Analog Heat "glueing the mix" ex-samples?

Elektron Gear Analog Heat
#1

Hello guys and happy Analog Heat owners!

I will buy an Analog Heat anytime soon to use mostly as a sound finaliser on my setup’s master out and I’m curious how it will behave that way.

I would like to hear (and if possible measure) examples where the Analog Heat is used as a mastering device to reduce peaks adding RMS and just a bit of character. The idea is to gain as much RMS as possible without cranking the sound. It will be great to listen to wet and dry samples of full mixes coming directly from your setup’s master out.

I already listened to several examples but on most of them the distortion is very noticeable, what is cool… but not what I want right now. Now I just want something subtle like something you’ll put on your master bus to glue your mix and gain some RMS.

Tank you in advanced!

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#2

I am getting AH also to have this use too, even if it’ll get many moments of hard driven harmonics…

I have a bunch of mixes that are already going in the mastering facility, but they are worth of a try with AH. As soon as I’ll get it here I’ll prepare few snippets of Flat VS Processed example.
…Heaps curious of this task like you !!

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#3

My thoughts are that mastering hardware devices/versions are very expensive mainly down to the converters, especially if there purpose is is to add colour… maybe this would be fine for pre masters and low gain mix glue (not pushed) but I can’t imagine the converters are good enough for professional mastering work?! Like the type of job you’d pay for, tho I’d be happy to be proved wrong… just doesn’t seem possible at this price.
That’s my perception anyway.
I know cenk mentioned mastering in the vid as well as culture vulture however I can’t imagine he meant this would be a replacement for actual mastering hardware like the much more expensive mastering versions of gear which feature very expensive components for a reason (clarity)

I see it as a mix tool only, up to pre master but not pushing the whole mix to mastering levels. Like I said glad to be wrong. x

Can’t wait to hear some in the wild.

Happy Friday :sunny:

EDIT - would actually be good to hear from cenk for some clarification on how exactly he was implying mastering… I took it he was excited and maybe slightly carried away with his sales pitch and actually meant along the lines of a final mixdown.

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#4

Good points :slight_smile: I’d have thought most mastering hardware used for colour/saturation is purely analog tho (compressors/eq/limiters/distortion etc) without need for them having A/D convertors? So I don’t think that’s where the extra expense/cost/value compared to Heat occurs?
Would be very impressive if Elektron have managed to get comparable quality inside Heat among the 8 distortion types tho. Or even something better than the best in today’s plugins that mimic the very expensive stuff. Either way, besides the obvious uses on individual tracks, individual I’m sure it’ll be of use on master buss duties to some degree, even if it doesn’t fully replace the need to use something higher cost too. The wet/dry knob is a great addition, you wouldn’t have to ‘totally’ flavour mixes…

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#5

I may be wrong but if you use the analog inputs and outputs of the heat there is no a/d d/a conversion as the signal path is 100% analog?
Of course if you route the audio via USB with overbridge into your DAW etc. you enter the digital domain and are then at the mercy of the heat converters.
This is when exactly as you mention the converters I presume are not going to be equivalent to your Mytek, Lavry etc. and potentially the weak point in the mastering chain.
I could be completely wrong with this guesstimate though :loopy:

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#7

Yeah I guess the point is a bit muddled there, the conversion would happen at the interface… tho with AH being touted as an interface too, all the more reason it’s doubtful anyone intended this to be a quality mastering tool?! Tho with the mythical mastering buzzword being clearly thrown on the table recently, I think it needs clarification.

Sorry to be pessimistic. :slight_smile: I jus don’t think it’s really HEATS purpose. x

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#8

Use Analog Rytm compressor and master distortion…

#9

Analog RYTM compressor and distortion is much too aggressive for the more subtle application we are discussing here i.e. on the master bus

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#10

I’m always torn between two ideals with this kind of stuff when shading a mix -
A - what sounds cool/interesting/new at the time
B - what sounds good/balanced/pro against other material and I won’t possibly regret down the line.

Killed a lot of mixes in the past by rushing in to some pretty extreme colouring from new units/pedals/plugins… Regretted it later once I was over the honeymoon stage.

