the point, because in LA-2A (and emulations) attack and release are hardwired, there are no knobs to change them, which means that you can't use it as just another compressor.


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## MartinH. (Mar 26, 2021)

I haven't really used any of their plugins yet, but recently I was presented with an A/B blind comparison between a hardware cali 76 and the AO "fetish" emulation of it, and I thought the AO one sounded better. That says more about my taste than about the quality of the plugin of course, but I thought it's reason enough to take another closer look once I get back to making music.


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## juliandoe (Mar 26, 2021)

MartinH. said:


> I haven't really used any of their plugins yet, but recently I was presented with an A/B blind comparison between a hardware cali 76 and the AO "fetish" emulation of it, and I thought the AO one sounded better. That says more about my taste than about the quality of the plugin of course, but I thought it's reason enough to take another closer look once I get back to making music.


usually, the main difference that I hear between hardware and plugin is that the plugins are more "consistent" with their results. with the hardware, you are forced to do different choices, usually more musical than technical. To me, the advantage of the plugin is the possibility to experiment with it, so you can use it in very unconventional ways without being worried to break it. On the other hand, the advantage of the hardware is the immediate response, the sonic characteristics and the fact that when I use it I'm often more concentrated on the sound and less on the numbers. 

If your music sounds good it does not matter if you're using a free plugin, an expensive one or hardware or how you're using it.


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## Thundercat (Mar 26, 2021)

juliandoe said:


> If your music sounds good it does not matter if you're using a free plugin, an expensive one or hardware or how you're using it.


Blasphemy! I only listen to music mixed and mastered with N!


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## José Herring (Mar 26, 2021)

Megreen said:


> You were comparing apples and oranges and that's the problem.
> "The compressor"? Which one? You can't just take any compressor and to compare it to any compressor if it's about emulations.
> 
> 
> ...



I would like to be completely wrong on these. I'm all for the David and Goliath scenarios of the little lone developer in his bedroom toppling the major players. I've long thought plugins to be way over priced but I will pay for the good stuff. I'd be willing to pay for AO stuff too. I make it a policy now that if I use something even if offered for free I'll deposit some of my limited resources into the makers paypal account whether they want me to or not. I won't do subscriptions.

After my surprise on how good Vital is, I did pony up for the full priced package and I'm glad I did so even though it was working gangbusters on just the free version. But, the presents make it worth the money I spent. There's some real passion in that synth. Labor of love which I resonate with deeply. 

So I wanted to love AO. I just haven't yet. I will give it another shot though. And do a comparison with my Bx Neve emulation. That might be a more close comparison.


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## Markrs (Mar 26, 2021)

José Herring said:


> I make it a policy now that if I use something even if offered for free I'll deposit some of my limited resources into the makers paypal account whether they want me to or not.


I do the same Jose, I have discovered some great free action scripts in Reaper and if the dev has a PayPal I always give something to them. Even if it just shows that I appreciate the work they have done.


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## JEPA (Mar 26, 2021)

José Herring said:


> I'd be willing to pay for AO stuff too. I make it a policy now that if I use something even if offered for free I'll deposit some of my limited resources into the makers paypal account whether they want me to or not. I won't do subscriptions.


good thing! I have donated Analog Obsession developer once a time, and bought him another plugin before he got into free plugins. At that time he was selling plugins. BUT... I almost never used his plugins, paid, donated, free, etc. I haven't installed none of them in my new machine and I think I don't need them. I think he had also too much bad energy from ppl at gearsxxx and that was a shame, because he is a one man developer company. The guy from Airwindows (Chris) recommended him to turn to patreon and free plugins. I haven't found a use for his plugins and I don't know anymore where are the files...


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## juliandoe (Mar 26, 2021)

the bad energy comes from the fact that he was selling his plugins pricy and with many issues (mainly foldback distortion and sample rate incompatibilities). But, as far as I've seen, he has corrected the problems with the plugins over the years and I believe that the Patreon model suits him better. 
The main problem is that I don't see him active with customer service. I've contacted many times without having replies and many people contact me for support (because I've made a bunch of demos of AO stuff) 
I prefer the business model of companies like klanghelm and valhalla. few plugins, always updated, good sounding, no issues, great communication and small prices.


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