Its all subjective tho and my fu#&-ups were my own fault just being heavy handed with new colours.

No right or wrong really, whatever people dig the sound of is cool. It’s good that not everyone’s mixes sound exactly the same. Just keen to hear some volume balanced wet/dry AH mix examples to see if it fits/betters what I already use for the character/s I like.

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#11

Speaking for myself: I have never thought AH has some mastering intentions…and I would never buy it with this purpose in mind.
Even because I do not have a mastering suite, nor the loudspeakers nor a lot of stuff…
And, indeed, mastering processors can easily approach 10x the cost of AH…

But I believe it “can act” as a mastering processor in the way Gustavo clearly and good said: “reduce peaks adding RMS and just a bit of character”.
I will never assume, after AH process, the track will be my Master…but a ready to be mastered mix…Yes!
If it behaves the way I am hoping. Otherwise will be my main saturation tool to gain harmonics from nothing :slight_smile:

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#12

Thanks! Would love that.
Same page here!

#13

Yes of course. I’m not talking about a professional mastering device replacement. Just as a “premaster” like device for Live usage.

#14

Again, I just want to gain some RMS cutting some peaks, and improve sound character a bit, without cranking the sound. :wink:

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#15

I don’ think it will be the same. There is no post overdrive filters or eq on the RYTM. Also that approach is impossible on my Live setup where the AR goes to the OT then to the Sound Processor.

#16

Same page!

#17

Guys, check “Dataline - Millions of Things” for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_GMTIAH-mE
Here RMS oscillates between -10 and -8, and when is it -8 there is not too much compression/cranking, all sounds warm and organically smooth. Style is not similar to what I do, but I have confidence this will apply also to my style, and -8 RMS Live with no perceived latency is something. ^^

I would love to have the “un heated” version of this to do some comparative analysis/measurement.

#18

Well only one way to find out for sure :wink:
Could be another cool use for this box for sure. Although I plan on purchasing it, I hadn’t really considered using it on the master bus, but rather mainly just for processing individual synth and drum trax in and out of the daw.
With all the various drive settings, wet/dry control and M/S processing etc. can’t see why it may not be able to be really dialled in to give some nice subtle saturation on the master (ability for fine tuning is very important here).
Funny thing is I really like and always use a brainworx plug on my master bus of my trax for exactly this purpose (provide some pseudo analog warmth), as it is very similar in its application to the Heat. Just a little bit glues the mix nicely and takes the digital edge off (have to be careful not to over do it though).

Will be interesting when I get the Heat to swap this plugin off the master with it and dial it in and compare. Could work

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#19

Hm while it’s an interesting thought I think you’d end up disappointed if you put this on the master bus, or it would be like trying to kill a mosquito with a cannon - wrong tool for the job. The type of distortion or saturation would have to be incredibly subtle for general purposes. I just think I’d have more fun with it if it was loud and right in the front of a track or group instead.
It would certainly be cheaper than getting reel-to-reel tape distortion though!

#20

I didn’t realize there were so many rules dictating what’s ok with regards to processing the sounds I’ve chosen to create. I’m pretty sure I’m doing something terribly wrong with all the guitar effects I have hooked up to all my non-guitar gear as well. I picture the AH being useful for both subtle and drastic processing. That’s the beauty of the two dry/wet knobs.

The AH is scratching my itch for having the urge to own an old-school sampler like an EMU Emax or Akai S950, and even a vintage mixer for slamming sounds through.

I’m the type of guy that would sample a whole track with a 12-bit sampler if possible to give it a cool sound.

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#21

^ Not sure anyone’s saying there’s rules when it comes to production or jamming or how you express yourself with sound and pedals. The thread talks about AH being used as a “mastering device” (tho now there’s a little more context added to the point) … cenk also talks loosely about “mastering” with it, which I think possibly may be a misuse of the word or just a language thing?! I dunno be nice to hear. I think he just means gentle master bus processing (pre master)

(the way I understand it, when it comes to actual mastering tho and in particular loudness of a mixed track, there are rules (or as I’d prefer to see it) reasonable common guidelines to follow or your stuff will probably come out sounding like louder turd …)

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